Paris

I become happy when I think.

Eiffel Tower is the Paris address No. 1. Its history is well known. Let us look at some photos.
1. The Base of the Tower seen from its east (1995).
2. seen from the Seine River. I am between them.
3. Paris and the Seine seen from the top of the Tower.
4. with Obelisk seen from the Concorde square.
5. Eiffel Tower seen from the Pantheon.
6. Eiffel Tower seen from the top of the Montmartre, the highest ground in Paris.
7. Eiffel Tower built on the roof of a building, photographed at the halfway to the top of the Montmartre.
Jacques Chirac, President of the Republic of France leading the military parade on the Champs-Elysees on July 14, 1996.
1. preceded by the Commander of the Military March.
2. Cadets of the French military academy.
3. Infantry Unit.
4. Naval officers.
5. Horse-mounted soldiers.
6. Armored Unit.
7. Parade in the Sky.
8. Tomb of unknown solders at the Arch of Triumph guarded by four French soldiers.
9. Champs-Elysees, the day before the Parade, seen from the Arch of Triumph.
10. One crazy man on the Champs, in the morning ready for the Military Parade. Closer to the Arch.
11. Why do I get excited about military parades? I used to do this often during my high-school years (during the Korean war).
12. Champ Elysees during the Christmas season of 2011 (photos taken in January of 2012).
I was in Paris during the first week of 2012. The city was still bright with all those Christmas decorations. Let us look at some photos.
1. First, this is how the Arch of Triumph looks during the Christmas season.
2. The Champs during the night hours.
3. The Champs during the night hours.
4. Blue lights and orange lights. They take turns. Many many people enjoying their holidays.
5. Talent show. These people are eager to show their talents.
6. Talent show seen from the top of the Arch of Triumph.
7. Renault Dealer one of the Champs.
8. Santa is coming one of the shops.
9. Noel en Alsace. This is a tourism office, but it is also an excellent restaurant. I dined there several times.
10. Fouquet's is one of the classy restaurants on the Champs. Many famous people dined there. I spent some amount of money there, and the manager and employees appeared to be happy with me.
From the top of the Arch, I took photos, and the Champs looked like this. The Paris air was clean enough for me to see the Concorde Square and its obelisk. In addition, I noticed something you normally do not see in Paris. It was a big wheel behind the obelisk.
1. Here is a telescope view of the wheel.
2. From the Pont Royal (bridge across the Seine connecting the Louvre and Orsay Museums), the wheel looks like this.
3. I took this photo about 50 meters north-east of the wheel at the Concorde Square. The Obelisk and the Eiffel Tower are in the photo.
4. After this season, this wheel was removed, and these photos are now collector's items.
5. This wheel came back in March of 2017. I will check again when I go to Paris next time.
Les Deux Magots is one of the most important spots in Paris. Many people from the world with different backgrounds come here and talk and exchange ideas (photo from the public domain). During the 1940s and 1950s, Jean Paul Sartre used come to this cafe to talk with young people. He used to preach his philosophy of Existentialism. Sartre is no longer with us, but I go there often to meet younger existentialists.
1. In 2010, I went there again and met interesting existentialists. The lady on my right is my wife. The young lady on my left came from Moscow. She became very happy when I asked her whether she came from Yasanevo. Yasanevo is a jungle of high-rise condo buildings south of Moscow.
2. Cafe Flore is right next to Les Deux Magots. Sartre also used to come to this Cafe. This photo was taken in 1995.
3. Cafe Flore during the busy evening hours.
4. Brasserie Lipp is across the street from Les Deux Magots. Ernest Hemingway used to come here often. Here I met a Mexican mother and her son. They appeared to be very happy to be together.
5. Evening Hours. This are becomes very interesting during the evening hours. This photo was taken in January of 2012 with the lights left over from the 2011 Christmas season.
Jean Paul Sartre used to come to this area and used to preach his philosophy of existentialism. Open this webpage to learn more about Sartre.
Montparnasse Tower seen from the Jean-Paul Sartre Square through Rue de Rennes.
1. The Montparnasse Tower seen from the top of the Arch of Triumph. This tall building is one of the landmarks in Paris. The building with the golden dome also seen in this photo houses Napoleon's gasket.
