Paris views

No, it is not over yet as I said Paris, is not a place where you can see it all within a day that is why I took two days to scroll through the streets and collect all that I could to bring you in this post. Some of you who have followed me from the past posts – I really appreciate your patience and at the same time welcome you again to continue this journey through this cold and rainy day. I Just cannot get over the fact that I am swamped by rain back to back.

Enough said !! Let’s get back to where we left so we can start the rest of the walk through the city and its architecturally vivid stances. By chance it happens that I have a camera that I do enjoy sticking in people faces for sometimes it really makes them angry but they don’t dare to fight a black ninja.. ha ha ha.. Just kidding.. lets go 🙂

Out of the Luxembourg experience and into another plane of architectural embrace. Just as I stepped out of the gardens, the greens disappear to a sudden extent that all you have is a concrete jungle around you. For two seconds, I had to make sure I was not going to wet myself beyond the desired urge so took a deep breath, adjusted my warm jacket inners and off I go.
Across the road, looking at the huge inviting dome, which for one stance does give a feel same to National Museum of London looking from this spot. Actually you are looking at Place du Panthéon.

Forgive me but I am not going to give you the full history of it here. This place has a different feeling each time I look at its architecture. Especially the domes in the door entrances, the windows and the grills that somehow never really existed in UK archiecture. A feeling of openness may be.

Beyond doubt, I did also find there is a vacancy opening in McDonald, Paris. Please be enlightened to submerge yourself into the dungeons of fast food eatery.

Does it prove that mobile phones are the last thing on this planet to make humans inhuman – indeed ! My observations with mobile phones are more like love hate relationship with an ex who keeps coming back. So is this weather.

I am going to carry on without a break 🙂 today. I just happen to have decided – I am going to make this weather work for me.

For those who want to see a larger drama in life, lets bring you something even bigger.
As wide as your eyes can see and not even the widest lens can capture – you see a view of Eiffel Tower in the distance between the rows of these buildings on your left and to the right.

Only if I was a drug dealer and can afford the widest of the lenses in the world this 6mm would have been sitting in my kit but no, I am not that rich yet. I do not even have my own slaves yet 😀 ha ha ha..

As I mentioned a little while back, this is a concrete jungle and we ants(humans) inhibit this place to perfect satisfaction of ours. We keep this place running and makes it the most expensive concrete jungles – that I would never be a part of. Never, I can imagine living in this concrete jungles.

Does it just appears that the blue skies suddenly tempted me. Yes indeed, I see no signs of green at all so has to be something natural still to give me a reason to be here enjoying this Purple contrasty umbrella under the blue skies.

A new lease to make this world look so exciting and colorful As it tends to be – this is quite not what I generally do but I suppose I have not many other options left with me. so we walk the alleys and snap snap shoot shoot .. rain falls at its own pace.

But the pouring downpour isn’t over yet. It is plup plup plup at its own pace. I am able to keep myself dry but not wasting too much of my energy standing still in one place instead – keep the body moving 🙂

It is indeed Paris – Everyone calls it a city of love. For love is in the architecture, the love is in the windows and in the not so human context. It is just another city for those who live here and for the rest of the world this is a place of Love unless you know where Moulin Rouge is. No, I had not been that lucky this time but may be next time I will do a round up there too to lighten you all up again.

Towards the river – this piece of work surprises me – how it must have been in the ages when it was build. The sign of care, affection and the motherhood which stood ages but hey, where is this now ! No one really has time to look up beyond what stands on the top of this structure. Such are our lives – the mobile phones make you look down not up 😀 please be glued to them 24 x 7 x 365 may be it helps you earn a lot of money too 🙂 who knows.

For those who are like me would be glad to find the Autumn in this city. There does exists the sign of nature flying through the wet and windy nature. It does not surprise me but I quite love to sit down on this wet floor to see and admire these fallen leaves which soon will be crushed by the walking pedestrians as the next lot of rush breaks.

How mental does this look ! For the eyes – Yes, it is not a straight out of the camera or SOOC shot but something which took few layers and more than couple of editting touches. It is not all about shooting in this weather but trying to make out of what the nature and the light has to offer. For a change I do like this shot and quite impressed by how it turned out. Sometimes it does make me wonder if I have lost these gimmicks in my photos.

For the meanwhile, I leave you all here with this dose of Paris & rain. I will be back soon with the views in and on the other side of Notre Dame.
Till then Goodbyes and keep checking.

For travelers, Paris is just another historic exotic city that has its own charm attached to it. It for no matter should not be confused with anything else you see or come across in other cities. Life is vivid all across from architecture, history, colours and people that make this city. Lot of changes in the last century has changed the way this place actually must have been one time. For a minute – let’s give it a polished note before I write more about it in further details.

Paris – A city of love, A city of attraction, A city of architecture, A city of unending long queues, A city full of tourists, A city with crazy traffic, A city with oldest Metro in the world, A city with most expensive shopping stores, A city with youth kissing, A city with couples looking for excuse to uncork their wine bottle, A city with pebble streets, A city with oldest Renault cars, A city with endless list to do things, A city with history and the list is endless.

