I missed last week’s post, I know. But there’s a good reason for that. March has been a busy month with a few trips within Switzerland and to other locations… I haven’t published anything but I’ve been very busy exploring new places and taking a lot of photos! It’s been a great month 🙂

The first of these trips was to Paris, the “city of light”. I’ve been dreaming with visiting this city for so long… And now I can say that it doesn’t disappoint!! I did a little research before arriving, but not too much. I already knew the most famous locations (the Eiffel tower, Notre-Dame, the Louvre museum…) and I knew two days and a half was too little time to try to find all the hidden gems. And I didn’t really mind. I prefer to visit the city without knowing too much about it and let it surprise me. And fortunately, it did!

Our tiny hotel was very close to the Île de la Cité, the city center of Paris. From there, we explored the other island of the Seine river, the Île Saint-Louis, the trendy Marais quartier, the Latin quartier, the Luxemburg gardens, the district of Saint Germain with its posh boutiques and beautiful churches, and we ended up in the Champs de Mars in front of the impressive Eiffel tower just in time to see the last colorful clouds after sunset.

We walked a lot during our first half day in Paris. And we had all kinds of weather that day. Rain, sun and blue skies, pink clouds at sunset, wind and cold… it was very cold! But I enjoyed seeing Paris under the rain, with its shiny pavement in contrast with its white beautiful buildings. And I enjoyed even more seeing the first flowers of spring blooming in the city and adding some more color!

Here are some of my first impressions from Paris! I hope you like them!

20 Comments

  1. Fantastic photos. A real delight!

  2. Beautiful images. I especially love the one of the Eiffel Tower with the flower blooms in front of it. Very often we wonder how can we shoot an iconic landmark differently than other photographers. You achieved that in that photo. Your street photography is excellent. I was in Pairs for a very short time just to leave the airport and go to the train station. That experience was horrible, so thank you for showing me some of the sites because it’s not high on the places I’d want to visit.

    • mercedescatalan

      Thanks a lot, Anne!! So happy you like them! And it’s great to know that your opinion of Paris has improved a little after seeing my photos!!
      As I said in the post, I didn’t do a big research about the city… I didn’t want to see a lot of photos and just make my version of them… not sure if mine are still very original, you never know if you’d seen a similar photo on the Internet or… how knows!!! Hehehe
      I loved the city… well, of course, there were a few things that surprised me and not in a very good way, but I prefer to keep the good memories and beautiful images! 🙂
      Hope you can visit Paris again someday and get a better impression!! It’s gorgeous!

  3. Ah, Paris is always Paris 💕 Walking is the best thing to do there – beautiful photos!

    • mercedescatalan

      Thanks a mil, Snow!! I know I should have asked you for some tips and recommendations…. but this way I let the city surprised me! It was a fantastic first day, exploring the the different hoods, and finally meeting the famous tower… And I couldn’t imagine that in such bad weather it could be so many people and tourists in the city!! I’m getting used to the calmer Switzerland, hehehe

      • Hahah, Paris can ve crowded for sure! 😊 I don’t have any tips anymore, my Paris was a lifetime ago (it seems). But Véro is a true Parisienne, next time you go she might have tips! But ai understand you, I love going places with no plans, exploring aimlessly and spontaneously, getting little surprises here and there! 😍

        • mercedescatalan

          I have the same feeling about Spain… people ask me where to go, where to eat in Madrid… And it’s like: it’s been 7 years since I left Madrid, I’m now a tourist in my own city and I don’t know where to go for lunch or dinner anymore! Hehehe I’ll ask Vero next time!! Well, I hope there’s a next time in Paris 🙂

  4. Some of the photos are truly superb, great job!

    • mercedescatalan

      Thanks a million Kristyna!! I knew Paris was beautiful, but I wasn’t prepare for such greatness!!

  5. It’s hard to be original in a city that has been photographed such an awful lot. The blooming tree in front of the Eiffel tower is something I have never seen before. Very nice! I also like the first picture of the Marais a lot, the light on the appartment building at the back and the angle of it in the picture is great. And well, apart from the captures, I envy your stroll through Paris, a city I haven’t been visiting for far to long.

    • mercedescatalan

      Thanks a million, Peter!!! Yes, I think there could be billions and billions of photos from Paris, hehehe. That’s why I didn’t do a lot of research before going to the city. It was my first time there and I didn’t want to have preconceptions about it! Sometimes this works, sometimes not, but fortunately, this time it did! I loved what I saw!!
      Well, these days photos of cherry blossoms flood in any social network… But I love them long before Instagram was here, and the tower Eiffel is so typical… I just wanted to focus on something else 🙂 So happy you like the experiment! And we had all kind of weather that day… it was really nice to see the changing light conditions while we explored the city! It went from sunny to stormy and then sunny again in a matter of minutes, so it was really fun for me playing with the camera in these conditions! Except at sunset… I expected a very colorful sunset and it was quite dull… but then dusk was beautiful! Hehehe

  6. Oh Mer only getting around to check properly your trip to Paris. How very beautiful!! I love the photos of the first blooms in Paris, as they say Paris is its most beautiful during this season. The photo of the little blooms with the bokeh of the Eiffel Tower is my favourite, it is so dreamy, magical and whimsical and oh so pretty! it is pure maestry, my friend. Love the post. and with the news from Paris this evening of Notre Dame on fire and the roof collapsed, it makes the first photo even more impactful….who knows when we will see it again back in all its glory. Love Blanca

    • mercedescatalan

      Thanks a mil for your visit, B!! So so happy you like my first impressions of Paris!
      I was shocked yesterday when I saw the news about Notre Dame… I know that some of the places that I visit won’t last long, like the glaciers in the Alps. But I wouldn’t ever imagine that Notre Dame was one of those places!! I mean, one month ago I was there, admiring its stunning interior, its magnificent stained glasses windows, all the stunning and detailed sculptures… and one of the things that I liked most was the spire!! I took so many photos of it when we climbed the tower… And now its gone! I can’t believe it! And it makes me so so sad… I hope it won’t take decades to restore the cathedral to its former glory (and that they keep it as beautiful as it was, and they don’t get creative like in the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona…..).

  7. Though the sky is not optimal, your photos still look really great! 😉

    • mercedescatalan

      Thanks a lot, Len! I didn’t mind the dark clouds, the city looked really nice under such a dramatic sky, all shiny after the rain!! And it was changing so fast during the day that I saw the city under the sun, during the rain and got some colors for sunset… I would say it was a very complete day! 🙂

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