Simple moments in Paris

Papillons at the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris

I am fortunate enough to have made a half-dozen trips to Paris in the past few years, and thanks to friends and proximity as well as occasional SNCF train ticket bargains, I hope to make many more. No matter how many times I visit, I find myself in unfamiliar neighborhoods and am delighted by new experiences.

A hot-air balloon over the Loire Valley as seen from the train to Paris

I am accompanied on my most recent trip by my friend who grew up in Paris and her two children, and so for part of my visit I share a kids' eye view of the City of Light. I also help myself to some rare "alone time" where I visit nearly empty museums and enjoy a solo stroll halfway across town. Here are some highlights:

Le Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris in the Petit Palais

Bronze statue of Winston Churchill at the Petit Palais in Paris

The Bataclan theater in Paris's 11th arrondissement

Boutiques and workshops line la Coulée Verte, an old railroad viaduct in
Paris's 12th arr.

View from the garden promenade on top of la Coulée Verte in Paris

Wine warehouses were converted into the trendy Bercy Village neighborhood in
Paris's 12th arr. Just after taking this photo, I received a soaking from
the rainwater which had collected in the parachutes above the walkway.  

View from the 2nd-floor balcony of the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution in Paris

Elephants at Grande Galerie de l'Evolution in Paris

Apes at the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution in Paris

Exhibit at the Arab World Institute (Institute du Monde Arabe) in Paris

View of the Seine from Place Louis Aragon at the tip of Ile Saint-Louis in Paris