Paris at Christmas

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French Wine, New York Crowds and Minnesota Weather

The steel wheels are screaming against the cold rails propelling the Eurostar at over 100mph as it streaks across northern France on its 2.5 hour journey to London. Inside the train we hear very little of the noise. The ride is smooth. The scenery is much like that of our Midwest. Soon, we’ll be slipping under the Atlantic in the tunnel that takes us to the United Kingdom.

We are not overly sad to be leaving Paris. It’s a beautiful city but very similar to New York. It’s crowded and the people, like in any large, crowded city, can be brusque. In short, it lacked the warmth and romance of Italy.

We only had 1.5 days in Paris and most of our time was spent along the Champs-Elysees, near the Arc de Triomphe. The arc was commissioned by Napoleon in the early 1800’s and modeled after the Arc of Constantine in Rome, where we had just been. It’s very similar in size and design, but the Arc of Constantine is far more ornate, as it is graced by many extraordinary sculptures the likes of which are unequalled in Paris.

After checking into our hotel, which is just 1.5 blocks off the Champs-Elysees, we headed outside to check out the area. The weather was a bit of a shock, as we were greeted by driving snow and a brisk wind. Undaunted, we turned up our collars, stuffed our hands deep into our pockets and headed towards the most popular avenue in all of Europe. The Champs-Elysees is a high-energy place with throngs of people bouncing from café to cabaret at all hours of the day and night. It’s much like Times Square in Manhattan, but without the skyscrapers and the massive electronic ads and TV screens. Yet, there’s no shortage of glitz as every fashion designer, car manufacturer and expensive hotel has a presence here. It’s also expensive as hell, which is another trait it shares with New York!

Paris is a very artistic city with wonderful museums. Since we had so little time here, we chose the Museum d’Orsey because of its collection of Impressionistic paintings. Marni’s love of this style of painting made the experience extra special. You’ll see a picture on this page of Marni in front of a Van Gogh. It was an awesome experience for everyone.

Unfortunately, both Fred and Marc became quite ill as a result of food they ate on the flight from Malta to Paris. Much of their time in Paris was spent either in the bathroom or in bed. Marni, however, was now feeling better! Fortunately, everyone is now back on their feet now as we journey to London.

One point of interest, especially to a communications and technology enthusiast like me, is the degree of “wiredness” in the various countries. Italy was very wired and I had Internet access there just about everywhere that I traveled. London was also very wired but Paris was a bit of a disappointment. Getting online was costly and sometimes difficult.

London is our final stop, and it’s where our European adventure began almost two weeks ago. We have less than a day there and I hope to catch Westminster Abbey before it closes today. It was not open when we were last here.

The Eurostar is about to plunge below the Atlantic and I’m going to take advantage of the tunnel to catch some sleep before hitting the streets of London.

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Photos

Marni & a Van Gogh
Marni's love of Impressionism led us to the Museum d'Orsay, across the street from the Louvre, where a fabulous collection of Impressionism is on display.

Along the Champs-Elysees
Christmas lights adorn the most famous avenue in Europe.

The Museum d'Orsay
This impressive structure houses some of the most beautiful art from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Marc , Paul and the Arc d'Triomphe
Marc and I were standing on the Champs-Elysees in front of the Arc d'Triomphe when Fred shot this photo.

Comments

[sean]

Happy New Years
Have a happy New Years Uncle Paul, Aunt Marni, Marc and Joni. Hope your having fun!