Ballooning at Sunrise, Saint Cirq-Lapopie © Tony Redhead

I saw my first snowfall in Paris in 1979, and I've loved the city ever since. Over the years, I've been to Toulouse several times working on the groundbreaking software Live Picture, but I'd never had the chance to return to Paris.

At the end of our recent photography assignment with PONANT, we had planned a week in Paris when we cruised from Venice to Athens. After that, we would drive down to Marseilles, stopping to share time with our friends.

Our experiences in Paris included bike tours along the Seine, exploring old villages, finding unique Street Art and encountering new friends. These are some of the visual experiences I'd like to share with you from that time.

France, in Western Europe, encompasses medieval cities, alpine villages and Mediterranean beaches. Paris, its capital, is famed for its fashion houses, classical art museums including the Louvre and monuments like the Eiffel Tower. The country is also renowned for its wines and sophisticated cuisine. Lascaux’s ancient cave drawings, Lyon’s Roman theater and the vast Palace of Versailles attest to its rich history.