Notre-Dame de Paris

My only previous visit to Notre-Dame was 30 years ago.  Before I took up photography as a hobby. Long before the fire. That time, I visited in the evening, during a choir performance, and I remember it as a beautiful experience. Ever since the restoration was completed, I have been keen to see it again. It was the one thing I was determined to do on this trip. You should never try to recreate the past, but timings were such that I was again visiting in the evening. Probably fortunate, as the long snake of queue barriers outside suggested that waits during the day are long. Not so at 8pm, I was able to walk straight in, although it was still fairly busy. No choir this time. It was also more brightly lit than I remembered. That took away a little from the mood, but did help with photography. There is also a lot to show off. Everywhere was pristine stone and colourful decoration.

 

Paris

I thoroughly enjoyed my European rail trip last year, so I decided do another one this year. This time, the destination was Germany. Berlin, followed by Dresden and finally Cologne. But my first stop was an overnight in Paris, before a long journey (very long, it turned out) to Berlin via Frankfurt the next day.

 

I arrived in Paris, on time, mid-afternoon. My hotel was close to Gare du Nord, so I dropped my bag and went for a wander. I had a target destination, but I was happy to take a meandering route to get there, stopping if I found something interesting. My first stop turned out to be a large Westfield shopping centre. Forum des Halles might not be everyone's first stop on a night in Paris, but there was interesting architecture, an outdoor space with people, fountains, sculptures, and an old church nearby. Besides, there was nice light, and nice light is nice light. I spent quite a while by the fountains. These were a little different from those I was used to seeing in a location like this. The kind that spit water straight up in the air. These were nebulisers, producing a mist every few minutes. With the light behind me, it made for some interesting shots. Between the mistings, the wet ground offered interesting reflections and a drinking opportunity for the birds. For a change, there were more than just pigeons on offer, and the crows made particularly good subjects. Eventually, I moved on, and followed the river for blue hour.