2. The Tower seen from the nearby area.
3. The area has its own civilization, and there are many visitors. If you are hungry, you will find a place to eat. I had a lunch at this cafe and had a photo with this chef.
4. The Montparnasse Cemetery is near the Tower. This photo was taken from the top of the Tower.
5. Jean-Paul Sartre's Tomb is the Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris. I was there in April of 2012.
6. Henri Poincare was buried in his family tomb. His name can be seen here. Many people came here and left Paris metro tickets as souvenirs. I was there in April 2012.
7. Guy de Maupassant's tomb is also in this cemetery.
8. The most important person in this cemetery. She has her life. I met this young lady from Australia, and I became very happy, and she felt in the same way.
La Closerie Lilas is about one kilometer east of the Montparnasse Tower, and is south the Luxembourg Garden. This is an unusually expensive restaurant, but I went there three times in order to assert myself. I assume others are going there for the same reason. The restaurant is crowded.
1. Entrance to the Closerie was like this in January.
2. The interior dining room is like this, while the patio room is brighter.
3. I was also important enough for the manager to greet me personally.
4. Ernest Hemingway dined there often. His portrait is shown in the dining room.
5. Thanks to Hemingway, many French writers come to this place. I had a photo with one of them.
6. The owner of this Closerie also owns the Cafe de Flore, where many young people came to meet Jean-Paul Sartre.
Jardin du Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Garden is just north of the Closerie Lilas. While walking toward the Garden, you will see a number of statues of those who make contributions to France. I have photos of those, but I cannot explain who they were and what they did. In any case, let us look at some photos of the Garden.
1. This aerial view of the Garden (in the public domain) is from the Wikipedia in the
2. Medici Fountain. Why Medici?
3. This park was built around the Luxembourg Palace. Who built this palace? How? Click here.
4. Art museum of the Palace. The Museum was showing Cezanne's life in Paris.
5. Circular pond in front of the Palace.
6. One Moslem lady taking care of her grandchildren. Presumably, her daughter is working during the daytime.
7. Fontaine de l'Observatoire, at southern end of the Garden.
8. View of the Pantheon from the Garden.
Pantheon: Tomb of Well-known Citizens. The building was originally constructed as a church, but it now serves as a mausoleum of great French citizens who made impacts on the world history.
1. Foucault's Pendulum. The Pantheon has a high dome. It is a great place to demonstrate this aspect of physics.
2. Victor Hugo. There is a museum in Paris dedicated to him. He was born in Besancon. Click here for a story about him.
3. Marie Curie was entombed with Pierre Curie. I bumped into Maurice Kibler at her tomb site. He said he was going to Iceland for vacation with his wife. It was a hot July (2002). I was attending a conference at Gif-sur Yvette. Kibler is an excellent French physicist. He is quite fond of making up funny stories.
4. Lagrangian Tomb. You all know what Lagrange did. We need him for quantum field theory!!
5. Eiffel Tower seen from the Pantheon. This area is at a higher ground in Paris.
6. Life is Busy on the street leading to the Luxembourg metro station. There are many shops and cafes full of tourists. Here is my photo with Japanese tourists in one of the gift shops.
  It is a quiet place in the morning. I am enjoying my breakfast there. There is a lady also enjoying her breakfast. She appears to be thinking hard about her work.
Just north of the Pantheon is the Sorbonne Castle, Campus of the University of Paris, with its rich history.
The concept of campus did not exist when Sorbonne was set up in 1257, and it had to be like a monastery or convent. It is possible that the university started from one of the monasteries. It had to be be secluded from the rest of the world. Do you know who invented the concept of campus? Click here.
1. Main entrance to the Sorbonne. Security is tight. You need an ID to go through this gate (next to the black door).
2. Another gate one block north of the main entrance. This gate is open to the public. Inside the gate is the main quadrangle of the campus. However, you are not allowed to the classroom areas.
3. This plaque says this University was set up in 1326 AD.
4. Here is a map of the courtyard.
5. Victor Hugo's stature is there. I have an interesting story to tell you about Hugo.
6. Louis Pasteur's statue is also there. Next to this statue, a number of students were sitting on the steps. I told them to get up to have a photo with me. They all did. Very courteous ladies and gentlemen. Do you know who Pasteur was? Click here.
