the last day in Paris

Posted on October 23, 2009 by Andrei

This Sunday I returned from the oh-too-short trip to Paris, and now I can post the last pictures from the “City of Lights”. I found it very unpleasant that the weather was great while I was in a meeting room and got bad when I started to roam the city.

However – wind, cold and occasional rains didn’t stop me from using the camera to try to capture Paris in autumn. This being my third time in Paris I was more looking to roam the streets and just enjoy a stroll. Enjoy the photo gallery!

Some of the highlights of the trip:

taking a walk in Quartier Latin, and people-watching while sitting at a cafe
browsing 3 art galleries (from the countless present) in St Germain quarter
visiting St Denis basilica, the burial place of French monarchy
Chateau de Vincennes, with it’s interesting fortress – which was used to “house” (read: imprison) the Marquis de Sade amongst others (this was before the Bastille became the lodging place for important prisoners)
a short visit to the Quai de Branly museum, which houses current art from Africa or Asia and also temporary exhibitions ( I went to a ‘photography from Iran’)

iPhone dying ? I hope it’s just Monday blues…

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Andrei

I am now frantically searching my room for the iPhone warranty. It seems that the problems it has cannot be solved by a simple restore. Of course, what I did manage was to wipe my music and podcasts collections. Fortunately I still have my old iPod, so I just need to charge it again.

After some rigorous testing – involving a lot of restarts, some swearing and googling around – it seems that the problems are not going away without a trip to the phone doctor. But what does it do? Actually it no longer does things. Like connecting to a WiFi network (ant network). Or seeing any Bluetooth devices around. So beside cellular data, I am connectionless.

I noticed this lack of connectivity in Paris, when I wanted to browse the free WiFi. And today it was confirmed that it’s a real problem, and not a bad settings combination (as I hoped).

I’m actually sad. I am looking now at a phone with WinMo and find it so ugly and lacking of any style. But it will have to do for the moment…

And now, back to searching for the *&%^*% warranty.

Oh, and the picture? Just eye candy.

St Denis, Montmartre and freezing

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Andrei

Today was the first free day spent in Paris. After the beautiful Wednesday and Thursday, today the weather proved…uncooperative. It was extremely cold, it rained a bit, and the wind was freezing cold. This however didn’t stop me from visiting a bit.

I started with the basilique St. Denis – the burial place of the French kings. Very nice place to see, and the fact that I joined a group with a French guide (a professional one, nonetheless!) helped me to understand a lot. Very interesting information – how the cathedral was built, why did the kings of France start getting buried there, how the French Revolution made a mess of eveything, and so on. I even got to stay at a mess for Marie Antoinette!

After freezing the whole morning, I decided to continue the day with some walking around Montmartre and the the rest of Paris. From this second part of the day I attach some photos, while the ones from St Denis will come later.

It was very pleasant to see again Montmartre, Pigalle, the Moulin Rouge, Vendome, The Louvre, and other places from the spring trip. Only the biting cold put an early end to my trip – not only was I shivering but my camera batteries were dying.

Now I am planning tomorrow’s visiting, while enjoying the warmth in the hostel.

back in Paris – and already loving it

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Andrei

flying AIr France somewhere over Budapest

Maybe the fact that I left the office in a hurry, with a lot of projects left hanging incomplete, I was very stressed on the plane and when I arrived. However, first steps in Paris changed all that back to ‘happy mood’.

Beside the slight annoyance that RER ticket vending machines work only with coins or credit cards (and it happily ignored MY card) everything is good. I’m staying at a nice hotel, even though it’s far from the center (I am used to booking hostels right in the middle of the city). The weather is pleasant – cold yet mostly sunny. And hearing French on the streets - a real pleasure!

And the first smell of a boulangerie assured me I’m back to the city of coffees. Speaking of which, I’m off to find something to snack on until tomorrow’s breakfast.

Bucegi covered in mists

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Andrei

Well, it seems that the common element between my latest mountain trips is fog. Whether it was merely a distant mysterious curtain or an enveloping mass, it never dissipated.

in a very ethereal world, some people continued their climbing

While for admiring the landscapes it proved an annoyance, for photographic opportunities it was great. Some of the photos I took in my last trip are below. There are more than usual close-up shots, as sometime these were the only photographic possibilities.