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This is our bus.
We had just loaded our luggage and climbed on - excited about our Paris
adventure. Dr. Bohnomme's wife, Lena, is in front left. Drs. Judy and Bob
Barford, front right, are faculty members who are part of the Maastricht
Center for Transatlantic Studies and are from Eastern Illinois University.
They, along with Dr. Ruth Doyle, the local coordinator of the MCTS Program,
and Luke, a student from St. Louis University, accompanied us to Paris. |
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As we traveled
through Belgium and France, we passed through rural farming areas and we
saw many small villages. The photo at left is one of the villages. The church
often dominates the skyline. |
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As we traveled
farther down the highway, we finally started to see signs for Paris. Here
is one of them. |
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After we had traveled
for a few hours, the shades on the bus were drawn and heads were resting
on cushions and tables. We were very glad to finally arrive in Paris, although
our trip to Paris was very pleasant. |
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The traffic in Paris was always congested,
but Rene did a wonderful job navigating the bus through the traffic and
the narrow streets. As we entered western Paris, we traveled up Victor
Hugh Avenue. At its end is the Arch de Triomphe. You will see many more
photos of it during our stay.
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This is just before
we entered the huge square around the arch. There are twelve roads that
come into this square and focus on the arch. Rene drove completely around
the arch as we entered the central part of the city. |
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At many intersections,
police officers were "trying" to control traffic. With cars, buses,
motorcycles, and scooters, all trying to get through, the officers had a
difficult job. Parisians were not the most patient drivers. |
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This may be the
most famous avenue in the world - the Champs Elysees. It runs from the Arch
de Triomphe to the obelisk you see in the background. You can see Rene in
the mirror at the left. The Champs Elysees is 2 kilometers long (1.6 miles).
We drove down it on our way to our hotel. |
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As we continued
on our path to the hotel, I took this photo of the Eiffel Tower. We were
stopped on one of the many bridges that cross the Seine River. |
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This is the Novotel,
our hotel. It is located in the heart of Paris, no more than two block from
the Seine River. We simply could not have been in a better location. I was
on the fifth floor with my window facing this square. Also in this square
was a metro entrance, which made it extremely easy to get around the city. |
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This is the view
of the square from my window. In the lower center is the stairway down into
the metro (the subway). If you look really carefully, you can see the two
rectangular towers of the Notre Dame Cathedral. They are the lightly shaded
structures between two buildings in the upper left. |
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This is the George
Pompidou Center. It was only about three blocks from our hotel and was the
first museum we visited after we checked into our hotel. It is a strangely
designed building, one that I thought did not fit very well into the Paris
urban landscape. All movement up and down floors occurred on the outside
of the building in the enclosed tubes you see. The building contains impressionist
as well as modern art. |
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This is the square
in front of the Pompidou Center. It was filled with people just hanging
out, artists, and musicians. Sidewalk cafes are all along the buildings
you see. |
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It is too bad
that my mug has to be in this photo, but to prove that I was actually in
Paris, I had Dr. Bohnomme take this photo. Kathleen, my wife, always yells
at me for not having people in my photos, so this is for her as well. This
was one of our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. You may get tired of all
of the pictures I have of it. |
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From the Pompidou
Center we could also see the Notre Dame Cathedral. I will tell you more
about it later. You can see the two rectangular towers on the right side
of the building and a tall spire in the center of its roof. You can also
get a sense of Paris pollution. The city was always covered with smog and
its associated brown cloud. |
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In the northern
part of Paris is the Sacre Coeur basilica. You can see it through the haze
here. I will tell you more about it later, but this was just one of the
views from the Pompidou Center. |
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After we finished
looking at the art in the Pompidou Center, we gathered outside in the square
before we began a night tour of Paris by boat on the Seine River. Here is
part of our group. You can also see artists and peddlers and other people
enjoying the square. |
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Here are some
of the others. Ben Matthews is taking my picture while I am taking this
group photo. You can see that the temperature was quite pleasant at this
time of day, but it got quite cold during our boat tour. |
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Here they are
again. I am trying to include a few photos of the students, because I know
that some of their parents are checking my site to follow our adventures.
Unfortunately, my adventures don't always correspond to the students', but
at least we were in Paris together. |
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As it started
to get dusk, I took this photo of the Eiffel Tower. Below you will see some
taken at night. The Eiffel Tower is really beautiful at night, but my photos
are not that good. They will, however, give you a flavor of what it was
like. |
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Our night tour
on the Seine River began at 8:00 p.m. It was a wonderful way to see Paris
at night, but it was really cold. This photo is the front of the Notre Dame
Cathedral. You will see others later that were taken during the day. |
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This is a closer
view of Notre Dame. It is a beautiful building, inside and out. |
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Here is a photo
of the Eiffel Tower at night. Our boat tour went right passed the tower. |
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My digital camera does not take night
pictures very well, so this will have to do. This was on the river adjacent
to the Eiffel Tower. It is a gorgeous structure, especially at night.
Well, that concludes the first day - at
least for me. I think the students found a restaurant or two before they
ended their day!
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