Trip to France

Just click on the photo to see a larger copy of it. All these images were cropped for size purposes, the originals have more of a "border", and usually look better.

This trip, in 2000, was taken before our trips were fully chronicled, unlike our return visit in 2023 on day 2 and day 3 of our Cities of Light Viking River Cruise.

These images are scanned paper photos that are now more than twenty years old, and are sorted by category / [mostly] location.

UPDATE 01/25/2024: All the pictures that could be located were rescanned, enhanced as needed and able, and uploaded. Some of these were never posted before. A couple shots are even "duplicate" of photos taken two decades later - by chance!

Chartes
Church from afar Flowers at the entrance to town. We made it to the church. The rose window, and other stained glass Altar and pipe organ. Some of the church statues. This labrynth is sometimes traversed by some on their knees. A piece of Mary's veil.

Chateaus
Château Chambord shots including the building, grounds, and gardens, in color and black-and-white. Not too much on the inside, but we did get this bedroom. Château de Chenonceau (yes, it's over water) shots including the building, grounds, gardens, a selfie, and a café.

Countryside
Countryside castles Some small town / Village streets The French Countryside

Eiffel Tower / Toure Eiffel
A collection of Eiffel Tower shots, in the day, at dusk, at night, color, and black and white (rhyme not intended).

Fountainbleu
The palace's front gate. Grand entry staircase, another entryway, and a doorway. The fountains in the "backyard". Some of the gardens. A statue. Courtyard. A fireplace in an ornately decorated room. An APS film camera panaramic (that sort of looks "fake"...)

Giverny ([the painter] Monet's home)
A collection of shots of the Water Lily Pond (in color) A couple shots of the Water Lily Pond, in black and white The two of us on the Japanese Bridge over the water Lily Pond The garden outside Monet's house as seen out the study window

Landmarks / Sights
Moulin Rouge sign - from the stopped bus Moulin Rouge sign - from the moving bus Avenue des Champs Elysees with the Arc de Triomphe afar Arc de Triomphe Etoile (a bit blurry, but you get the idea) Arc de Triomphe Etoile (first of three Arc) Arc de Triomphe du Carroussel, outside the Louvre (second of three Arcs) La Grande Arc (third of three Arcs) Sacre Coeur Some fountains.

Louvre Museum and artwork
Louvre Museum Louvre Museum pyramid window / skylight Inside the main "foyer". The four most famous / notorious pieces: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, and Mercury A statue. The ceiling. From the side [likely from the Seine].

Notre Dame
Entrance to Notre Dame - two separate shots; one in black and white, one color Notre Dame - Side, from the Seine Notre Dame spire. Notre Dame bell towers from a slight distance. Sculptor work at entrance to Notre Dame

People
All students at Château de Chenonceau Tour group at Fountainbleu Girls on bridge during Fete de Musique Molly and Kelly, and Pam at the Eiffel Tower Everyone at the Eiffel Tower. Chaperones and the students at Chartes Cathedral The three of us at Fountainbleu. Linda in front of a couple sculptures.

Statues / Sculptures
Rodin's The Smooch... no, it's the Lip Lock... No wait, it's The Kiss - yea, that's it, The Kiss The Thinker in the lower left corner. (Gimme a break, I was on a moving bus!) Outside the Louvre - The Thinker's Wife (No, not really, it's éditerranée) The Night by Mailol (though it does look like a Rodin). A collection of sculptures: the first perhaps near the Louvre or in the Tuileries Garden; the other somewhere else.

Statues / Sculptures

Rodin's The Smooch... no, it's the Lip Lock...
No wait, it's The Kiss - yea, that's it, The Kiss

The Thinker in the lower left corner.
(Gimme a break, I was on a moving bus!)

Outside the Louvre - The Thinker's Wife
(No, not really, it's éditerranée)

The Night by Mailol (though it does look like a Rodin).

A collection of sculptures: the first perhaps near the Louvre or in the Tuileries Garden; the other somewhere else.

Versailles
The entry gate. The full Versailles palace The grounds, including some gardens and fountains. A couple statues, including Diane the Archer, in color and black and white A pedistal and statue in one of the rooms. The Hall of Mirrors. Some different hallways. A couple rooms, mostly focusing on the chandeliers. A concert hall and muscians balcony. An interesting vase. A chapel?

