Château de Chenonceau is situated on the Cher River in the town of Chenonceaux, in the Loire Valley southwest of Paris (one of the more famous wine regions of France). It has been the residence of several queens...
I scanned a picture of the Castle map drawn on a brochure so that you can get your bearings. It clearly shows: the castle, the Chancellery next to Diane de Poitier's Garden, Marques Tower, and the region between the castle and Poitier's Garden, among other things. Inside the castle you are not permitted to take many pictures, although it seemed to be allowed in the small chapel.
Next to the castle are several vinyards, and within the grounds of the castle are some houses and an area that seemed to be a cross between a garden and a field for donkeys. It also had some photographically interesting crumbling buildings in it.
On the way back to the shambles of a train station in Chenonceaux town, I saw a really cool door set into an weathered wall. I also took a picture looking up the river at the castle, from near the train station.
I visited Dijon in the late fall, a day after the faire gastronomique ended (doh!). Most of the leaves had fallen or were ready to drop. Dijon had some neat roofs and some nasty gargoyles!
While in Paris, I worked at the Institut Pasteur, so I took
a picture of one of the front buildings and from the inside
when there were some cool clouds reflected against the library windows. The
one I worked in doesn't look nearly as old and distinguished. I also took
a pic of the Pasteur metro stop. I live
near the Institut, and one night I took a picture
from my room. It came out quite well.
There are alot of cool bridges across the Seine
river. One such bridge, the Alexander III Bridge in front of the Petit
Palais, is quite opulent, with beautifully carved statues
and lampposts. Some more pictures of the Seine: Multiple
bridges, Dusk commences.
A picture of Trocadero from high upon the
Eiffel Tower (which has the message "504
days to the year 2000" displayed on it). It is just across the river
from the Tower. The Eiffel Tower is lit up completely at night, and is quite breathtaking.
Also near the tower is the Hôtel des Invalides, which was built
as a veterans hospital by Napoleon.
This is a cool fountain near the Hôtel
de Ville, where a large crowd
was gathered to watch World Cup football for the final (there was a big screen
placed in the plaza in front of the Hôtel).
Another nice fountain is found in
the Concorde plaza, where the obelisk can
be found. It was particularly pretty at dusk one day.
A few other important buildings around the city include the Conciergerie
and the Louvre, with its new Pyramid
designed by I. M. Pei.
Outside of the center of town is Sacré
Coeur. You can get nice views of the main city by looking
down from the top -- although as in so many other ancient buildings the
staircases are dark, narrow, and worn, so only climb if you have some stamina
and think it will really be worth it.
Also located in Paris is the famous cemetery
where Jim Morrison is buried, as well as dozens of famous French people. This
cemetery is called Père Lachaise.
The fall day that I visited the cemetery
made for some good shadows and a dead-feeling atmosphere since the leaves
had fallen.
Some pictures of the outside of the famous Nôtre Dame cathedral: From
the back behind a tree, Looking down,
Good view its gothic architecture.
Some pictures of the ubiquitous gargoyles: Sticking
a tongue out at the city, Looking
up at menace, Closeup of two.
The small chapel Sainte Chapelle was built to hold the Crown of Thorns. It has incredible stained glass windows that depict the stories of the Bible. Downstairs is not quite as nice, but still quite amazing. It's impossible to do it justice with photos.
Versailles is a royal palace built for Louis XIV (the "Sun King").
It has a massive garden with spectacular fountains and rows of bushes and trees.
The front is particularly ornate. (The words roughly say: To the Glory of France)
