It Snowed Today In Paris

It snowed today in Paris. Unfortunately the snow was preceded by freezing drizzle.

The hotel that I am staying at is not too far away from the Jardin des Plantes. The gardens are closed in the winter but the zoo is open. The original plan was to grab some chocolate croissants, hit the zoo, get some couscous for lunch, then go to the Opera House. Sainte Chapelle was out for today because of the rain.

We picked up the croissants when the drizzle started and by the time we got to the zoo they were closing it down - the ground was just too slick. After a cold, wet walk to the restaurant we ate a lot of hot, delicious couscous. The snow began as we were leaving the restaurant. So, so pretty to be walking around Notre Dame with the snow falling. I would have taken a picture if I thought I could capture it.

On the way to the Opera House we passed the ice rink at the Hotel de Ville. The french guy seems intrigued by the idea of skating but was too cold to try it today. And of course by the time we made it to the Opera House we were close to the cutoff for entry. So instead of waiting outside in the cold only to be turned away at the door we stopped in a few stores on Haussmann. That is where this picture was taken.

The View On The Way To Lunch Yesterday

Yesterday did not go quite as I had hoped. First, it was a late lunch again. The french guy kept talking about taking me to frunch - "The food is very good and cheap." I thought he was saying brunch in a cute french accent. He was actually talking about restaurant called Frunch. And while the food was decent and relatively cheap, it was not quite the dining experience I was expecting. Imagine if you will a Golden Corral filled with french people - so full of french people that you are standing around with a tray full of food praying that someone will leave in the next 15 minutes.

Lunch took so long that by the time I got to the front of the line at Sainte Chapelle they were only selling tickets to the Conciergerie. The french guy had been waiting in line with me for about 40 minutes (we had a very nice conversation with a group from New Zealand - aparently their accent is easier for him to understand). Not being interested in the history stuff he left to run some errands when I was about 10 people from the front. Of course, that was before I turned the corner, went down the stairs to the ticket window, and saw that I had missed the cutoff by a few minutes (big bummer because it was a sunny day and the light would have been great for viewing the windows). Luckily I knew where his first stop was so off I went to find him.

For dinner we picked up some bread, salami, fruit, wine, and cheese. I really, really enjoyed dinner.

Chateau de Vincenne

Yesterday was a late lunch in Bastille, then a metro ride to the Chateau de Vincenne. The Chateau was built by a king who liked to hunt nearby. So basically, it was a hunting castle as opposed to a mere hunting lodge. I think it has also been a prison and a military fort. It must still be a fort in some capacity because there were french soldiers riding with us on the metro to the Chateau with their automatic weapons. Not something you would see in the US.

I don't think the the french guy enjoys the history stuff as much as I do. Now the Zoo down the street was another story. We had talked about going earlier in the day, but the website said it closed in early December for renovations. Of course we had to walk down to double check (I don't think the french guy really believed the website). The whole area is a big park, so the walk was nice if a little brisk. The zoo was definitely closed down and the only thing we were able to see was a vulture through a gap in the fence. Since we were already out that far we walked around the lake in the park. Lots of people out and about with their kids and dogs. Very nice area but I was turning into a french ice cube - it was back to the hotel to warm up. Some TV viewing (one episode of Starsky and Hutch, then The Pianist) and the night was over.

Last Night at the Champs Elysees

We walked down the Champs Elysees last night. It was beautiful. I'm not a good enough photographer to capture it but hopefully you get an idea from the picture. All of the trees were covered in lights. The ones closest to the street had icicles inside that would light up from the top and streak down towards the bottom. The outer trees twinkled. Very, very pretty.

Dinner was at a little restaurant in the Latin Quarter then back to the hotel.

Topless Somewhere over the Atlantic

Usually I get cold on airplanes so I always try to remember to bring a jacket or a sweater. This time I brought both and didn't need either one. The plane was very, very toasty. So toasty, in fact, that I had to strip down to my tank top halfway through the flight. I arrived in Paris a tired, sweaty mess. And that is how the french guy found me as I exited customs.

I've arrived

I made it to Paris (and the hotel).