More Travels

As some of you may know I was recently in Paris for a short break (bringing the 2006 holiday totalizer to an impressive 5) . I had a great time sauntering along boulevards, paying over the odds for glasses of coke and fighting mild claustrophobia in the world's smallest hotel room. Having heard mixed reports on Paris I went with an open mind. I was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't the pee-pee soaked heck hole described by my friend Mark. The Parisians were very friendly (perhaps grateful for the hours of laughter provided by my appalling French) and the food, well it was delicious as one would expect. The steak was served with a pulse and my pupils dilated after one taste of the gourmet chocolate.
But you don't come to this site to hear about what I had for dinner. Photography is the subject of this blog, so why all the flannel about frites when I should be talking about f-stops? Well, because I didn't really take many pictures. I'm ashamed to admit that I was quite lax on the photo front and I really should have worked harder. However, I'm very pleased with this shot taken in Notre Dame. Not being religious I was in awe of the scale of the place rather than the icons. I was surprised that it wasn't excessively touristy, unlike some other cathedrals I have visted (I'm looking at you, St. Peter's Basilica). Despite the hefty 2 euro fee for a candle there seemed to be a whole lotta prayin' goin' on. So, I like to think that this photo conveys the sheer size of the place and the genuine feeling of reverence inside, rather than the backpacks and tour guides I had expected to find.