Pen and its lovers

There are things which do not tell what else this city has which I shall also not tell but should offer enough for you all to figure it out yourself. My journey was smooth and to say it this way that Eurostar operates on precise minute to minute service in terms of both arrivals and departures so do not expect anything less than a great service from Eurostar. Nothing on this front to offer besides you may get a good neighbor or a couple sitting opposite your seat who will either be indulged in their phone screens or two hours of cuddle sessions to keep you either shy or totally entertained – the choice is yours to make. I had a reason to choose the middle seat with the table so I can play a movie to keep myself engaged. Found that I had a boring selection of the movie with Scarlett Johansson playing in Girl with a Pearl Earring

Almost with darkness surrounding there was nothing to view out of the window. Getting off at Gare Du Nord, Paris was quite rush like everyone trying to leave and run away but why not – it is Friday evening. Everyone had a reason as the train seem to be full with usual weekly commuters doing London – Paris regular weekly routine dressed in their business casuals. I had to take a RER E (Pink – girly line) to get into Zone5 where I was to spend my next few days(/nights). Gare du Nord had a old classic look which somewhere reminds me of the renaissance roof from Frankfurt railway station. A bit of modern extension but still quite classic in its own way. I managed to get my ticket for RER on the counter after a long queue where some Japanese students had a bulk tickets to buy. The guy on the counter understood my english quite clearly and without any delays I was on my way to find RER E line. For my dismal shock it smelled like a smell of piss as soon as I crossed some of these blocks and alleys going down to the platform 53. I couldn’t believe for my sake that it can be anywhere like this outside India and somewhere in Europe – that too it in a capital city of France. Well, that was my first shock to be surprised with – how can Paris especially Gare du Nord be so stinky and carelessly un-kept. Anyways, it was the first time in Paris via train so I was bit in a surprise. Last time I visited Paris was on a motorcycle so it does appear to be a shock. Getting down to the Magenta station where I can take the Pink line the train was in general words quite the same I would come across in England. Not much of a difference except it was the first time on a double decker train which is not so common or rather I have not at all seen in UK at all.

Interesting enough it is Friday evening and the city seems so quiet and all dull. Am I sure this is still Paris or am I just too lost in this illusion of comparison or expectations. Ignore my words if you cannot take the criticism but this is how it all is – may be you should read Lonely Planet guide for polished words. Train was largely empty at 2100hrs more like a ghost train running from Paris. I reached Émerainville – Pontault-Combault and just another two minutes walk from there I was in friend’s house.

Size-wise Paris is a bigger geography compared to that of London and its english counterparts. I let the rest of the evening watching TV and being a couch potato with my friend’s daughter. Kids really get me to nerves especially when all they wanna tell me is – “Patoush” – A word that went down my vocabulary list quiet well which means “Don’t Touch”. Kids needs a lot of energy to deal with – one is 3 and the other one 6 – so both gave me hard time but it was fun besides there was another third one who was a part of the house crash party. Three kids and one soul to handle the hassles of three children. I am sure parenting would be a challenge when it happens but I hope that it would be in a language where I can deal better.

I was well sure I am going to be a bed crasher this night and will not be willing to wake up anytime soon. Beside the next morning it is one of the girl’s birthday so there was a certain feeling of happy birthday around this home. kids and Birthdays are I suppose the biggest thing for them in the year so.. a lot of Balloons filling and decoration and helping them set it up for the big thing. I am always at home when it comes celebrating with kids – just become one of them and forget the age of how time has made me grow older – time never stops.

Going back to my trip, the weather is really horrible. Heavy rain and it feels drastically chilly for this time. I had no mood stepping out but to wait till this rain would eventually settle down – would it settle or would it not – I think it possibly will not but I should still step out. For most of the way I would be in train (RER), and Metro so it should be just about fine.

I decided I wanted the Louvre in this weather. Rain had settled down but not completely stopped. From Gare du Nord, I hopped onto Metro to get off at Palais Royal – Musee de Louvre. As the name suggest Louvre – it was good to point me in my direction. Metro has a very well connected like a web network across most of the major cities in the world. Stepping out at the Palais Royal – it lands you into this shopping mall where you see the inverse Louvre with the hanging base tip of it and people just do not want to leave it 🙂 something quite interesting for tourists to be at this spot.

A bit further as my excitement to shoot the louvre was getting a bit bigger. I step out to find myself on the right side of the mini Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. Splendid views with Eiffel in a distance and a mild drizzle. At first I would think – oh come one, it is just a drizzle then I forgot it all very soon as I started to indulge myself in the pictures and made the rain soon a thing of the past. Wooh – rain is not a big pain 🙂 I have a weather sealed kit – what for – abuse it. Yeah so here for your eye candy some of the louvre shots. I really feel sorry for people who think photography is everyman cuppa tea but how can you use a flash for something like louvre from 80mtrs away. I think I need to share some more on that account but on the next blog post may be.

& here comes my master piece of a picture.
I call it real emotions – for some it is just a shot but for those who have eyes will look into the details of this makes it to my faves of the shots. This shot has what it calls for – emotions, love, solitude, music, expressions, hugs, kisses and above all the views from beyond inside but even outside.