It’s my first morning in Paris and as I am still very jet lagged woke early, so decided to walk to my favourite place in this city, the Place des Vosges, located in the Marais district. Pronounced Plas de Voz by the French, it is said to be the oldest planned square in Paris and was built in the early 1600s.  It was originally known as Place Royale, but was renamed after the French Revolution, as a tribute to the Vosges region which was the first to pay taxes to the French Republic.

Place des Vosges is surrounded by what were once, two-story residential buildings made from red brick and stone with steeply pitched blue slate roofs.  Beautiful arched arcades front the ground floor of the building which are now mostly used as shops and art galleries.

I have visited Place des Vosges in all four seasons and think it is particularly stunning when covered with snow. I already have many photos of the gardens and buildings, so today took a few black and white shots of people enjoying the park. I left the top photo in colour so you can see the beautiful red brick of the buildings.