| Page Views: 77 Last Visit to Paris: December, 2007 I Visit Here Frequently | Last Christmas in Paris by LaurieWiegler - last update: Apr 6, 2008 |
|  | Christmas Day For some reason, the axiom that say when one travels alone one meets more people has been true for me. I have been alone to Paris three times, and yet, when Ilook back it seems I was surrounded by friends.
I was last in Paris at Christmas, literally eating my bohemian version of a Christmas dinner at a sidewalk restaurant along the Seine, just a few hops down from Musee d'Orsay.
It was decorated so beautifully that I had to take a picture. |
A few steps farther .... And I continued my walk on Christmas morning, past the museums and tourists and throngs of young Parisians hawking mini Tour Eiffels. (A funny memory on the last day of my trip: one of these young salesmen ran up to me as I was ascending to Sacre Coeur. He spat, "Hey! Miss America!")
After I'd witnessed a purse snatching underneath Tour Eiffel, I decided to break from the crowd and find some solace down by the river.
And this is what I found: the inflatable Santa, French style, and while still a bit of a crowd it was much more a mix of the French than at any standard tourist attraction. I also got to practice my fledgling language skills by repeatedly saying, "Joyeux Noel" to numerous, smiling concessionaires. | | |
| | A sense of calm I continued my walk, stopping around 4:30 to call my mom, who asked me to enjoy Paris for her. That made me sad, so I've decided to save money to bring Mom back here in the next couple of years.
Meanwhile, here are my memories for her and for you:
French terriers on short leases; petite women in exquisite scarves; le Croque Monsieur; beligerant cabbies; warm waitresses; cheap wine (as cheap as soda!); expensive coffee; fancy McDonalds'; handsome young men who flirt with women of all ages (:-); amazing cheese; endless hours smoking in red-walled cafes lined with passionate travelers; avoid the touristy areas and you fall in love with France. And they love you for leaving the beaten path. Just go to le poste and stand on line. Or do your laundry. Do something normal in a foreign land and you become one of them. |
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| Pros: | "Sweeping views of peach-colored limestone along a fading Seine; warm Parisians, smartly clad; numerous bridges offering history right at their bases; elaborate architecture everywhere, from a bathroom to a museum; the wine, the coffee, the cheese" | | Cons: | "If you hate smoke, you might want to avoid Paris! And of course, the dollar's weak against the Euro...." | | In A Nutshell: | "When can I return?" |
LaurieWiegler's Paris Travel Tips
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Tips: 1 | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers
Tips: 1 | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 Comments for LaurieWiegler about Paris | | | | |
Nemorino Thu Apr 10, 2008 16:02 UTC
Merry Christmas! Glad you found some normal things to do in Paris so you could become one of them. My suggestion for your next visit: ride around on a bicycle, Velib or otherwise. That's the most normal thing to do, and you won't get hassled. |
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