7. Charles Hermite's name is on one of the gates leading to classrooms. I was very happy to have my own photo taken at this Hermite gate. What he do to change the world? Click here. Can you do quantum mechanics without Hermitian operators, Hermitian matrixes, or Hermite polynomials?
8. Entrance to a big lecture hall.
9. Entrance to the Library from the Quadrangle. Here is the entrance to the library from the eastern wall of the Sorbonne castle.
10. Corridor leading to classrooms.
11. The quadrangle is surrounded by buildings. This is the eastern side of the quadrangle. Victor Hugo's statue is seen in this photo.
12. It is always a pleasure for me to have photos with young students.
Place de la Sorbonne is an open space between the Sorbonne Castle and Blvd St. Michel. The place is called "Sorbonne Square" in English.
1. This is the western wall of the Sorbonne Castle. The question is why the university has to be so separated from the rest of the world. The answer seems to be that the University was built in 1326, and it had to be like a monastery.
2. The Square seen from the main entrance of the Sorbonne Castle.
3. The main entrance seen from the Square.
4. Stores facing the Square.
5. One of the book stores, showing Karl Marx's books together those of Kant and Descartes.
6. I am giving a brief lecture to students waiting for their class hour. Here is another lecture.
7. Auguste Compte was a French philosopher. I had a photo of myself next to his statute. Like to know who Compte was? Click here.
8. Across the street called "Rue de la Sorbonne," there is a four-star hotel called Hotel Rive Gauche, meaning left bank of the Seine. Many visitors to the University stay there. I spent three nights there in September of 2014. The hotel has a very stylish breakfast room, and I met many interesting people there. Here is my photo with a visitor from Lebanon.
Le Basilique du Sacre Coeur is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This church is at the top of Montmartre, the highest ground in Paris. The church was dedicated to the 58,000 French soldiers who lost their lives during the Franco-Prussian war (1870-71).
1. The Church seen the Orsay Museum.
2. Montmartre seen from the top of the Montparnasse Tower.
3. The Church seen the top of the Arch of Triumph.
4. Eiffel Tower seen from the this high ground of the Montmartre.
5. Fun-seeking People on the front steps of the church ground (2008). Here is a photo taken at the same place in 1996. This place seems to be the same always.
6. Fun-seeking French Students. I met a group of French girls saying "I am getting married" on their T-shirts. I asked them where their grooms are. They said that they are looking for them. One of them asked me whether she could have a mock wedding photo with me. I said Yes, and had this photo. Crazy, but I was happy to note that they take their marriages seriously.
7. Jungle of Paintings. Many artists including Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh had their studios in at high ground, near the Basilica. This is the reason why there these days are so many artists in this area.
8. One of the Artists concentrating on his work.
9. Picture Gallery and wine tables.
10. Street Performers.
11. Street Organist.
12. One of the Narrow and Crowded Roads leading to Montmartre.
13. Moulin Rouge is also in this area. This dinner-theater started as the place for freedom-loving people. In fact, the city of Paris started as a meeting place for freedom-loving people. I love Paris because I am a freedom-loving physicist.
Royal Palace is across the street from the Louvre museum. There is a wide open area between them called Place du Palais Royal.
1. Inner Garden is the resting area for busy Parisians.
2. Groomed Trees in the inner garden.
3. Hotel du Louvre is an unreasonably expensive hotel, but I managed to stay there for three nights at a very reasonable price in February of 2010. This hotel is on the western edge of the Place du Palais Royal.
4. White Balloons. I saw white balloons from my third-floor room of this hotel on the open space next to the hotel building. I went down and asked the people there what was happening. They said they are holding a cotton show to encourage cotton growing. Those cotton samples came from Israel. Have you heard of cottons from Israel? Perhaps you know I am making webpages using my own fingers. Did you know that I used to pick cotton crops with the same set of fingers?
Louvre Museum. I have been to this museum several times. This museum allows photographing without flash, and thus I have many photos. I would like to post some of them here.
