Place Louis XV, Place de la Révolution, Place of the guillotine, Place de la Concorde: call it what you will.

Perhaps “Place de Trop des Touristes“??

My dodgy French aside, I think we were lucky to visit in September and not in the middle of summer.  I can only wonder how busy it might be then.  We walked around the 8th arrondissement in glorious afternoon sunshine.

Le grand entrance

The Luxor Obelisk sits on the site where the guillotine put an end to many an enemy of the revolution

Hieroglyphs captured my imagination as a child, although I never could remember any of the translations.  How cool would it be to be able to understand what is inscribed on the sides of the obelisk?  I’d be thoroughly amused if it was actually stone-graffiti or omens and prophecies and said such things as:

“Anthony – go home! And take those dodgy Roman tents back with you!!”

“When the sun rises over the duck’s back – 3 days in a row – Cleopatra is going to fall into the Nile and there will be grain for 40 families”

What does it all mean??

The water plays in the soft breeze creating mesmerising patterns

Hiding under an umbrella…

Ornate details abound… nothing is left out

Actually, we had it relatively free of tourists. This is practically empty!

Many of the streets of Paris still have cobblestones, which are laid out in beautiful arcing patterns.  It was almost impossible to capture this without traffic getting in the way.  I think we all know how busy the traffic in Paris is!!  I found a likely spot on the corner of Place de la Concorde and patiently waited for my chance… Timing the change of lights to perfection allowed me to get a cobblestone shot… Just the one, mind you!

The things we do for photography!

Place de la Concorde

Looking back along the Axe Historique from Jardin des Tuileries

Paris – September, 2010