Paris

I love Paris, because I am forced to think when I am there. I become happy when I think. Let us look at some Paris photos.
• Eiffel Tower is the Paris address No. 1. Its history is well known. Let us look at some photos.
  1. The Base of the Tower seen from its east (1995).
  2. seen from the Seine River. I am between them.
  3. Paris and the Seine seen from the top of the Tower.
  4. with Obelisk seen from the Concorde square.
  5. Eiffel Tower seen from the Pantheon.
  6. Eiffel Tower seen from the top of the Montmartre, the highest ground in Paris.
  7. Eiffel Tower built on the roof of a building, photographed at the halfway to the top of the Montmartre.

• Jacques Chirac, President of the Republic of France leading the military parade on the Champs-Elysees on July 14, 1996.
  1. preceded by the Commander of the Military March.
  2. Cadets of the French military academy.
  3. Infantry Unit.
  4. Naval Officers.
  5. Horse-mounted Soldiers.
  6. Armored Unit.
  7. Parade in the Sky.
  8. Tomb of Unknown Solders at the Arch of Triumph guarded by four French soldiers.
  9. Champs-Elysees, the day before the Parade, seen from the Arch of Triumph.
  10. One Crazy Man on the Champs, in the morning ready for the Military Parade.
  11. Why do I get excited about military parades? I used to do this often during my high-school years (during the Korean war).
• Champ Elysees during the Christmas season of 2011 (photos taken in January of 2012).

• Les Deux Magots is one of the most important spots in Paris. Many people from the world with different backgrounds come here and talk and exchange ideas (photo from the public domain). During the 1940s and 1950s, Jean Paul Sartre used come to this cafe to talk with young people. He used to preach his philosophy of Existentialism. Sartre is no longer with us, but I go there often to meet younger existentialists.
  1. In 2010, I went there again and met interesting existentialists. The lady on my right is my wife. The young lady on my left came from Moscow. She became very happy when I asked her whether she came from Yasanevo. Yasanevo is a jungle of high-rise condo buildings south of Moscow.
  2. Cafe Flore is right next to Les Deux Magots. Sartre also used to come to this Cafe. This photo was taken in 1995.
  3. Cafe Flore during the busy evening hours.
  4. Brasserie Lipp is across the street from Les Deux Magots. Ernest Hemingway used to come here often. Here I met a Mexican mother and her son. They appeared to be very happy to be together.

  5. Evening Hours. This are becomes very interesting during the evening hours. This photo was taken in January of 2012 with the lights left over from the 2011 Christmas season.
• Jean Paul Sartre used to come to this area and used to preach his philosophy of existentialism. Open this webpage to learn more about Sartre.

• Montparnasse Tower seen from the Jean-Paul Sartre Square throug Rue de Rennes.
  1. The Montparnasse Tower seen from the top of the Arch of Triumph. This tall building is one of the landmarks in Paris. The building with the golden also seen in this photo houses Napoleon's gasket.
  2. The Tower seen from the nearby area.
  3. The area has its own civilization, and there are many visitors. If you are hungry, you will find a place to eat. I had a lunch at this cafe and had a photo with this chef.

  4. The Montparnasse Cemetery is near thee Tower. This photo was taken from the top of the Tower.
  5. Jean-Paul Sartre's Tomb is the Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris. I was there in April of 2012.
  6. Henri Poincare was buried in his family tomb. His name can be seen here. Many people came here and left Paris metro tickets as souvenirs.
  7. Guy de Maupassant's tomb is also in this cemetery.
  8. The most important person in this cemetery. She has her life. I met this young lady from Australia, and I became very happy, and she felt in the same way.

• Le Basilique du Sacre Coeur is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This church is at the top of Montmartre, the highest ground in Paris. The church was dedicated to the 58,000 French soldiers who lost their lives during the Franco-Prussian war (1870-71).
  1. The Church seen the Orsay Museum.
  2. Eiffel Tower seen from the this high ground.
  3. Fun-seeking People on the front steps of the church ground (2008). Here is a photo taken at the same place in 1996. This place seems to be the same always.
  4. Fun-seeking French Students. I met a group of French girls saying "I am getting married" on their T-shirts. I asked them where their grooms are. They said that is the problem. They then asked me whether I could be on their wedding photo. I said YES. Crazy, but I was happy to note that they take their marriages seriously.

