The first thing I noticed as I left the subway station near my hotel for the first time, was the sheer amount of people.  And then, you immediately notice the beggars.  Although this is no different than any other major city, cast against the backdrop of the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame cathedral it somehow resonates.  This older woman was wondering the crowds just outside the Louvre, and she could have been any number of women we saw on Champs Elysees, Rue di Rivoli, or just hanging around the subway.  I have honest debate within myself whether to show this person, but this is the best image that captures how it is to walk through the busy crowds and so I finally decided to put it up.

The Cafes in Paris are as remarkable as their folklore suggest.  They are everywhere and provide a nice break in the tourist action.  Here Gelareh is smiling after a warm sip of Cappuccino on a brisk Paris morning in a Cafe near Notre Dame.

As you get off the Eiffel Tower elevators you are bombarded by a swarm of peddlers trying their best to convince you their trinkets are the ones you need.   The gauntlet continues until you actually leave the immediate area around the tower.

Street performers are everywhere in Paris, and this gentleman in the Subway at Chatlet station was getting rave reviews.

For me, viewing the Mona Lisa was the most anticlimactic part of my trip.  It might be my engineer brain getting the best of me, or it might be that I just didn’t have time to set in front of the painting and soak it in.  However, the crowds and buzz around the painting were quite interesting.  People filed in, videotaped, snapped pictures, shoved, stretched, and finally got their couple seconds to view Leonardo’s masterpiece.  All the while, there were three beautiful works by Leonardo hanging in the main gallery that you could get close enough to smell, and for as long as you please.

Another surprise in the Italian painting section of the Louvre was a gentleman setup to copy one of the many masterpieces on display.  A crowed gathered around this gentleman as he very skillfully recreated the portrait.

I was astounded to learn that somehow you could take a drawing class inside the Louvre.  This particular class was working on sketching in the sculpture exhibits.  The instructor would time them, and when time was called the students would throw their pads at his feet where he would give instant feedback.  What at setting.

As many know, I am a big fan of English Setters, and oddly enough while walking around one day we can across this beutiful male lounging around a playground while his owners enjoyed a playground.

Being tourists, we temporarily qualified as Paris people as well!  We climbed the tower at Notre Dame in 40°F and very windy weather.  As a result, Gelareh’s neck scarf became a temporary head scarf/ear muff.

Near Notre Dame Cathedral there is are a selection of tight streets packed with little restaurants and quaint shops.  Gyros are popular in the area, and open windows show vendors carving away for hungry guests inside.

I was shocked to find so many peddlers in and around the various outdoor monuments in Paris.  They are everywhere and they are aggressive.  Outside the beautiful Sacre Coeur Basilica peddlers lay out their trinkets and negiotate prices with tourists from all over the world.

The subway in Paris can easily take people anywhwere in the city, but can be very crowded at times.  Here a very tired businessman is making his way home.