Sunday Morning

Sunday Morning and the bells of Notre Dame are ringing. The great Bourdon bell weighs over 13 tons and is tolled to mark the hours of the day, and for various occasions and services. There are four additional bells in the North Tower which are rigged to swing freely. Although I know that the bells are no longer rung manually, every time I hear them I am reminded of Victor Hugo’s classic book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

I stroll along the river browsing in the used book stalls until I reach plaza in front of Notre Dame. Construction on this French Gothic masterpiece was started in 1163 and completed in 1345. Today it is still used as a Roman Catholic Cathedral. The plaza is buzzing with tourists, having portraits sketched, their name done in Chinese calligraphy, having their photo taken on the marker denoting point zero, which is the official center of Paris, where the city first began. And if all this activity wears you out, or if you've had a late night, you can always take a nap!

Just past Notre
Just Past Dame, I cross a short bridge to the Ille de St. Louis. This is a small Island on the River Seine, between the left and right banks. Uninhabited until the 17^th century this Isle was often used for duels. In the years 1614 to 1646, he real estate was developed into an area of luxury homes. Today, the main street, rue St Louis I’lle, is filled with small upscale shops where you can buy one of a kind artist designed jewelry, clothing by young designers, gifts, or for the gourmand, a shop devoted to foie gras. I love the small village atmosphere where you can escape the busy streets of Paris. I stop at a six table Mediterranean restaurant for breakfast, buy fresh flowers for my Place at the Top, and browse the shops. One of my favorite photo galleries is here, and they are currently featuring a show on Picasso, but it’s closed on Sunday, so I’ll have to come back. As much as I’d like to linger, I have to get to the site, so I head back to the metro.

I decide to shoot from the pit today. This is an area at the end of the court that is almost eye level with the red clay. I love to shoot from here because you can get some really nice and interesting images.

Also, it is covered, so if it starts to rain, you are protected. The stadium is full for the Mathieu/Djokovic match. The French fans do their best to cheer their player to victory, but Djokovic is too tough and wins in three sets.

Next up is the match everyone has been looking forward to, Nadal/Verdasco, but first there is a short rain delay.

The players are back on the court warming up, I am back in the pit thinking, wow, it doesn’t get much better than this. Two of the hottest players on the tour on court at the same time. This is going to be a pleasure. Everyone has been talking about this match between the two Spaniards, Nadal seeded two, and Verdasco twenty two. Verdasco is on his way up and could give Nadal trouble. The two Davis Cup teammates square off, but it is a totally one sided match. Nadal was never challenged his 25-year-old compatriot, and cruised to a 6-1, 6-0, 6-2 victory.

Well, it’s raining AGAIN, so I’m going to wrap it up for today. Tune in tomorrow for more adventures in Paris.