2025 Stevens Family Calendar: June

European cities

When putting the 2025 calendar together, I created “buckets” of themed photos. Unlike many years, in 2024 we took a fair amount of photos of cities and towns. So, June is all about cities. 

But, making the cut between a city and a town is tricky. Obviously, Paris and London are cities. 

A look at Paris from above; Photo: Scott Stevens

But were there any other real cities in our photo files or were they just large towns? We were in a number of legit cities, but didn’t do much but drive through. We did stay in some areas that were technically cities where we actually took photos. The two that I believe also qualified for this page, in addition to Paris and London, were Strasbourg, France, because it is a pretty decent size, and Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, because it is large and the capital of Luxembourg.

In the end, this section includes photos of Paris, London and Strasbourg. None of the shots of Luxembourg City made it in here.

Strasbourg, Luxembourg City, Strasbourg; Middle and right: Scott Stevens

The other “urban” places we visited and photographed will show up later on my pages devoted to quaint villages and towns, although there is a little crossover. Strasbourg and Luxembourg City show up there, too (you didn’t think I’d leave out Luxembourg completely, did you?). 

I would have included Cardiff in this section, but the only photos I had in contention were Cardiff Castle, which was featured in February.

The city and the castle (and the arena where we saw Taylor Swift)

Main Page

The photo that dominates the main page is the iconic Arc de Triomphe in Paris. You can read all about it (and the Eiffel Tower, which is also on the page) here. You have to wade through a lot to get there, but there are some details about the Arc.

The left is on the calendar; the two right photos are not

Here are some other shots we didn’t use 

The Arc de Triomphe was topped with the Paralympics logo while we were in Paris because the games were in progress. 

Next up is a shot of Big Ben in London. Caty and I spent two days in England’s largest city before setting off on our Lake District/Wales/Taylor Swift adventure. We didn’t take many photos (we’ve done London before), but at least she captured Big Ben.

The sunlight on the photo we used, right, was similar to the shine on Les Invalides in Paris
that we used on the calendar page; Right: Caty Stevens

The three bottom photos on the main page capture sunset and nighttime, which we don’t usually get. The left photo is one of Paris’ many bridges. 

Light reflecting on the Seine at Pont de Tournelle; Photo: Scott Stevens

Next is a favorite shot of mine: a café in Strasbourg basking in a nice evening glow. 

Strasbourg was one of the few places where we did a lot of nighttime roaming;
it is really conducive to that

Finally, if you are going to feature the Arc de Triomphe and Big Ben, you can’t ignore the Eiffel Tower, can you? This time, instead of going to the Eiffel Tower, we went to Montparnasse and took pictures of Paris’ most iconic structure from afar. 

We used the left photo on the main page and the middle photo on the calendar page;
the other two were options we didn’t use; Left: Scott Stevens

Shots we didn’t use from our Montparnasse adventure

Calendar Page

The calendar page is all Paris. I already discussed the first two – the dome of Les Invalides, taken from the top of a double-decker tour bus, and the Eiffel Tower take from Montparnasse before the sun set – above. Next is a shot of a walkway along the Seine on the Left Bank.

We also considered some of the (taboo) locks on a Seine gate and flowers in a window
on Île Saint-Louis, where we stayed; Left: Scott Stevens

When we visited the Arc de Triomphe, we got a lot of photos of the streets that fan out from the arch in a star pattern. 

This one of the tree-lined Avenue de Friedland gives perspective on Paris’ size
(see the Eiffel Tower in the right corner?); Photo: Scott Stevens 

The last shot in the section is Pont Neuf crossing the Seine

In daylight!

Unused Photos

Oh, but we had more!!! 

Let’s start in Paris

The Olympic flame was still burning while we were there; Photos: Scott Stevens

We had intended to visit Montmartre, but ended up with only a few distant photos;
Photo: Scott Stevens

Multiple sights: Les Invalides, the Conciergerie, the Tribunal de Commerce de Paris
and Tour Saint Jacques; Left: Scott Stevens

Lions are popular on Île Saint-Louis

Statues; Left and middle: Scott Stevens

Paris, of course, is known for art. We spent a morning in the Louvre, gathering many photos to consider.

The Louvre from across the Seine

Another view from our tour bus

Art and the ceiling, which is art itself; Middle and right: Scott Stevens

Winged Victory and a throne of a priest of Bacchus; Left: Scott Stevens

Back out in the sunshine again; Photos: Scott Stevens

I had mentioned that Strasbourg was great for night photos, but we did get a few in Paris, too. 

Île Saint-Louis at night flanking the Eiffel Tower from Montparnasse; Left and right: Scott Stevens

But, the real night magic was in Strasbourg, which sits on the border with Germany in eastern France. We stayed near the old part of the city, so walking to the heart of town was easy. And, so pretty. 

Cafes keep the town humming; Photos: Scott Stevens

The buildings along the Ill River are illuminated at night; Photo: Scott Stevens

More café shots (I just love these!); Left: Scott Stevens 

A bridge across the Ill; Photos: Scott Stevens

Buildings along the river; Photos: Scott Stevens

And, more (we had so many nice shots); Photos: Scott Stevens

There were so many beautifully lit buildings; Photo: Scott Stevens

But, the city is also pretty in daylight

On our walk to the heart of the old city

A statue of Gutenberg, who developed the printing press in Strasbourg and is much revered there, plus a typical Alsatian building with a turret

The town is vibrant with buildings, traffic and flowers

Despite being in France, Strasbourg looks and feels German …

… with its half-timbered building and distinctive roof lines

That was a lot of great shots that didn’t make it into the calendar. Also, poor Luxembourg City here, it didn’t even make the cut, despite … 

A charming look similar to Strasbourg; the left photo is Strasbourg; the right two are Luxembourg City

Fun statues in the theater district

Beautiful buildings

Interesting stained glass

Stately mansions

And a kind of quiet understated elegance

Don’t worry, Luxembourg City was in the opening and will make a brief appearance later. 

It was a new country for us, so we had to feature it 

Cities have a lot of charm in the tiny details that we enjoy capturing. Sometimes photos of these details make it into the calendar … 

Sometimes they don’t: gate and sign in Strasbourg, door in Paris

And, what would a city be without delicious food? I do have a few photos in the calendar of food (later), but here are three that didn’t quite make it … 

Mussels (Moules) and frites at a sidewalk café in Paris and (oddly) corn
and ham in Strasbourg; Left: Scott Stevens

A cheese shop across from our hotel in Île Saint-Louis in Paris

So much for the city! Let’s go to the beach(es). 

Next month! Rhossili, Wales