Notre Dame de Paris
LIGHT, PATTERN & TEXTURE
The leafless trees in early spring allow the structure of the buildings and the vegetation itself to be visible. To this avid gardener, it made for many peek-a-boo photos like this one (above) of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
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The woven border of saplings first caught my attention to this small garden behind the Notre Dame. But then I noticed the small elevated house tucked in the corner of the grapestake fencing. This was the first beneficial insect hotel I had ever seen in person, even though I had recently pinned several pictures of them on my Pinterest site for future reference. So naturally I took a picture of this hôtel français d'insectes. (RIGHT)
(Point & click to enlarge photos) |
The Notre-Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use flying buttresses, or arched exterior supports. These architectural details are common to Gothic architecture and are plainly visible in this view of the exterior of the cathedral.
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Point Zero-The Roads of France: This is the location from which all distances in France are measured and is embedded in the pavement in front of the cathedral.
Street numbers in Paris also use this as a reference point: the lower the number, the closer to this point. In addition, I was told if you toss a coin in the center, you will return to Paris someday. It's worth a try, n'est-ce pas? |
INSIDE THE CATHEDRAL
Radiant light streams through stained glass windows
to create dancing rainbows on the walls and statuary.
In other parts of the interior, patterns abound--
in the columns, on the walls,
within a circular ring of votives, or on a simple iron gate.
Throughout the interior of the cathedral,
the play of light and dark,
positive and negative spaces
create an array of pleasing and interesting visual images.
(Point & click to enlarge photos)
to create dancing rainbows on the walls and statuary.
In other parts of the interior, patterns abound--
in the columns, on the walls,
within a circular ring of votives, or on a simple iron gate.
Throughout the interior of the cathedral,
the play of light and dark,
positive and negative spaces
create an array of pleasing and interesting visual images.
(Point & click to enlarge photos)