1. Glass Pyramid enhanced by two Parisians.
2. Statue of Louis XIV. The museum buildings were built for his administrative palace.
3. Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel on the Museum ground called Carrousel. At the top of this arch.
4. The Arch seen with the statue of Louis XIV.
5. The Arch seen from the opposite side. The Pyramid is seen.
Under the Pyramid inside the Museum, there is the main lobby with ticket counters.
1. Three Greek Women, and woman pillars.
2. Another Greek Woman.
3. Mona Lisa. This is the most famous art item in this museum, and I took may photos of this lady, but I could not take better photo than this in the public domain.
4. Egyptian and Colombian Ladies. God-created artworks are infinitely more valuable than Egyptian antiques.
5. French Revolution by Eugene Delacroix. There is a better image of this painting from the public domain.
6. with Russian Students at the Assyrian Section.
7. with Emperor Hadrian at the Roman section.
8. Venus of Milo. This is also one of most valuable holdings of this museum.
Angelus by Jean-Francois Millet in the Orsay Museum. This image is from the public domain. The Museum does not allow photos in the gallery. This museum contains many paintings by Millet, who was quite fond of farmland landscapes. This painting has a great appeal to Koreans with farmland roots and Christian background. Here are more paintings Millet's Wikipedia page.
1. Tahitian Women on the Beach by Paul Gauguin. Photos are not allowed in galleries, but this painting was a on a wall outside the banquet room. In either case, this famous picture is in the public domain.
2. This is the banquet room. When I was attending a conference in 2000, the banquet was held here.
3. Entrance to the Gallery.
4. View of the Gallery. a photo taken at a designated area. It is easy to see that museum building used to be a railway station.
5. View of the Gallery. a photo taken at
6. Click here for more photos.
7. A Lonely Lady at the rooftop of the Museum (winter, January of 2012), but I was with her in July of 2000.
  - From the Louvre Museum, I spotted statues on the roof top of the Orasy Museum.
  - With an increased zoom, I took a photo of this lady. I used this camera,
  - I then became to close to her. I had a photo with her in 2000 (12 years earlier).
8. It is possible to arrange photos (not necessarily in chronological order) to make a story. This art was systematically developed by a Soviet film director named Sergey Eisenstein. I met these two Russian film artists, while waiting in the ticket line. We talked about Eisenstein, and I was able to confirm what I know about him. To make a story from old photos!! It is the fundamental principle of making webpages, or digital art. click here for a story.
  Statues of ladies are elegant, but it is more rewarding to have photos with living ladies.
9. Two Ladies from Lyon at the Museum cafeteria.
10. Three students from Scotland outside the cafeteria.
11. The Concorde Obelisk with a Christmas wheel see from the top of the Museum.
12. Le Basilique du Sacre Coeur and Montmartre seen from the cafeteria floor.
13. The Louvire Museum across the River.
Picasso Museum of Paris is about 2 km north-east of the Le Halles metro station, and 1 km south of the Republic Square. Let us look at some photos.
1. The road sign leading to the Museum.
2. Entrance the Museum quadrangle.
3. Museum's main hall seems to be a very old building.
4. Entrance to the Museum exhibition hall. I was there two hours before the closing hour, and was able to avoid the waiting line. The waiting line is very long during the earlier hours.
5. Museum Store sells many Picasso items. They are of course unreasonably expensive.
Like all artists, Picasso created many images of women, and I assume that he was interested in making them more beautiful than God's creation. Click here for a variation of Botticelli's Venus, and its variation by someone who really wanted to understand Picasso.
1. I am standing next to one of Picasso's ladies.
2. We can compare her with Paul Cezanne's women.
3. Is she necessarily more beautiful than God's creation? Was Picasso interested in moving in the opposite direction? Without asking this question, let us continue.
4. Two women in this frame.
5. How many women are in this picture?
6. One of his women sculptures.
7. Here is another. Did Picasso hate women? If so, why?
8. Between two Picasso ladies, I am happy to have a photo of myself. Here are two more ladies.
9. In my Garden of Eden, I am standing with two ladies God created for me.
Paris Opera House. Front view.
