A fence in Paris that was more decorated than it otherwise should have been. Nice touch, fence decorator.

I love old Mini Coopers. If you have one, my wife would appreciate it if you would just give it to me so I’d shut up about them already.

The Arc du Triomphe was significantly larger than I expected. It looks somewhat unremarkable from a distance, but up close, it is massive yet intricate. Its symmetry is mesmerizing. This is also a bit of a tribute to Devyn Caldwell, who took a gorgeous pair (still among my all-time favorites) of photos [ 1, 2] of Manhattan’s Washington Square Arch (itself a tribute to the Arc de Triomphe).

One of my favorite shots of all time. See a full-size version here (8MB).

For the sake of maintaining the tenets of photoblogging, here are some of its metadata:

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Focal Length: 42mm
Exposure: 2 sec at f/9.0
ISO: 400
Flash: Did not fire
Capture Time: 13 Nov 2009 18:59:26

Perhaps we’re just obtuse, but in our two visits, Abbie and I have spent more time outside the Louvre admiring its architecture than we have inside admiring the art it houses. Its symmetry is stunning.

The architectural detail on some buildings in Paris is mind-blowing. It was one of my favorite things about visiting Paris.

Or is it part of her hair? Probably elephantiasis.

The oblong spiral staircase leading up to our studio in Paris was really neat. At each landing, to practice our extensive knowledge of French language, we’d announce the floor: “un, deux, trois, quatre…” and so on. Actually, that was it. Four floors. But, for us lazy Americans, it felt like 15. Fifteen real floors would have been rough, though, largely because we could really only count to four.

While in Paris, we stayed in Montmartre, the home of the Sacre-Coeur. The detail on this building was cool, although to be fair, having been built during 1875-1914, by European standards, it is practically new construction. Cheaters.

I rediscovered my wife in Paris.