Marche aux fleurs

Just blocks away from Notre Dame in Ile de la Cite is the Flower Market. The last of its kind in Paris. It was like a little oasis in the city when we were there. No tourists, no lines, just beautiful colors and smells surrounding us as we strolled through.

Notre Dame's Gargoyles

I cannot begin to tell you how long I have wanted to photograph the famous gargoyles atop Notre Dame. These gargoyles  – half man, half beast – have presided over Paris since the medieval era. They have frightened away evil spirits and carried rain from the roof of Notre Dame's Cathedral for over 700 years.

Can you imagine 700 years? The Black Death, the Hundred Years War, the French Revolution, the Rise of Napoleon, the Impressionists working on the banks of the Seine, the Industrial Revolution, the impact of two World Wars... All these events and many more have come to pass under the gargoyles' watch.

To them, whole generations pass in the blink of a stony eye. I'm a gothic romantic at heart and I felt these guys deserved a vintage look. It's sort of my homage to my elders.

Bonjour Pari!

We have returned from Paris - city of lights, city of love, city of romance. Call it what you will, but you cannot deny that this city's soul is infectious. It's a place where time slows down and worries seem to disappear. To borrow a quote from Ms. Hepburn, "Paris isn't for changing planes, it's for changing your outlook! For throwing open the windows and letting in... letting in la vie en rose."

I now understand what Hemingway meant when he called Paris a moveable feast. I love this city. Every bit as much as I thought I would. And I know that it will stay with me, wherever I go for the rest of my life.

I quite literally took THOUSANDS of pictures. Chances are good that all the blog updates for the rest of the year may be of Paris. I could think of worse things. Besides, Paris is always a good idea!