1. Evening view of the Opera House.
2. Unusual View of the Opera House.
3. Entrance Lobby.
4. Inside the Opera House before the performance of Adolphe Adam's Giselle (July 2000).
5. Chandelier on the main hall.
6. Verdi's Bust on the Second Floor.
7. Front Steps of the Opera House. An interesting collection of people.
  How do I look there?
8. One of the Golden Statues on the roof.
9. Three Generations of French Ladies at the book shop of the Opera House.
10. Click here for more about this opera house.
Galeries Lafayette is behind the Opera House. This is the most elegant department store in the world. Some items are unreasonably expensive. I once bought a necktie pin for 80 Euros. The pin was a small piece of metal with an engraving of "Nina Ricci." I still have to fine some one who can admire these two words.
1. The cupola ceiling looks like this. It is like during the Christmas season.
2. Shops close the ceiling.
3. The store sells everything. Can you tell what these items are?
4. Shops on the ground floor.
5. The store consists of two huge buildings on Blvd. Haussmann.
6. This street is named after Georges-Eugene and Haussmann, who was an architect and city planner during the period of Napoleon III (1852-1870).
7. This is an aerial view of Hausssmann Boulevard.
8. On the same Boulevard is another department store called Printemps. This store was created during the era of Napoleon III, and the building was designed by Haussmann.
9. This store also consists of two huge buildings next to the Lafayette complex.
10. This is the main entrance, and this is one of the entrances on Blvd. Haussmann.
11. Like all department stores, its ground floor consists of perfumes and other goods for women.
12. During the evening hours, the store looks like this.
P�re Lachaise Cemetery was established in 1801. More then one million bodies were buried there. You can find the grave of many famous people. I went there in 2000 and 2012 to meet those famous people.
1. Frederic Chopan's Grave.
2. The Grave Stone says "A Fred Chopin."
3. I am with Polish visitors in this photo of 2012. I told them I have a web image containing both this grave and the tomb of his heart in the Church of Holy Cross in Warsaw.
4. His Heart was sent to Poland. According to Chopin's wish, his friends removed his heart from the body and sent to Poland. His heart then was entombed on the inner wall of the Church of Holy Cross in Warsaw.
5. Oscar Wilde'd grave is under the most stylish grave stone in this cemetery. I am with two Irish visitors in this photo of 2012. Do you know who Oscar Wilde was? Click here.
6. Giacomo Rossini was a great Italian composer and died Paris. His grave is at a prominent place near the main gate of the cemetery. I was at his grave in 2012, but it was empty. His remains were moved to Italy and were entombed in the Cathedral of Santa Croce in Florence. I was there in 2014 to take this photo. Like to know more about Rossini? Click here.
7. Edith Piaf used to make many people happy. I was very happy to be at her grave side (2000).
8. Simone Signoret and Yves Montand used to make us very happy in their movies. They were buried together in this cemetery.
9. Jesus and Dollar. This person used to love both. Many people are like him/her. How about you?
10. I have many more photos to post, and I will do so when I have time.
Paris Metro patrolled by these nice-looking French gentlemen. Paris has one of the most efficient transportations in the world. You meet many interesting people on trains and stations.
1. Accordionist on a train from the CDG Airport to Paris (1998).
2. Luxembourg Station. Two young men was following me to pick up the purse from my pocket. I pulled out my camera and aimed at them. They became scared, jumped over the toll gate, and ran away (2002).
3. Sorbonne Station. I started talking to this Congolese lady because her cloth was quite artistic. She told me she came from Congo. I then talked about what happened to her country after the independence in 1960. I said Joseph Kasabubu and Patricia Lumumba were their first president and prime minister. She became very happy, and we posed for this photo. She was a very intelligent lady.
4. Chatlet - les Halles Station is like a small city. You can meet many interesting people there. I met these Mongolian ladies. I started talking to them because they were looking at me carefully. I knew they were Mongolians, and they knew I am a Korean. How? Because Koreans are ethnically Mongolians (2002).
5. Bastille Station is above the ground. The wall paintings reflect the historic Bastille day.
6. Stalingrad is another above-ground station. Do you know why Parisians love Stalin or Stalingrad so much?
Russians in Paris. I met this Russian family at one of the cafes. The father appeared to be a very successful businessman. They travelled around the world including the Unites States (2010).
