Yesterday, I talked about the dismal view from the airport to Paris. The taxi ride itself was comfortable and without incident. The highway and what I could see of the surroundings didn’t match the romanticized beauty of Paris. All cities have less desirable areas, and this experience didn’t surprise me.

Forty-five minutes into the taxi ride, I finally saw the Paris I expected — beautiful and ornate architecture. My picture taking out the car window kicked up a notch. Even traffic jams feel better with a picturesque background and no defined schedule.

Duck into smaller streets, and I saw more trees plus the architecture. I’m an urban person and don’t often have to commune with nature. However, it’s great to see some greenery in a big city.

This street scene is my favorite picture captured from the taxi. I got to frame it precisely like I was stationary outside on the street. Sitting in the cab gave me a lower perspective than standing, which made a better composition.

Finally, my first Paris cafe shot — I’ll feature many more of these as we get into the series.

Subscribers to my free magazine knew about the Paris trip more than a half a year ago — they get to find out the latest. I often present photos from many months, even years ago, with my extensive blog series. The current Paris and Switzerland series are pictures I took from the end of September to the beginning of October 2022. We went at a perfect time weather-wise and many months before the riots that plagued Paris earlier this year.

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