“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” –Anonymous
Till 2017, I did not have a passport ( I was 45). I had no plans of visiting France till 2020. Guess, life writes its own script and the planning we humans indulge in, is a mere illusion.
Recently, work took me to France and I decided to switch over to a wide-angle lens to cover what a beautiful country and a city like Paris has to offer. The idea was to collect some memories. Walked around, took a Hop-on Hop-off Bus and a Seine River cruise.
Work had taken me to a smaller town Chaumont, about 250 Km SE of Paris. Stay and exploration around the quieter country side had its own charm. Some pictures below speak for themselves.
The Effiel in monochromeThe Effiel Tower GardensCrossed the road at least 5 times to get this right. The Zebra Crossing light turns Green only for 15 seconds.Yeah, its a good neck exercise !!The Arc De Triomphe. Being spruced up for the 2024 Olympics (maybe)The Champs-Élysées. Inaugurated – March 2, 1864. Shot from atop the Arc De Triomphe.Cityscape around the Arc De TriompheThe Modern cityscape beyond the Paris City Centre. Pic taken from the Arc De Triomphe. 01 August 2021Notre Dame Cathedral. Construction Years 1163–1345 Notre Dame Cathedral. Under re-construction / repair. 01 August 2021Les Invalides (Napolean’s Tomb) : A close up. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Invalides)Louvre Museum : Established in August 10, 1793Louvre : Inner CourtyardA View from Half Way up on Eiffel Tower. The Edge Perspective.The Centre Perspective – From Halfway up.Seine and CityscapeSeine and Cityscape : The other sideArc De Triomphe and the radials aroundThe Most Beautiful Bridge in ParisView from a Bridge across the SeinePont Alexandre III :The Most Spectacular Bridge in ParisPont Alexandre III : on a clear dayChaumont : At dusk, a view from the School Gendarmerie The Château de Montigny-sur-Aube, Chatillon region.Harry Truman’s Stay at The Château de Montigny-sur-Aube (Reference https://www.chateaudemontigny.com/truman-harry_en.html)The Church of Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, home of Charles De Gaulle.De Gaulle is buried in the cemetery in Colombey, in a humble grave with the inscription “Charles de Gaulle 1890-1970”.Charles de Gaulle Monument at Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. This 145 ft (44.3 m) high Cross of Lorraine was built at the western exit of the village, commemorating his distinguished wartime role as commander of the Free French Forces. A memorial museum was inaugurated in October 2008 by Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel. This joint Franco-German act marked the fiftieth anniversary of talks in Colombey on 14 September 1958 between Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer, as part of the process of post-war reconciliation.Stephen’s 11 + 1 at the Memorial. ASpecial Mention of our friends Patrice and Ronan – the entire stay in Chaumont would not have been as interesting without them.La Boisserie, the home of Charles de Gaulle at Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
Overall a fantastic and fattening experience – I have never had such wonderful cheese (in quality and variety) as I did in those 15 days.
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