Sunset is around 10:30 pm in France right now and with the summer heat, we had plenty of time and motivation to roam around Paris at night. I have my favorite spots, they are not so original but they are lovely: le Louvre, along the Seine, the Trocadéro, the Eiffel Tower…

We walked across the Pont des Arts and were surprised to noticed a bunch of locks attached to the fence, like in Montevideo — I guess it’s good luck for lovers. Funny thing, I don’t remember seeing that many locks just a few years ago, I wonder how and why the tradition suddenly started. The bridge was packed at night and people drank and ate there after sunset. I had a lot of fun taking long exposure pictures of the Seine and capturing the motion of the tourist boats passing under the bridge.

Most of the area around the Eiffel Tower was blocked because of both July 14th (France’s National Day) and the FIFA World Cup village. Yet, the view from Trocadéro remains one of the best in Paris.

As for the Louvre, it’s a quiet spot at night, not so many people come take pictures of the pyramids for some reason. The main courtyard (Cour Napoleon) offers the best views on Pei’s controversial work.

You can follow our French trip here on Flickr: France (2010).