Mark Dong Photography

Paris

Paris seems to be made up of small cafes on every corner.  I photographed so many!  Each is special in its own way, but this "Chez Marie" was in Montmarte just down the street from where I was staying.  If you look carefully in the window of this cafe, you can see an old man sitting on the ledge of the steps across the street.  I was wondering if he was trying to decide to go in and eat.  It was as inviting inside as it looks on the outside.  Those steps lead up to the famous catholic church, the Sacre'-Coeur Basilica, built of travertine stone and set on the summit of Butte Montmarte, the highest point in Paris.

Versailles

The Palace of Versailles began as a hunting lodge of Louis XIII.  It was his son, Louis XIV who transformed and expanded it - even moving the court and the government of France to Versailles in 1682 - where it remained until 1789. 

The grandest part of the palace was the notorious Hall of Mirrors, where the King put on his most ostentatious display of royal power in order to impress visitors.   While the Palace lost its official seat of power in 1789, it acquired a new role in the 19th century as the Museum of the History of France.

The Grand Trianon is the most refined group of buildings anywhere in the domain of Versailles, which Louis XIV had erected to escape the pomp and formality of court life.  I also heard that he built it for his mistress at the time.  It is the building that is made of pink marble and is often referred to as the "Porcelain Trianon."  It also is often identified by the black and white checkerboard marble floor.  It is a single story, cozy, but grand, palace built between a courtyard and a garden.

Happily, Marie Antoinette, when it was her time to live in the palace, was given the  "Petit Trianon" as a gift from her husband, Louis XVI.  It is a simple and somewhat small, by comparison, chateau.  The gardens are most beautiful and it was in the garden behind her little house where I had my photograph taken that on the home page announcing my trip to Paris. You see I have included a photograph of those gardens on the left without me in it! 

Statues and topiaries are shown below that can be found along the Royal Path and the Grand Canal.  The breathtaking grounds that house elaborate ponds and fountains, are seen as you emerge from the towering hedge rows.  I took a photograph of a women walking through them which demonstrates the scale of these impressive monuments of landscape design.

Afternoons in Paris

What I loved the most in Paris was the lazy afternoons watching all sorts of people going about their business.  Moving through the city was just as fun… you could walk, (or stroll along the beautiful St. Martin canal), take the Metro, or one of those cute, but small, french cabs!

Oh, how could I forget…the bikes!  I loved watching people riding the bikes and seeing them parked along the streets.  

And boats!  I love these with the open top.  They were amazing!  Although the river became much too high to use them after the first day!   

I  walked around Paris mostly.  It was difficult to get lost with all the large monuments that rose over the buildings and up into the Paris skyline.  If you knew the location of those major monuments, you always had a great sense of where you were.  You could just walk up a block or so and maneuver your way to them  - and then sit down and enjoy a nice rest from all your efforts.  Or maybe have a sandwich too!  

I walked over to Le Marais on the right bank, an historic district of Paris that hosts one it's main  Jewish communities, and found some fabulous delicatessens.  

I also found and explored  The Centre Pompidou  - Europe's most important museum of modern art and one of the world's most significant art galleries.  It  was  surrounded by young artists practicing their craft.  

And I made a special point of seeing the Musee d' Orsay - the museum that was installed in the former Orsay railway station.  The building itself, they say, was the first "work of art" in the Musee d'Orsay!  It displays collections of art from the period of 1848 to 1914.  The people below are standing behind the big gold glass clock you can see in the photograph on the left.

And I walked past a couple of hair salons!  It was fun to see the comparison between the salons there and here.   

I also made a point to see the famous lock bridge, where couples put their names or initials onto a standard lock and lock it onto the bridge, symbolizing that their love will last forever.  This is truly a romantic city!  

Walking around Paris, I found lots of different cafes where I would just stop in to eat and I discovered the most wonderful food!   Some of the restaurants were just plain beautiful or really cleverly designed.  There was no accounting for the artistic quality of each place.  Just that exceptional French artistic nature!  I couldn't help capturing images of as many of these extraordinary places as I  encountered!

Amazingly, the food was as beautiful as well!  Each dish was created and presented with such artistry!  I often forgot to photograph my food before I ate, so the few I did remember to photograph are presented here to show you how well the  presentation of the food was synchronized with the facility in which it was served.  And it tasted good too!  I love Paris!

There were also amazing desserts!  It is hard to select a favorite.  There were fabulous cakes and pastries, but I must admit that once I saw the beautiful ice cream cones made into a rose, I had to have one every few days.  Of course in different flavors!  Of all the desserts I encountered, they took the best photograph!  And after all, wasn't that why I was there!    

Although the cakes photographed well too and tasted great.   You can judge for yourself.

The City of Lights!

Every night, without a doubt or any delay, I was out and about with my camera and tripod surrounded by a glowing and mystical city that I gobbled up in one night shot after another!  I spent several nights photographing the Louvre . Most  nights the sky was a deep dark black against which the bright lights of the city glistened magnificently!

There is something magical about wandering through the Louvre courtyard.  People, especially photographers, get there early to watch the lights come on at sunset.  They wander around slowly, happily enjoying the peace and beauty of the reflecting pools.  I walked around positioning my tripod and waiting for the long time lapse that accompanies night photography.  It was a real spiritual experience.

On other nights I would take daring risks and stand on the island in the middle of the street, with cars racing up and down on either side, set up my equipment, and take such photographs as the Arch de Triumph or the Paris Opera House.  Now that was exciting!

Even catching the spining windmill at the Moulin Rouge in a good photographic position was a difficult challenge.  But, they all pale in comparison to the challenge of photographing the one long standing, indisputable, Paris icon, The Eiffel Tower.  

It doesn't matter whether it is a black night or a blue one, the beautiful Eiffel Tower is breathtaking.  My favorite part is when the lights shimmer for a full five (5) minutes!   It does that every hour from sunset to midnight.  Fabulous!

One night in Paris the sky was particularly blue.  I went to both the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre to take more night photographs.  The result was stunning as you can see!  Amazing difference from the ones above taken in the dark of night. 

Also, I happened to be in Paris during the week they were celebrating The Nelson Mandela Exhibition, "From Prisoner to President," and the Eiffel Tower was turned into the colors of South Africa.  It was beautiful!