Miscellaneous
Paris from the plane - it's hard enough taking pictures on a bus at 100 KPH, how hard do you think it is at 3000 KPH?!!? Carousel near Sacre Coeur A couple shots of various Paris streets. Secret garden Sculpture garden across the plaza from the secret garden A bridge, as seen from the Seine River cruise. Sculpture work on a bridge on the Seinne A building... that is likely the train station UPDATE 07/26/2024: This building is actually the Grand Palais where the 2024 Olympic Fencing and Taekwondo took place. The Seine at night Hotel Merific, where we stayed in Paris, with a couple shots of gettng to and of the eating area for le pitit dejeuner (breakfast). Parisian gas prices - Americans were complaining two decades ago too... (this is about $5.00 per gallon) A few buildings, some that may or may not be governmental A Mercedes taxi Somewhere in Paris might have been / be this atrium Somewhere in Paris might have been / be these parks (perhaps it is part of Tuileries Garden, or even one of the chateaus) Somewhere in Paris is this entrance to the metro, and the metro stop for Place de Cucky (not necessarily related to the entrance) A collection of statues. Souvenier shot glass Tours train station. Generally speaking, one's armspan is about equal to their height. So Linda's five-foot-two span means this is a really small car. Some decorations. The Municipal Theater. Some churches. Some flowers. Enough years ago, it would have been a "big thing" to see the tunnel / underpass where Princess Diana died. A random balcony somewhere. A park somewhere though it is most likely the Tuileries Gardens. Van Gogh's house in Montmartre. A café - that nearly the same photo was taken again two decades later. An interesting staircase. A church spire (from somewhere) in black and white. A stained glass window from somewhere. Our family has money. OK, a distant relative - both physically and lineagely - MAY have money. Some views of the city and skyline. An oblisk. An art sculpture.

Miscellaneous

Paris from the plane - it's hard enough taking pictures on a bus at 100 KPH, how hard do you think it is at 3000 KPH?!!?

Carousel near Sacre Coeur

A couple shots of various Paris streets.

Secret garden

Sculpture garden across the plaza from the secret garden

A bridge, as seen from the Seine River cruise.

Sculpture work on a bridge on the Seinne

A building... that is likely the train station
UPDATE 07/26/2024: This building is actually the Grand Palais where the 2024 Olympic Fencing and Taekwondo took place.

The Seine at night

Hotel Merific, where we stayed in Paris, with a couple shots of gettng to and of the eating area for le pitit dejeuner (breakfast).

Parisian gas prices - Americans were complaining two decades ago too... (this is about $5.00 per gallon)

A few buildings, some that may or may not be governmental

A Mercedes taxi

Somewhere in Paris might have been / be this atrium

Somewhere in Paris might have been / be these parks (perhaps it is part of Tuileries Garden, or even one of the chateaus)

Somewhere in Paris is this entrance to the metro, and the metro stop for Place de Cucky (not necessarily related to the entrance)

A collection of statues.

Souvenier shot glass

Tours train station.

Generally speaking, one's armspan is about equal to their height. So Linda's five-foot-two span means this is a really small car.

Some decorations.

The Municipal Theater.

Some churches.

Some flowers.

Enough years ago, it would have been a "big thing" to see the tunnel / underpass where Princess Diana died.

A random balcony somewhere.

A park somewhere though it is most likely the Tuileries Gardens.

Van Gogh's house in Montmartre.

A café - that nearly the same photo was taken again two decades later.

An interesting staircase.

A church spire (from somewhere) in black and white.

A stained glass window from somewhere.

Our family has money. OK, a distant relative - both physically and lineagely - MAY have money.

Some views of the city and skyline.

An oblisk.

An art sculpture.

Night
Some pictures - mostly from the Eiffel Tower - taken at night with no mono- or tri-pod, and no preview. Most of the major landmarks can still be identied though. So disappointment didn't occur until the pictures were developed.

Surprise
When this image was originally posted, it WAS a surprise - at least to us. Not so much anymore.

Compare
After rescanning all the printed pictures above, and redoing this page, a few of the pictures "looked familiar" compared to the pictures from day 2 and day 3 of the Cities of Light Viking Rivier Cruise. As it turns out, they WERE familiar. So much so, and by pure coincidence, that they were nearly identical. Here are two comparisons, and neither shot is identical. Both have the new half on the left and the original on the right. The first was from the bus passing a café and the second from a Seine river cruise. This also highlights the changes in optics and technology over more than two decades.

Compare

After rescanning all the printed pictures above, and redoing this page, a few of the pictures "looked familiar" compared to the pictures from day 2 and day 3 of the Cities of Light Viking Rivier Cruise.
As it turns out, they WERE familiar. So much so, and by pure coincidence, that they were nearly identical.
Here are two comparisons, and neither shot is identical. Both have the new half on the left and the original on the right. The first was from the bus passing a café and the second from a Seine river cruise.
This also highlights the changes in optics and technology over more than two decades.