Friday, November 04, 2011

Un dernier aperçu

I walked up through the quiet residential neighborhood south of the Panthéon and the Lycée Henri IV (one of the bigger and most prestigious of Parisian high schools). It was quiet because it was the last Saturday morning of summer vacation. The huge dome (you've seen it several times already) loomed up above the building tops.

The very top of the Panthéon dome behind the trees.

A couple of quick shots with the camera and I was on my way back to my cousin's hotel. Mark and Julie were kind enough to let me stash my backpack in their room while we went off to the Pompidou Center. After, I'd pick it up and head to the Montparnasse station for my train home.

And I'm amused that I, a 51 year old man, can travel to Paris with only a backpack. Of course, the weather was hot (no heavy clothes) and I only went for two nights, but still. It felt great to travel light, just like a kid again.
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9 comments:

  1. JustAMike04 November, 2011 12:28

    I love your photographs!

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  2. Seine Judeet (Judith)04 November, 2011 13:53

    Thanks for including us in your Paris trip :)

    Any neck improvement?

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  3. Mark04 November, 2011 14:31

    You're a "kid" at heart!
    m.

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  4. Evelyn04 November, 2011 14:35

    I love light travel also- you are young, believe me.

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  5. The Beaver04 November, 2011 16:08

    Thank you for this 48-hour visit of this part of Paris : some are still under the label "Paris Inconnu" for me since I have heard of/read about them but haven't spend time visiting.
    Travelling light - love it but can't always do it :-)

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  6. Mary04 November, 2011 18:52

    Come on, Walt! Aren't we all still kids when we can get a thrill to just carry a backpack and not have to lug around a big, ol' suitcase! How lucky that you as well as your cousin and his new wife had such wonderful weather.

    Mary in Oregon

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  7. Starman04 November, 2011 20:03

    The first time we went to see the Panthéon, we walked from our hotel on rue de Choisy in the 13é. We got a bit turned around so when we saw a guy washing his car, we asked directions. He moved about three feet to his right and pointed. We could see the dome and realized it was only a couple blocks away.

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  8. Niall & Antoinette04 November, 2011 20:21

    Thanks for the Paris tour :-) and agree it's great to travel light.

    It amazed me on the ferry recently from Ouistreham to Portsmouth that poeple were lugging suitcases from their cars up to cabins -- it's only a 6 hr overnight sail!

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  9. wcs05 November, 2011 08:15

    justamike, thanks!

    judy, small improvements. Slow going. But I'm sleeping better now.

    mark, yup. I wish I was a kid at physical endurance.

    evelyn, it doesn't feel that way sometimes! lol

    t.b., and it's not over yet!

    mary, there was a feeling of freedom with just the backpack. Strange!

    starman, it's amazing how close you can be to something so big and not see it.

    n&a, I usually carry too much when I travel. Paring it down is a good skill to learn.

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