Arriving on the Cote d' Azur in the evening, we immediattely headed to the beach. We were surprised at how developed the beaches were.
The kids immediately began to dig in the sand.
Every morning we awoke to a traditional french breakfast of croissants, bread, jam, juice and coffee. It was marvelous, as was the garden setting at the hotel.
The harbor at Frejus held a large number of very classy boats.
The beach at Frejus was not very wide or deep, however it was very comfortable and clean.
Here are the dudes on the beach.
After leaving Frejus we drove through Provence and absolutely loved the rolling hills and bucolic tableaus visible from the road.
The city of Auxerre was another gem, with cobbled streets and shops that spilled out into the walkways.
The cathedral in Auxerre had not been renovated and was encrusted with centuries of grime and waterdamage (if the cathedral is ever evaluated on antiques road show this existant patina will obviously prove a plus). This provided a bit of perspective on the changes at renovated cathedrals.
Scene near the old center of town and the ancient clock tower.
A night view out of our window at the courtyard of the Hotel.
The sunflowers were spectatular from Italy through France. Here set off by the vinyards in the background they were particularly striking.
Upon arriving in Paris, our first destination was Saint Chapel, a beautiful 12th century chapel erected for the french kings. It is a 360 degree panorama of stained glass
One of the panels
The rose window at the back of Saint Chapel
Underneath the king's chapel was a gallery designed for the other members of the court.
The cathedral of Saint Eustace in the background provides striking architectural contrast to the more modern constructions in the foreground.
The Louvre with the glass pyramid designed by I M Pei
Venus is one of the more popular carvings in this exhaustive collection of sculpture
The Three Graces
detail of a Botticelli fresco
The smile on Leonardo's painting has long been the object of speculation.
Strolling the endless galleries
This is a michaelangelo drawing or practice sheet. Look very closely to see all manner of layered images.
Action photo
The Louvre has an excellent collection of Egyptian antiquities
Imagine 100 of these marble columns supporting gigantic beams that held up the celing of a giant Assyrian hall.
The Tour Eiffel in the midday sun
Looking up at the underside of the tower.
Griffin gazes out on Paris from the midpoint of the tower
Paris in the setting sun
Our intrepid travelers being buffetted by the winds at the top of the tower.
Evening sun over Paris
The setting sun illuminated the sky over Paris, highlighting the clouds and providing a silhouette of the city.
As luck or good plannning would have it, the full moon rose in concert with the setting of the sun.
As it grew dark, the lights were turned on which provided a glittering outline of the tower.
Notre Dame in the flat illumination of the midday sun is now a brilliant white structure.
It is the flying buttresses that are one of the interesting elements of this cathedral. This perspective offers a classic view of the structure.
A seldom seen view of the buttresses.
One of Notre Dame's unique collection of Gargoyles
Sentinal on the Seine
Emmanuel is the largest of the bells in the tower. I believe that may the the hand of a local hunchback...
Keeping an eye on Paris from above.
Griffin loved being on top of the tower and exploring the different parts of the Cathedral.
Victor Hugo Imagined boiling oil gushing from these carved spouts as Quasimodo fought off his pursuers.
One of the famous Notre Dame Windows.
A statue of Saint Joan graces the interior of the Cathedral. While we were there there was always someone praying at this spot.
One evening we ended our repast with a tray of french pastries at a Parisian bakery.
Bastille Day brought an invasion from the French Military. A good time was had by all.