~Snapshots~

What comes next are some photos that don't fit into the neat categories I've created for most of the posts.

This corner stood out from the rest of the buildings next to it.  I took the photo because I was drawn to the interesting fountain.

When I returned home, I ordered a book that I had read about titled "Five Hundred Buildings of Paris".  What a fabulous reference; beautiful black and white photographs and descriptions of the many notable buildings around the city.  This fountain was one of them.  It is the "Fontaine de la Croix-du-Trahoir" (located in the 1er arr.).  To the French royalty, water was a sign that the city was healthy, working and rich.  That certainly explains all the fountains in Paris.



If you spend much time in the Marais (3rd and 4th arr.) on the Right Bank, no doubt you will see this intersection~Place du Chatelet.  It is a major square with several cafes and two theatres.  The Tour St. Jacques is in the background; it is all that remains of the Church of St. Jacques which was leveled around the French Revolution.

The Place du Chatelet is the site of the former fortress, the Grand Chatelet built by Louis VI to defend the Ile de la Cite.  Later it became a notorious prison.  The area became one of the most dangerous in the city.  Napoleon had the whole area including the Grand Chatelet destroyed to eradicate the criminality.  The fountain was erected to honor Napoleon's victories in Egypt.











This is one of the neatest, most decorative Metro stops~Palais Royale.  As the name suggests it is located in the 1er arr. near the Palais Royale.

We saw a few of these vehicles on previous trips but now they are becoming quite a popular way to see the city and get around.  There quite a variety of "pedi-cabs".

 This next one looks like a SMART car on bicycle wheels.

The lighting isn't very good but you can see at least 4 of these pedi-cabs going down the street.

This is the serene Palais Royale Jardin.  This is such a quiet and beautiful garden; you'd think you were in a small French village but it is right in the center of the 1er arr. at the Palais Royale.  This photo was taken on a Sunday morning.

The beautifully ornate Pont Alexander III bridge.

 A typical Paris newstand~they're everywhere and offer a lot including directions, if you ask politely.

A Paris kiosk

The tabac is also an important place to know.  You can buy stamps and Metro tickets at most.

Every neighborhood has a great little market (or several great markets).

This is a Wallace Fountain.  Given to the city by Sir Richard Wallace to provide the poor with drinking water after the Franco-Prussian war had destroyed most of the aquedacts leading to Paris.  There are about 50 remaining and they are still in use~cold fresh water.

This one is on the Champs Elysees near the Place de la Concorde.