Paris

I planned a work trip to Paris months ago, thinking it would be something nice to look forward to at a dark, dull time of year. It turned out that it came at a point that I was especially busy (mostly with work), so I arrived already quite weary. I had a couple of free days to explore ahead of the conference, but the combination of a hard bed (my perennial issue!) and cold, damp weather with on-off sleety rain, meant I was a bit wiped out, a bit achy and not especially in the mood. HOWEVER, in-between some slightly grouchy patches, Paris still provided some magical moments.

I'm currently halfway through a photography course and was missing a session while I was away, but serendipidously, it happened to be on architectural photography and it was a visit to Bristol Cathedral I was missing. So, the newly renovated Notre Dame made an appropriate substitute for my assignment!

I also snapped some more modern architecture along the way ...

... and popped into Sacre Coeur, in part for a bit more photography, but mostly for a bit of respite on a bitterly cold day. 

On a similar theme of finding opportunities to get out of the cold, I visited Galleries Lafayette which was decked out in its full pre-Christmas finery. Now, I'm not a Christmassy type and I particularly hate the whole obscene consumerist binge, but ... it was very classy, so I stopped for a coffee on one of the balconies overlooking the central atrium and I discovered you can go up on the roof for a great view across the city.

I had a couple of good lunches - apparently, scallops are in season, so they featured highly - I exercised my rusty French, and generally, felt like I'd had a proper change of scene.

... and just to prove I was working too ...