By chance we were close to the Louvre last night. The air was warm, the moon almost full and the setting was – frankly – magical. Proof that there are many different ways to see Paris…
They say that Paris is an expenseive city (what? Compared to London? or New York?) but there are plenty of things to do that will cost you absolutely nothing. For example, we have some remarkably well-preserved architecture here, great for walks. During the daytime the city is beautiful, and at night too, albeit differently. Depending on the time of day, Paris changes. It likes having a multitude of cities and ambiences to explore. Leaving a restaurant last night we had a sudden urge to go for a walk by the Louvre. At 10.30pm people were still exiting the Tuileries Gardens and we had a superb view over them, onto the obelisk at the Place de la Concorde and beyond towards the Champs Elysées, all of it bathed in the amazing orange light of the setting sun.
They say that Paris is an expenseive city (what? Compared to London? or New York?) but there are plenty of things to do that will cost you absolutely nothing. For example, we have some remarkably well-preserved architecture here, great for walks. During the daytime the city is beautiful, and at night too, albeit differently. Depending on the time of day, Paris changes. It likes having a multitude of cities and ambiences to explore. Leaving a restaurant last night we had a sudden urge to go for a walk by the Louvre. At 10.30pm people were still exiting the Tuileries Gardens and we had a superb view over them, onto the obelisk at the Place de la Concorde and beyond towards the Champs Elysées, all of it bathed in the amazing orange light of the setting sun.
The Louvre buildings looked different depending on the exposure of my camera, either illuminated by the moon or mysteriously dark…
The buildings courtyard is still just as impressive and the glass pyramid has aged well (whereas there was an outcry during its construction). In the evening, an unusual calm reigns over the place, with people picnicing in the adjoining gardens and subtle street lighting that gives the place a magical air. We continued our walk by crossing over the Seine. A boat illuminated in green slipped slowly by underneath us, and the long exposure of my camera turned into a weird fluorescent, aquatic snake-like creature…
…and more neon was waiting for us nearby. On the Pont Neuf, the statue of Henri IV has been a luminous addition by designer Jean-Charles Castelbajac, ordered by the French Ministry of Culture to commemorate 400 years since the monarch’s death. It’s a great success, deceptively simple, that really adds something to the statue. Henri even has a Star Wars-style lightsaber now! Another example – like the Louvre – of how a touch of modern can meld with the historic, without one getting in the way of the other.