1. with a Russian Physicist attending a physics conference in Paris (2002). In 2000, I met him at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna (Russia). His name is Denis Proskurin. He likes to be photographed with a lady.
2. A Russian Lady at Gif-sur-Yvette, southern suburb of Paris (2000). This lady is casually dressed, and the environment is nothing unusual, but this photo turned out to be artistic.
3. with Russian Students at the Persian section of Louvre Museum (2010).
4. Russian Lady from Yasanevo. The young lady on my right came from Moscow. She is so happy with me because I asked her whether she came from Yasanevo. Yasanevo is a jungle of high-rise condo buildings south of Moscow. Since about one million people live there and Moscow's population is about 10 million. The probability of my being right is 0.1 if I ask this question to everybody from Moscow. This photo was taken at Les Deux Magots (2010).
** While I have many photos of Russians in Paris, I should have enough courtesy to include some Americans in Paris.
Americans from Texas. I met these Texans while having a breakfast with my wife near the Sorbonne campus. I was very happy to meet true Americans in Paris (2010).
1. Harvard Student in Paris. This photo was produced also at the Grand Cafe. Her parents came from India and established themselves in New York (2002). I told her my son got his PhD degree from Harvard in 1994, and I am a princeton PhD. She was very happy to meet an Ivy-League man in Paris.
2. American Couple from Los Angeles on one of the Seine bridges. I wanted to have my own photo on this bridge and asked a couple to take a photo with my camera. The husband chose to press the shutter and the wife came to my side. They said I should have a lady on my side to make a photo more meaningful. I asked them where they came from. They said Los Angeles. I told them I came from Washington, DC. We came from the opposite ends of the United States, but were happy to be in Paris (2000).
3. American students at the Luxembourg Gardens on the Bastille Day (July 14, 2015). These young ladies came from the Boston area.
4. American student from Maryland. I become very happy when I meet American students in Europe, especially when they are from the Washington area where I live. They also become happy. This photo was taken at the front steps of the Church of La Madeleine.
How about Koreans? I become very happy wherever I meet Koreans. I was born in Korea and spent my first 19 years there. I met these Korean students near the Luxembourg Metro station in Paris (2004). I was very happy to see these healthy and strong boys. Korea was a very poor country when I left for the United States in 1954,
1. Two Korean art lovers. At the Picasso Museum of Paris, I spotted these two stylish ladies, and sensed that they are Koreans. When we met one block away from the museum entrance, I introduced myself as one of those poor Koreans from the United States (to Korean eyes, Americans are poorly dressed). They laughed, and we exchanged pleasant words about how much progress Koreans made since I left Korea in 1954, and talked briefly about Picasso. They are art lovers. We then produced this photo.
2. with a Korean Student at the Grand Hotel cafe near the Opera House in Paris (2005). She was a devoted Christian and very courteous to me, unlike young people these days. Here is another photo.
3. Two Korean students at the Louvre Museum in Paris (2008). They look alike. They must be sisters.
4. Korean student I met at the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris (2015).
In 2014, I was fortunate enough to visit the Monet Garden at Giverny about one-hour bus ride from Paris. The Garden was designed to reflect Claude Monet's paintings. I took some photos there, and let us look at some of them.
1. In order to understand Monet, let us look at his Sun Rise. During the sunrise, the color of the world changes continuously. Monet wanted to accommodate all those different colors in one painting. This certainly is an issue of harmony. As a consequence, this picture looks differently to different people. This painting is now in the Mus�e Marmottan Monet in Paris.
2. Flowers at the Monet Garden.
3. Bamboo and Water.
4. Flowers and Brook.
5. Garden of Eden? Unlike Adam, I have the same number of ribs on both sides. Thus, God must have pulled out two ribs from me to make two women. Consequently, I look happy when I have a photo with two philippine sisters. Indeed, the Monet Garden became my Garden of Eden.
I have many more photos to post. Please come again.
Cote d'Azur. If you are tired of Paris, you can fly to Nice to appreciate the Mediterranean aspect of France.
Henri Poincaré was the greatest Frenchman, according to Bertrand Russel.
Victor Hugo had a very interesting personal background.
Interesting People I met in France.