Visit to Villahermosa, Mexico

That's me on the far left, having a great lunch with friends at El Matador, one of Villahermosa's great eateries. The drinks in the red cups are horchata, a sweet beverage made from rice and water.

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This photo was taken near the Galleria Mall in downtown Villahermosa, the capital city of the State of Tabasco. The weather was rainy during my three-day visit but the temperature was a comfortable 75 degrees (F).

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Tabasco, Mexico from an altitude of 1km. The weather didn’t let up until after my departure, but this photo gives an idea of the topography and vegetation of the area.

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Paris, France

Over the past two weeks, I've been posting pictures from my recent trip to Europe and Africa. The images directly below were taken by me in Paris, France. Yes, I used a tripod on the shots of myself, feeling pathetic each time I posed for them, since no one who visits Paris should have to enjoy it alone.

I thoroughly enjoyed each of the four primary cities that I visited on this trip (Amsterdam, Cairo, Moscow and finally Paris), but as you will see from the numbers of pictures that I posted, Paris was the most picturesque.

Please feel free to get back to me with any comments you have about my photographs. In the coming weeks, I have tentative plans to visit the Yucatan. If I get any decent images from that trip, I'll be sure to post them.

The French tri-color flag. Paris, France.

View of the Seine, just after sunset. 

Me, just across the river from the Eiffel Tower. 

The Arc d'Triomphe. Under the arch lies an eternal flame to commemerate France's struggle through two world wars, as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 

This is a sculpture called The Departure of the Volunteers, one of several that adorn the exterior of the Arc d'Triomphe. It is better known as La Marseillaise. 

Another example of the fine sculpture work of Francois Rude that is featured on the exterior of the Arc d'Triomphe. 

View of the River Seine. 

Fountain at the Jardin des Tuileries. (I think). 

Here is a lake scene from the Bois de Boulogne, one of the large parks that lie within the City of Paris. 

This is a vew from the courtyard of the Louvre, looking up the Champs Elysee. The structure in the background is not the Arc d'Triomphe and I'm not sure what it symbolizes. Maybe I'll find that out on my next visit to Paris.

I call this one "Waiting for Colbert", as a mild tribute to Stephen Colbert of "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central. I don't know who the woman is, but it looks like Stephen is not home. 

I had no business taking this woman's photograph, but she was already posing for her boyfriend (cropped out of this shot), so I figured it would be okay. 

Notre Dame Cathedral. 

This is a view from the north end of Notre Dame. The sky grew a bit cloudy during my visit and there was even a little rainstorm, which I waited out at a cafe called Esmerelda, which is adjacent to the cathedral. 

Here's a close-up showing some of the detailed architecture of the Notre Dame Cathedral. 

I managed to see a couple of horse races during my weekend visit to Paris. There's a fantastic turf track adjacent to the Bois de Boulogne and although the picture doesn't show it, quite a crowd was onhand. 

Full-length view of the Eiffel Tower, looking north. 

Looking up at the tower. 

The Pont Royal, overlooking the Seine. 

Cute dog #1. "Dog" in French is "chien".

Cute dog #2. This one sat beside me in a sidewalk cafe, letting me pet him as I drank a glass of wine. 

Apart from the large number of real dogs I saw in Paris, they can also be found in Parisian art. 

There is no shortage of beautiful sculpture at the d'Orsay.