Valentines Day in Paris, 2004

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The July column at the place de la Bastille. This column is surmounted by the "Spirit of Liberty" and commemorates the victims of the revolutions of 1830 and 1848.

The Bastille was was stormed by Parisians on July 14, 1789, thereby marking the start of the French Revolution. The building itself is no longer there, as it was torn down not long after the beginning of the Revolution.

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The East face of the Louvre.

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Looking down the length of the Louvre, probably from the east end.

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The photographer on the left was seriously put out as we'd parked the bus directly in front of whatever photo he was trying to take.

The Opéra Garnier, the older of the two main opera houses in Paris. It was designed by Charles Garnier, whence the name; the other, newer opera house was built on the site of the Bastille, and is thus called the Opéra Bastille.

The ficticious Phantom of the Opera lived beneath this opera house.

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About halfway down the avenue des Champs-Élysées, looking toward the Arc de Triomphe. Incidentally, in English, you can approximate the correct pronunciation of the name of this avenue by saying "shahnz-ay-lee-zay."

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A genuine Egyption Obelisk at Place de la Concorde, erected by Ramses II (The 19th Dynasty, reigned B.C. 1304-1237). It is around 74 feet tall, and is made from red granite. Each of the four sides of this obelisk has at the top the scenes of Ramses making offerings to the god Amun-Re, beneath which are three columns of hieroglyph. On the northern face, the column on the right deems Ramses "splendid of statues, great of monuments in the Southern Opet [Luxor]...making monuments in Thebes for the One." The left-hand column meanwhile, proclaims the pharaoh "the sovereign, great of Jubilees like Tatenen, making monuments in Karnak for his father Amun-Re who placed him upon his throne...."

It originally stood beside the Luxor Temple, and it's twin still stands there. Form more information visit http://members.aol.com/Sokamoto31/paris.htm.

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The place de Concorde. I think the fountain in the foreground is the Fontaine des Mers, with of course the Obelisk behind. Behind that is the National Assembly, and the Dôme des Invalides is behind that.

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Detail of the inscriptions on the Obelisk. The surviving detail is incredible, considering that this rock is some 3,000 years old!