In 1987 we spent two weeks in France (including climbing up Notre-Dame and exploring the area where artists gather near the Sacre Coeur, going up the Eiffel Tower and going to the Château de Chenonceau). We flew to Paris, then drove over to Versailles and back, then took the TGV (high speed train) to Nice, . Then I drove all over the country. I went and gambled (they supplied a jacket for me) at Monte Carlo. We even stayed at Chateau Chambord, as well as 13 other castle hotels.
I found 557 photographs I took on the way. I am putting most of them here…unfortunately they are not in order and many I have no idea where they were taken. They are here just for a flavor of the country. I put a spacer between each roll of film for some kind of order. All photographs were taken without flash, so some are quite blurry.
I used to have a Cannon which let you verbally annotate each photo. I wish I had had that on this trip!
While undergoing renovation and restoration, the roof of Notre-Dame caught fire on the evening of 15 April 2019. Burning for around 15 hours, the cathedral sustained serious damage, including the destruction of the flèche (the timber spirelet over the crossing) and most of the lead-covered wooden roof above the stone vaulted ceiling.[2] Following the fire, many proposals were made for modernizing the cathedral’s design. However, on 29 July 2019, the French National Assembly enacted a law requiring that the restoration must preserve the cathedral’s ‘historic, artistic and architectural interest’.[10] Stabilizing the structure against possible collapse was completed in November 2020, with reconstruction beginning in 2021. The government of France hopes the reconstruction can be completed by Spring 2024, in time for the opening of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Sainte-Chapelle
Montmartre
Versailles
Chateau Chambord
Casino Monte Carlo
Château de Chenonceau