  5. Jungle of Paintings. Many artists including Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh had their studios in at high ground, near the Basilica. This is the reason why there these days are so many artists in this area.
  6. One of the Artists concentrating on his work.
  7. Picture Gallery and wine tables.
  8. Street Performers.
  9. Street Organist.
  10. One of the Narrow and Crowded Roads leading to Montmartre.
  11. Moulin Rouge is also in this area. This dinner-theater started as the place for freedom-loving people. In fact, the city of Paris started as a meeting place for freedom-loving people. I love Paris because I am a freedom-loving physicist.

• Louvre Museum. I have been to this museum several times. This museum allows photographing without flash, and thus I have many photos. I would like to post some of them here.
  1. Glass Pyramid enhanced by two Parisians.
  2. Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel on the Museum ground called Carrousel. At the top of this arch.
  3. Three Greek Women, and woman pillars.
  4. Another Greek Woman.
  5. Mona Lisa. This is the most famous art item in this museum, and I took may photos of this lady, but I could not take better photo than this in the public domain.
  6. Egyptian and Colombian Ladies. God-created artworks are infinitely more valuable than Egyptian antiques.
  7. French Revolution by Eugene Delacroix. There is a better image of this painting from the public domain.
  8. with Russian Students at the Persian Section.
  9. with Emperor Hadrian at the Roman section.
  10. Venus of Milo. This is also one of most valuable holdings of this museum.
  11. Korean Students. I become happy whenever wherever I meet them. I had a photo with these two sisters.

• Hotel du Louvre is an unreasonably expensive hotel, but I managed to stay there for three nights at a very reasonable price. This hotel is cross the street from Louvre Museum.
  1. White Balloons. I saw white balloons from my third-floor room of this hotel on the open space next to the hotel building. I went down and asked the people there what was happening. They said they are holding a cotton show to encourage cotton growing. Those cotton samples came from Israel. Have you heard of cottons from Israel? Perhaps you know I am making webpages using my own fingers. Did you know that I used to pick cotton crops with the same set of fingers?
  2. Royal Palace is also close to this hotel. This palace has its history, but not as glamorous as other well known places in Paris.

• Paris Opera House
  1. Entrance Lobby.
  2. Inside the Opera House before the performance of Adolphe Adam's Giselle (July 2000).
  3. Verdi's Bust on the Second Floor.
  4. Unusual View of the Opera House
  5. Front Steps of the Opera House. An interesting collection of people.
     How do I look there?
  6. One of the Golden Statues on the roof.
  7. Three Generations of French Ladies at the book shop of the Opera House.

• Père Lachaise Cemetery has its history dating back to the Franco-Prussian (1870-71). Many famous Frenchmen/women are buried here (photo from the public domain). I went there in 2000 to visit Frederic Chopin's grave.
  1. Frederic Chopan's Grave.
  2. Front of the Grave Stone says
  3. His Heart was sent to Poland. According to Chopin's wish, his friends removed his heart from the body and sent to Poland. His heart then was entombed on the inner wall of the Church of Holy Cross in Warsaw.
  4. Edith Piaf used to make many people happy. I was very happy to her grave side (2000).
  5. Simone Signoret and Yves Montand used to make us very happy in their movies. They were buried together in this cemetery.
  6. Jesus and Dollar. This person used to love both. Many people are like him/her. How about you?

• Paris Metro patrolled by these nice-looking French gentlemen. Paris has one of the most efficient transportations in the world. You meet many interesting people on trains and stations.
  1. Accordionist on a train from the CDG Airport to Paris (1998).
  2. Luxembourg Station. Two young men was following me to pick up the purse from my pocket. I pulled out my camera and aimed at them. They became scared, jumped over the toll gate, and ran away (2002).
  3. Sorbonne Station. I started talking to this Congolese lady because her cloth was quite artistic. She told me she came from Congo. I then talked about what happened to her country after the independence in 1960. I said Joseph Kasabubu and Patricia Lumumba were their first president and prime minister. She became very happy, and we posed for this photo. She was a very intelligent lady.
  4. Chatlet - les Halles Station is like a small city. You can meet many interesting people there. I met these Mongolian ladies. I started talking to them because they were looking at me carefully. I knew they were Mongolians, and they knew I am a Korean. How? Because Koreans are ethnically Mongolians (2002).
  5. Bastille Station is above the ground. I liked paintings on the wall.

