Paris: Various and Sundry

After the monuments and statues, the museums and churches, there's still plenty more to Paris that attracts the eye. Here are a few images that caught mine that didn't fit neatly into any other category.

The Catacombs were a grisly treat.  The network of tunnels and caverns beneath the city hold the remains of six million people.  Yup, six million.

I typically prefer to shoot things at an angle rather than straight on, but probably should have gone straight on for this area where skulls had been arranged in the shape of a heart surrounded by tibias.  I don't think the shape is evident enough in this image.

I didn't really get a good shot to show the scale of the place, either.  The walls are just lined with human remains.  It really is unlike anything I've ever seen.

In contrast, the artist-filled Place du Tertre square atop Montmartre is bursting with vivid life.  This gentleman looked like the epitome of the stereotypical "starving artist," showcasing his wares in his paint-splattered overcoat.  Danelle suspects it may have been a bit of an act to get some sympathy purchases, as his hands were apparently quite nicely scrubbed.  We bought one of his paintings anyway, because we're suckers.

This fellow's pieces were a little more stylized.  I was happy to capture him working on one, also looking quite artistic to me with his scarf and long hair framed by the back of canvases on the opposite side of the street.

The Tuileries Gardens were a popular destination even on a weekday afternoon.  The beautiful weather certainly contributed to the number of people who were either passing through or just sitting by a fountain whiling away the day.

Danelle lived on a street just off of Place Victor Hugo when she was young.  Instead of statuary it has a simple fountain in its center, which caught the late afternoon light nicely.

We took The Metro everywhere we went.  Our stop at the Île de la Cité had a lovely flower market outside the entrance.

Paris' famous "locks of love" bridge -- the Pont des Arts -- is in the process of having its famous locks removed.  I didn't realize the "tradition" was so new, having apparently just begun in 2008.  Or that the locks that had accumulated weighed an estimated 45 tons.  I suppose I can understand the need to take them off, given that they were starting to damage the structure.

For not being a photo trip, I was still happy to capture some images of this beautiful city.  And I have to admit it was one the best trips I've ever taken with Danelle, if not the very best.  I guess when your eye isn't glued to a viewfinder, you spend more time looking at what's really important.