At the beginning of November we spent a few cosy days with friends in Paris. We had seen the usual sights often enough, so this time we simply wanted to stroll through the lovely corners of the city. A coffee with a croissant here, a museum we didn’t yet know there – Paris in autumn, with no must-see programme at all.
Versailles, the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur
We started with the park of Versailles: on a Monday, the day the palace is closed, it was pleasantly empty. In the following days came the Eiffel Tower and the view from Sacré-Cœur – and a sunset in the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont looking towards Sacré-Cœur that I liked almost even better. On the last evening we celebrated Luisa’s birthday with Stefanie and Amaury – the couple who jumped into Lake Constance – before we sadly had to head back to Lake Constance. The Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in the 19th arrondissement opened in 1867 under Napoleon III, to plans by Adolphe Alphand; its landmark is the little Temple de la Sibylle, standing on a 50-metre rock island above the lake.
À bientôt Paris!
“Boulanger Pâtissier” on a street corner in Versailles – a croissant is part of the deal.A street lamp in front of the historic building, the background softly blurred.The courtyard of Versailles, almost deserted – the palace is closed on Mondays.Across the gardens of Versailles to the Grand Canal.A round basin with a fountain, the long axis of the park beyond.The Latona Fountain in black and white, the gardens blurring behind.Tall trees of an avenue in autumn leaves – pleasantly empty in the park.A white marble statue in front of the dark hedge.A statue between clipped hedges.The palace facade with its columns and figures.A faded bakery sign and a lantern on the house wall.A weathered door with a metal fleur-de-lis.An arrow on peeling green paint, autumn leaves on top.Houses on the banks of the Seine, in black and white.A Parisian corner building with wrought-iron balconies.A weathered green shutter.At dusk the street leads towards the dome of the Panthéon.Café “Le Métro” glows, its terrace waiting for guests.Notre-Dame on the Seine at blue hour.A corner café with a red awning, warmly lit at night.The Eiffel Tower glows behind the café, someone hurrying past below.The Eiffel Tower in golden light against a black sky.A corner building with balconies, steeply from below, in black and white.Haussmann facades with balconies in the evening light.The street leads towards a dome, in black and white.A kiosk beneath autumn trees in the park.Columns and arches of a facade, in black and white.Massive columns at the entrance to a church.A hand-drawn poster with a woman’s face on the house wall.A torn poster with a blue face on a red wall.Houses on the banks of the Seine behind autumn trees.Love locks packed tightly on a bridge.Red hearts and “in love” on the wall.An ornate archway, looking steeply up, in black and white.A pavilion of the Louvre under a grey sky.The glass pyramid of the Louvre, in black and white.On the bench in front of framed photographs – a museum we didn’t know yet.Three framed forest photographs on the museum wall.Through the columns in the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont: sunset over Paris, Sacré-Cœur beyond.“Piscine Pailleron” – the Art Deco entrance of a swimming pool.Looking up into the dome of a church.Chandeliers and dome in the nave.An old door knocker on peeling green paint.Two glasses and cutlery on the turquoise café table.Across the rooftops of Paris, the Eiffel Tower far in the distance.The white domes of Sacré-Cœur against a blue sky.From Montmartre the sea of Parisian rooftops stretches to the horizon.A single lamp against the grey sky above the city.A corner building with a café at blue hour.Coffered ceiling and reliefs beneath the Arc de Triomphe.The arch of the Arc de Triomphe from below.The coffered vault of the Arc de Triomphe, looking straight up.Inscriptions and vault of the Arc de Triomphe.Pale facades, the Eiffel Tower at the end of the street.“Foto Automat” on the sign on the white wall.An old photo booth, fresh photo strips in the slot.The Eiffel Tower above the rooftops in the evening light.A portrait in a dark coat, Paris in autumn.Steps leading down to the lights of the street at night.A lit staircase in a dark neighbourhood.The bar-tabac “L’Écluse” with its neon sign in the evening.On the last evening: a birthday dinner with friends before heading back to Lake Constance.
