PHOTOS Paris (An Obama photo thread with absolutely no photos of the Obamas. Seriously.)

[Jackeens]

1

Crowds line the street and take photos as U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama go sightseeing and have dinner in Paris, Saturday, June 6, 2009.

2

A marksman is seen during a private visit by US President Barack Obama to Notre Dame Cathedral on June 6, 2009 in Paris

3

Crowds line the street and take photos as President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama visit the Cathedral of Notre Dame

4

Gendarmes hold back people at a corner as President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive for dinner at a restaurant for dinner in Paris

5

People watch and take photos from upstairs windows as President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive for dinner at a restaurant in Paris

6

French Minister for Economy, Industry and Employment, Christine Lagarde is stopped by a police officer as the road has been closed to the traffic during a private visit by US President Barack Obama to Notre Dame Cathedral

7

Reporters and White House staff send updates as they wait outside Notre Dame Cathedral while President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters tour the cathedral inside in Paris


Ooh La La... hero's welcome for Obamas in Paris

PARIS (AFP) — US President Barack Obama and his family received a hero's welcome in Paris on Saturday as they were given a private tour of the famed Notre Dame cathedral. Thousands of cheering Parisians and tourists lined bridges over the River Seine as the presidential motorcade swept past, desperate for a glimpse of Obama, his wife Michelle, 10-year-old Malia and seven-year-old Sasha.

Applause and whistles erupted as Obama's 20-vehicle motorcade pulled in to the large square in front of the cathedral, closed off to the public specially for his visit. With Paris abuzz, the presidential party spent more than a hour being given a tour of the 12th century cathedral, considered one of the finest examples of French gothic architecture in the world.

The crowd below erupted jubilantly when the Obama daughters Malia and Sasha, on their first trip with dad since he became president, waved from a balcony high on the iconic building. There was no disappointment from sightseers hoping to get inside the cathedral, simply excitement that an even bigger attraction was in town.

"It doesn't matter we'll come back tomorrow, we wanted to see Obama anyway," one of a group of Venezuelans said. Security was tight around Notre Dame -- located on Ile de la Cite, an island in the heart of Paris on the River Seine -- with sharp shooters in place and a helicopter hovering overhead. Police had earlier cleared out the cathedral. Obama, in France for commemorations to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day, was to dine later with his family at a Parisian restaurant before returning to the home of the US ambassador, a French presidential source said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5isyISHhJsFxIawr26x4emr8nZFMQ

[alsame]

1. Vive la France!

:fistbump:

[a kennedy]

16. and I know this is gonna sound very stupid.....

but who really started the "freedom fries" business???

[alsame]

19. Bob Ney and another GOP Congresscritter, as I recall. It was

ridiculously juvenile.

[xxqqqzme]

2. RE: photo no.6

wouldn't you love to see the Secretary of any department riding a bike through DC? I mean come on folks the '...French Minister for Economy, Industry and Employment, Christine Lagarde...' walking her bike across the street? Man, that beltway bubble is certainly puncture proof.

[dalaigh lllama]

3. I like seeing the government minister riding her bicycle

It's really a shame we're so welded to our autos here.

[Fleshdancer]

10. I thought that was great too n/t

[inna]

11. actually, it's not "her" bike.

it's one of those Velibs - communal, (almost) free city bikes with thousands of stations located all over Paris.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/23/AR2007032301753.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/21/AR2007092100543.html

i LOVED those when i was in Paris. it's a GREAT idea, i wish we had something similar in the States (especially here in San Francisco, where bicycles constantly get stolen at the highest rate in the US!)

[dalaigh lllama]

12. Wow, that is so cool!

So how does that work? Do people have to pick one up at different locales or can they keep one at home?

I wish America was as bicycle friendly as Europe is -- much healthier for everyone and the environment, too.

[inna]

14. they are meant for short term use, it's actually a pretty high-tech system...

each bike has a slot for a card (which costs only 10 euros a year). for 10 euros a year, you can have limitless rides, the only trick is that each time you get a bike you have to return it within 30 minutes (the stations are located almost on every street corner; and as soon as you return a bike you can get another one for another half an hour if you need one.)

if you don't return a bike after half an hour, they start charging your card (something like a euro an hour), but most trips last less than 30 minutes, and then you can always get a new bike for free (for another 30 minutes, that is). i guess the idea is to keep bikes in circulation, and the system certainly discourages keeping bikes at home...

also, you have to have a French bank account in order to get an original card; you can't do that with an american credit or debit card, so... the system is designed for the French, not for the tourists... :(

still, it's a great idea nevertheless!

[inna]

15. self-correction:

my info was outdated (by almost two years! i was in Paris in august-september 2007...)

here's more current info (from the second link):

Here's how it works: Velibs can be picked up and dropped off at any of a thousand stations around the capital, where users insert credit cards into a machine to sign up for a day (one euro, or about $1.40), a week (five euros) or a year (29 euros). A fee of $205 is taken from your account if the bike is not returned. Caveat: At this point, only smart-chip Visa cards and American Express cards are accepted (see "More Velib Tips" at right).

The system is designed to encourage short journeys: After paying your subscription fee and picking up a bike, the first half-hour is free. The second half-hour costs one euro, the third costs two euros and a fourth would cost an added four euros, to encourage people to stick to the half-hour system.

But you can take a bike out as many times as you like in a day -- and each time it's free for the first 30 minutes. "This is a utilitarian way of getting around," explained Velib project manager C¿line Lepault. "The Velibs are for everyone, but tourists should realize they are simply a way of getting from A to B. If they want to take a bike for the day, they should hire one" from a rental shop.

[hileeopnyn8d]

4. Is it strange

that I'm jealous of those sharpshooters? I always wanted to go out on one of those balconies to hang with the gargoyles!

[anonymous171]

5. Why do the freepers hate France so much?

[Triana]

7. Frack the Freepers. I love France!

And France loves our President. Suck it up Freeps! :evilgrin:

[CakeGrrl]

18. Because France turned down Bush's request to join the Coalition forces in Iraq

So the whole "You're either with us or with the terraists" thing kicked in for the Freeps and Iraq War supporters, and they started up the childish 'Freedom Fries' bit.

[Cha]

6. I'm overjoyed they

love our Prez as much as a lot of Americans do.

"The crowd below erupted jubilantly when the Obama daughters Malia and Sasha, on their first trip with dad since he became president, waved from a balcony high on the iconic building. There was no disappointment from sightseers hoping to get inside the cathedral, simply excitement that an even bigger attraction was in town."

Thanks for these pics, Jackeens..it's interesting to see whom the Obamas are looking at.

[jazzjunkysue]

8. I took my Mom and daughter through paris 2 years ago. Everywhere we went, people saw the 3 generatio

generations of women, all about the same size, and they'd count outloud, "1,2,3, awwwwwwww".

My daughter speaks french so she did all the talking. We had a blast. Best city in the world.

[ensho]

9. dig those gargoyles!

I'm a fan

[GoneOffShore]

13. I've eaten at that restaurant several times!

Very good and not expensive!

[kentuck]

17. Here is a video...

out to dinner.