• Russians in Paris. I met this Russian family at one of the cafes. The father appeared to be a very successful businessman. They travelled around the world including the Unites States (2010).
  1. with a Russian Physicist attending a physics conference in Paris (2002). In 2000, I met him at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna (Russia). His name is Denis Proskurin. He likes to be photographed with a lady.
  2. A Russian Lady at Gif-sur-Yvitte, southern suburb of Paris (2000). This lady is casually dressed, and the environment is nothing unusual, but this photo turned out to be artistic.
  3. with Russian Students at the Persian section of Louvre Museum (2010).
  4. Russian Lady from Yasanevo. The young lady on my right came from Moscow. She is so happy with me because I asked her whether she came from Yasanevo. Yasanevo is a jungle of high-rise condo buildings south of Moscow. Since about one million people live there and Moscow's population is about 10 million. The probability of my being right is 0.1 if I ask this question to everybody from Moscow. This photo was taken at Les Deux Magots (2010).

  ** While I have many photos of Russians in Paris, I should have enough courtesy to include some Americans in Paris.

• Americans from Texas. I met these Texans while having a breakfast with my wife near the Sorbonne campus. I was very happy to meet true Americans in Paris (2010).
  1. American Mother and Daughter from Wisconsin. This photo was produced at the Grand Cafe near the Paris Opera House.
  2. Harvard Student in Paris. This photo was produced also at the Grand Cafe. Her parents came from India and established themselves in New York (2002). I told her my son got his PhD degree from Harvard in 1994, and I am a princeton PhD. She was very happy to meet an Ivy-League man in Paris.
  3. American Couple from Los Angeles on one of the Seine bridges. I wanted to have my own photo on this bridge and asked a couple to take a photo with my camera. The husband chose to press the shutter and the wife came to my side. They said I should have a lady on my side to make a photo more meaningful. I asked them where they came from. They said Los Angeles. I told them I came from Washington, DC. We came from the opposite ends of the United States, but were happy to be in Paris (2000).
  4. American Lady and her Son, at one of the cafes near the Opera House. I always feel good and inspired whenever I see a mother with her son. If you do not feel in that way, go to a Catholic or Orthodox church, and see the environment (2002).

• Pantheon: Tomb of Well-known Citizens. The building was originally constructed as a church, but it now serves as a mausoleum of great French citizens who made impacts on the world history.
  1. Foucault's Pendulum. The Pantheon has a high dome. It is a great place to demonstrate this aspect of physics.
  2. Lagrangian Tomb. You all know what Langrange did.
  3. Victor Hugo. There is a museum in Paris dedicated to him. He was born in Besancon. Click here for a story about him.
  4. Marie Curie was entombed with Pierre Curie. I bumped into Maurice Kibler at her tomb site. He said he was going to Iceland for vacation with his wife. It was a hot July (2002). I was attending a conference at Gif-sur Yvette. Kibler is an excellent French physicist. He is quite fond of making up funny stories.
  5. Eiffel Tower seen from the Pantheon. This area is at a higher ground in Paris.
  6. Life is Busy on the street leading to the Luxembourg metro station. There are many shops and cafes full of tourists. Here is my photo with Japanese tourists in one of the gift shops.
     It is a quiet place in the morning. I am enjoying my breakfast there. There is a lady also enjoying her breakfast. She appears to be thinking hard about her work.

• I have many more photos to post. Please come again.

• Cote d'Azur. If you are tired of Paris, you can fly to Nice to appreciate the Mediterranean aspect of France.

• Henri Poincaré was the greatest Frenchman, according to Bertrand Russel.

• Victor Hugo had a very interesting personal background.