Early Morning in Paris

On the morning I went on an all day excursion to Mont Saint Michel (more about that in a later post), I had to be at the meeting point by 6:45 a.m.  This was the earliest I had been up and about on the streets of Paris during this entire visit and it was quite a different experience.  The bustle and crowds of a typical summer's day in the City of Light had not yet come to pass, there was a gentle stillness everywhere around me as the day gently edged into being.

The early morning cast a warm glow on the Musée d'Orsay.

As I crossed the bridge over the river Seine, I was surprised to see large, tanker like boats making their way along the water.  I suspect they only travel this route during the night, when the many tour boats are docked.

The sun was just rising over the wing of the Louvre that houses the Decorative Arts Museum.

The ferris wheel was silent and unmoving but still beautiful.

The chairs in the Tuilieries Gardens were empty and the view past the obelisk in the Place de Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe in the far distance was unimpeded.

Remnants from revelries the night before were strewn about, providing breakfast for the crows.

The sun's light turned the buildings into gold.

It was definitely worth getting up early to see these sights!