The Bouquinistes of Paris are booksellers of used and antiquarian books who ply their trade along large sections of the banks of the Seine: on the right bank from the Pont Marie to the Quai du Louvre, and on the left bank from the Quai de la Tournelle to Quai Voltaire. The Seine is thus described as 'the only river in the world that runs between two bookshelves' © Wikipedia
Tying a "love lock" on to the Pont des Arts before throwing the key into the River Seine beneath became such a popular thing to do that in the end parts of the meshing collapsed and fell into the Seine. To discourage the practice the meshing was replaced with panels in 2015. Close to one million locks - weighing an estimated 45 tonnes - were cut off.
In St Eustace Church, the sculpture "Le départ des fruits et légumes du coeur de Paris, le 28 février 1969" — the departure of fruits and vegetables from the heart of Paris, February 28, 1969 — by Raymond Mason, it symbolises a transformation of the Les Halles neighbourhood. This part of Paris was historically a huge and bustling marketplace, going all the way back to at least the late 12th century! In 1969 the market was forced to move out of Paris, to a town a few kilometres away, called Rungis.
Built for the most part in the 19th century, arcades covered with glass roofs, such as this one, were created by piercing through other buildings. They are a typically Parisian architectural feature. Most of them now house shops, tearooms and restaurants. There are around 20 of them in Paris in the vicinity of the Grands Boulevards.
Explore my amateur photography
Over the years I have probably taken thousands of photographs.
On this site I've chosen a few categories and within each put a very small selection of images. I hope you find them interesting.
Use image carousel below to navigate to individual slide shows
Casual portraits
Portraits
I'm perhaps guilty of photographing scenery and things of interest far more than I do people. Maybe this is because of a slight embarrassment in approaching people. Consequently this category features a number of photographs of my wife Helen.
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Nature
Nature
Nature has always featured highly in my photography. I always try to keep an eye open for interesting natural subjects and you will see that a number of the photographs were captured in our garden, which itself is a bit of a nature reserve.
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French Riviera
French Riviera
In 2015 I went to Nice on the Côte d'Azure for an immersive French course for the over 50s. The course was of two weeks duration but I arranged accommodation with a French family for most of the month of May, giving me time to explore the area both before and after the course. The following year Helen and I returned for a three-week holiday.
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Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire has been a holiday destination for a number of years, three of which were spent in a delightful cottage on high ground between Ilkley and Silsden. The photographs in this section are from those visits. I have tried to capture the beauty of the landscape while also having an eye for anything a bit out of the ordinary.
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Kenya - Ngong House & Giraffe Manor
Kenya
We went to Kenya in 2007 as a 'special' holiday, staying first at Ngong House, where we had a tree cabin, and then at Giraffe Manor, where the giraffes roam freely in the grounds and poke their heads through the windows. I took a considerable number of photographs and it has been difficult to condense these into the short collection on this site.
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Paris 2013/14
Paris 2013/14
In 2013 I arranged to stay with a French family north of Paris for the month of April. I retired in 2008 and decided at that point to learn to speak French 'properly'. This was my attempt to move things along a bit. I went alone and most days travelled into Paris on the Transilien train, where I suppose I was a classic flâneur, that is someone who strolls around the city fairly aimlessly.
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Paris 2015/16
Paris 2015/16
After spending so much time in Paris during 2013 and 2014, I developed a sort of second home mentality, in fact feeling more affinity with the city than my birthplace, London. It was hardly surprising, therefore, that over the next two years I returned, this time with my wife Helen. These were two-week breaks, normal holidays, so the photography was naturally somewhat different. But I still kept an eye open for the more out-of-the-ordinary shots.
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