Paris in December

I was in Paris last week, before returning to the UK for Christmas. The last time I was in Paris was 15 years ago, when I was studying abroad in the South of France in Cannes. As I noted earlier this week, it was lovely to return, to unravel a bit, and to spend time with friends for five days. We stayed at our friend’s flat right in the center, on Rue St. Denis in the 1st arrondissement. The weather was agreeable, and while there was a noticeable military and police presence across the city, from what I saw, people were out and about as normal.

I haven’t been in much of a headspace to write lately, so here are some photographs from the week. Happy holidays to you, and I hope you’re enjoying these final days of 2015.

Cathedrale de Notre Dame
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris.
Louvre
The courtyard of the Musée du Louvre.
Pyramid at Louvre
The Louvre Pyramid.
Along the river
A view along the Seine, from a bridge near Île de la Cité.
blue facade
Crêperie des Pêcheurs. I love this blue.
Love locks on Pont des Arts.
Love locks on Pont des Arts.
Tour Eiffel and Seine
A view of the Eiffel Tower.
Tour Eiffel from underneath
The Eiffel Tower’s underbelly.
Under the Eiffel Tower.
Under the Eiffel Tower.
Montmartre
Street strolling in Montmartre.
Charlie Chaplin silhouette on a wall in Monmartre.
Charlie Chaplin silhouette on a wall in Monmartre.
Wall
Wall stencils and tags in Montmartre.
Wall face
A face sighting in Montmartre.
La carte
“The map is not the territory,” marked on the exterior of L’Espace Dalí à Montmartre.
palais royal courtyard
The courtyard at the Palais-Royal.
Passage tile
Old tiles at the Passage des Panoramas, the oldest of the covered passages in Paris.
Sebastopol
A piece of home in Paris: the Réaumur-Sébastopol métro station, in the 2nd arrondissement.

Images taken with an iPhone 5s (and a few with a Canon G11).

Published by Cheri Lucas Rowlands

Senior editor at Longreads / Automattic

51 thoughts on “Paris in December

  1. Thank you so much, Cheri. I love your ‘ENDING 2015 IN ENGLAND’ and ‘PARIS IN DECEMBER’ images You’ve reminded me that ‘though my body was born in England, my soul was born in Paris.

  2. I stayed in Europe for several months in 1995 and was lucky enough to visit Paris several times. Needless to say, I fell in love with the city. I thought I would have returned many times by now. Alas, time has flown by and I still dream of one day getting back there. Thanks for a beautiful tour of the city through your photos.

  3. Paris is such a splendid city… It is so magnificent that sometimes feels unreal… Maybe you will disagree from me but I feel london more human, ” more normal” whereas Paris is almost like a celebrity… Where everything is perfect and as it should be… Great place to visit and revisit! If you are interested in Japan, I recently wrote a post about it… I love traveling and work for thr next trip…xx Valentina…

  4. Fantastic photos. I was in France and Paris in August, September and October. Your pics have transported me back. Thanks for the follow on my travel blog. It’s led me to yours, which is a very good thing.

  5. Thanks (again) for sharing your perspectives of another beautiful and interesting place. I especially like the ones of you and Charlie Chaplin, Nick and “face sighting in Montmartre” and the selfie of the two of you. Great shots!

  6. You hit home with this post, Cheri. Even more because of Montmartre, since I used to live at the feet of the butte when I arrived as a student at La Sorbonne. Your photos are exquisite, even though Paris is photogenic. Love the blue too. And the crepes of course. It is true that Paris is perfect for people in love so I’m happy that you went with your husband. You make me a little homesick, to be frank, but also happy and proud. I feel fortunate to have known Paris when it was quieter, more equal and less similar to other cities across the world. I’m suprised to see the locks on the pont des Arts since they were removed not so long ago. Amazing that people put them back. There were none when I lived there, although this bridge was one of the most romantic. Thank you for sharing your trip and these gorgeous pics.

    1. There weren’t many locks on the bridge (maybe a small section), so I assumed that the majority had already been removed earlier this year?

      I first explored Paris when I was 13 — and fell in love. That trip made me continue my studies in French, and influenced my decision to study in Cannes in college. Later, when I was 19, I don’t remember how often I visited Paris (maybe a dozen times?), but by the time I left France, I felt like I knew the city.

      Exploring a few weeks ago, the one thing that surprised me was how small it is! When younger, cities like these feel so big. I love how walkable and compact it is. (As compared to London — where we’ve been recently — which feels too big that’s its unwieldly to me.)

  7. Cool, Paris en December est bien, je suis ici aussi parce que de la visit de amies et je dois dire famille. N’exactamente en Paris mais un peu en la compagne. Je pense “suburbs” mais ” suburbs” en France est tres different en France que US. Cool photo, Je prend beaucoup ici.

  8. I enjoyed the post. Although I’ve never been to Paris, I do remember seeing something about lovelocks being controversial, with some locals thinking the were a romantic gesture and others considering them an eyesore. I’d love to be able to go one day and decide for myself.

      1. That’s interesting. Of all the great pictures on your post, the lovelocks photo was the one that prompted me to leave a comment. I wasn’t sure what side of the debate you came down on, though, so, craven soul that I am, I played it safe. I believe the story I saw was about the Pont des Arts bridge. I have to say, I thought it looked a lot happier without the metal jacket.

        Having said that, I wonder if there isn’t some compromise that could be reached. Perhaps somewhere in Paris the local government could build a monument specifically for lovelocks. I understand the impulse for people, particularly couples, to want mark their visit to such a romantic city. When I eventually get to Paris, as I’m sure I will one day, it’d be nice to think that there was some officially sanctioned way to commemorate it. Of course, I could just take a photograph!

        Anyway, I enjoyed the post. Have a great week. 🙂

    1. Yes, the majority were taken on my iPhone. (And I added a few more — love locks, selfie under the Eiffel Tower, and me with Charlie Chaplin art — from my other camera (Canon G11)). Thanks for visiting, Linda.

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