Paris Part II on Film

Hi Film Friends! Hope everyone is feeling healthy and out taking photos? I’ve been sick since I’ve returned back to Singapore in early March. Must be my body trying to tell me I should travel more. Anyway, now that I’m feeling slightly better, I plan to write at least one blogpost for the month of March.

After devouring my Falefel, I slowly made my way towards the my next destination. Along the way, I came across Berthillon, a luxury ice cream manufacturer famous in Paris. Having had Gelato everyday that I was in Italy, I was convinced I had the best ice cream in the world. Luckily the glutton in me decided to just give Parisian ice cream a try and I was instantly rewarded with what can only be described as an orgasm in my mouth. YOU HAVE TO TRY BERTHILLON IF YOU’RE EVER IN PARIS! I had a more fruity sorbet cone as the gelatos I had in Italy were mostly chocolaty and nutty.

Ice cream in hand, I finally arrived at my destination, the Panthéon of Paris where the most distinguished citizens of France are buried and honoured, the likes of whom include Voltaire and Victor Hugo.

After exploring the inside of the Panthéon, I signed up for a guided tour to the upper levels of the Panthéon. The Panthéon has one of the best panoramic views of Paris so I highly recommend it. They hold tours every afternoon and you can get tickets from the ticket booth within the Panthéon. Check out the photos below and decide for yourself if the tour is worth it!

Glorious light and clouds shining down on Paris.

The tour lasted around 45 minutes and then we had to go back down to the ground floor. The guides gave us ample time to go around and take photos though so it made me a very happy boy.

Following the visit the Panthéon, I decided to take a leisurely stroll along the Seine River to soak in the Parisian ambience. On the way to the Seine River, I stopped by the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore, where famous writers such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald used to gather. The shop also provides accommodations to aspiring writers and artists in exchange for them helping out around the bookstore. Pretty cool place.

All along the Seine River, I also noticed many outdoor book stands filled with books of varying genres. People would stop and browse and sometimes even buy books. This is a city which loves its literature. Everywhere you look, people would have a book in their hands.

Since the Notre-Dame was nearby, I decided to head over and see the famous cathedral upclose. However, I didn’t have the time nor the budget to actually head into the cathedral. But that gives me another excuse to visit Paris again! I continued down the Seine and snapped more photos along the way.

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Fuji Pro 400H. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

Then I reached my destination, the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, the bridge where they filmed a scene in Inception. Something about French architecture just makes the bridge so pleasant to look at. The combination of steel, concrete and glass. The evening golden light made the place look even prettier and I think I spent a good 20 minutes just snapping photos of the bridge! Thank you Thomas and Alphie for recommending that I check this bridge out!

Usually when I’m traveling, I would plan my routes such that I can just walk from point to point on my Google map. And the last point in the vicinity on my Google maps was Trocadéro, a look out point to see the Eiffel Tower and was another recommendation of Thomas and Alphie.

Arriving there, it wasn’t too crowded but people were starting to pour in to watch the Eiffel Tower being lit up. So I quickly got a spot and planted myself down for the next 30 minutes, watching the sunset and eventual light up of the tower. It was pretty spectacular as the lights would dance around the Eiffel Tower and that had a magical Disney quality to it.

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Kodak Colorplus 200. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

So this comes to the end of my second day in Paris. I really enjoyed exploring Paris and I’m really happy to share my experiences through these writings and photos. Hope you guys enjoyed the blogpost. For the next post, I will be exploring a museum and the bohemian neighbourhood of Montmartre, so stay tuned! Till the next blogpost, keep shooting film friends!