04 April 2013

Le centre de Paris

On Monday, after I arrived three hours later than planned in Paris because of train delays, I decided to walk from the Gare d'Austerlitz, along the Seine, over to the Saint-Michel RER station. That's the very center of Paris, and the central feature of the center of Paris is Notre-Dame cathedral.


The weather on April 1, 2013, was crystal clear, with blue skies and a brisk breeze. Because the sun was shining brightly, the temperature was pleasant, though certainly not warm. I was pulling a suitcase on wheels (what an ingenious idea wheels on suitcases turned out to be) along behind me, and there were crowds of tourists out walking around. I heard many languages being spoken. I really enjoyed the stroll.


On the other side of the Seine, in the distance, I could see Paris City Hall — l'Hôtel de Ville. You can see the April Monday crowd on the pedestrian bridge linking the two islands that lie at the heart of old Paris.The sidewalks along the Seines, where scores of bouquinistes peddle not only books, but also posters, maps, and souvenirs, were a beehive of activity.


One reason I'm posting these photos of Notre-Dame and the surrounding views is that I'm happy to be able to post any photos at all. I don't have a computer with Photoshop on it, or any other application that lets me resize photographs or otherwise edit them. And I haven't yet taken any photos here in North Carolina.


But I do have my Android-operated tablet computer with me, and tonight I found a free application from Autodesk that lets me adjust, straighten, crop, and resize the photos that come out of my digital camera. Straight from the camera, they are too large — too "heavy" — to post on the blog.


So enjoy some photos of Paris and remember or imagine how nice it can be to walk through the center of Paris on a fine day, under blue skies, with no pressing destination in mind. Here in N.C., I'm slowly recovering from jet lag, enjoying time spent with my mother, my sister, and my 8- and 10-year-old grand-nieces, as well as keeping busy dealing with the challenges of accomplishing familiar tasks in an unfamiliar computing environment.

12 comments:

  1. Your photos are terrific! I feel like I've just visited Paris, again!
    Merci, Ken.
    Hope the jetlag dissipates quickly and you can enjoy all your time with the "gals"!

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  2. How nice to see sunshine in Paris. Hope you will have a wonderful time with your family. Enjoy!

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  3. Ahhh.... thanks for these :) Aprilllllll in Parrrrisssss! (sing along with me!)

    heh heh ;) I love the sky in Paris when it's bright and sunny-- it seems like it goes on forever.

    Enjoy NC and your family!

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  4. Gorgeous photos Ken...at least something good still came out of the delay for your trip.

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  5. Beautiful photos, Ken! I hope you left some blue sky for me next week!

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  6. Seeing those photos on a rainy rainy Alabama day is so much fun. I was afraid you wouldn't be here. I'm glad you found that app- the results are so fine.

    I'm glad your Paris walk was in the sun and that your suitcase has wheels!

    Enjoy yourself and eat some of that vinegary bbq you like.

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  7. BettyAnn, I meant to tell you yesterday that yes, I flew direct from Paris to Charlotte and it was a really nice flight. Decent food, nice new plane, big video screens with a good selection of movies and TV shows, etc. etc. No hassles at the airport in Charlotte either. A good experience.

    Sorry to tell you, but Walt says it's raining in Saint-Aignan today. Maybe not in Paris though

    Evelyn, I had my vinegar-sauce barbecue for supper last night. I bought a couple of pounds at the local Smithfield Barbecue, a chain. Good slaw and hushpuppies too.

    I think I'm over jet lag now. It's not so bad coming this way, really.

    My mother has a little Acer computer that doesn't have a DVD/CD drive built in, and she doesn't have an external one either. So I have no way to install Photoshop. But the app for my tablet is great, as you can see.

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  8. I love the photos of Paris. It's hard to believe it has been 12 years since I was there. Have fun in MHC! I have to have some BBQ from Smithfields every time I visit. And, of course, a shrimpburger from El's!

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  9. Love the Paris photos. There are a lot of apps available for adjusting photos on computers of all kinds.

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  10. Great photos and how lovely to see blue sky.

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  11. Margaret, a shrimpburger from El's -- what a great idea. Elvin's son Mark still runs the place. Elvin's sister June was our next door neighbor for decades.

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