Like most first-time visitors to Europe, I was astounded by the architectural artistry of the buildings and monuments I saw in London and Paris. The sheer magnitude, importance, and historical significance – not to mention sweeping beauty – of both cities was almost overwhelming.

How to take it all in? I finally settled on trying to capture as many images as I could without pausing to worry whether or not I could squeeze the entire structure of Notre Dame, for example, into one photograph. This meant focusing on scenery while also hurrying to get the shot (I kept my traveling companions waiting more than once often by lingering in odd places or halting in the middle of a busy crowd to take a picture. My husband generously played middle man between our hosts and me, making sure they paused while I caught up and also keeping me in sight so we didn’t separate into the throngs of tube passengers or street crowds.)

I became fascinated with small details. Doors, doorknobs, windows, postal boxes – all were, in one way or another, just as intriguing as the magnificent monuments that have been photographed millions of times by people more talented than I.

This post is a result of that mindset. I’ve edited it down to fourteen images. There are church doors, cathedral doors, castle doors, fashion-house-on-the-champs-d’elysees doors, restaurant doors, hotel doors, even one deceased Door. Somewhere in here is also an unintended, self-portrait-reflection-in-a-door.

I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Thank you for stopping by! 🙂