A rainy day in Paris

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Tuesday started out nice and then the weather turned and it could have been miserable...

We saw beautiful blue skies early on then rain, snow, sleet and probably freezing rain before I returned back to the hotel. Instead of going to the museums, I met up with my friend Isabelle from Paris and we hit one of the shopping districts and shopped until I could not carry the bags any longer. The shopping was great but it is kinda a disapointment when you see something because you have to add another 40 percent to the price due to the current exchange rate. Plus my foot is still killing me, but more on that later...

Isabelle also taught me that friends kiss each other twice if they have not seen each other and three times if it has been a long time. Then some of her friends just shake hands instead of cheek kissing - too confusing...

The food is excuisite here. Today I visited a local Italian restaurant and had probably one of the best tiramasus ever. I paid my compliments to the owner in my attempted French and he came back with lemoncello as a way to thank me. I always fear that because I have really never liked lemoncello, until now. It was so smooth and it went down so easily that I asked for another shot of it! The restaurant had this cool thing they did with pasta alfredo - they had a parmesan wheel they would light on fire then scrape the cheese off and then put the pasta inside the wheel. Once the hot pasta hit the cheese, it looked so good and not the least bit fattening!

I also understand why croissants and bagettes are so addicting here, it tastes nothing like they do in America. Maybe because they are made by pure fresh butter. If they did taste like this Americans would be more overweight than they already are...

Isabelle recommended that instead of seeing a doctor that I take the pain away by drinking good wine...and she was right, no pain.

Tomorrow is New Years Eve and it does not seem to be a big holiday like it is in the States. Most restaurants are closed and several of the locals looked at me funny when I mentioned what I was planning on doing. So we will see...

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Photos

Galleries Lafayette
One of the major department stores in Paris

Galleries Lafayette #2
Numerous floors - a shoppers dream

Galleries Lafayette #3
The sheer number of people were overwhelming, it was like black Friday in the states multiplied by 10

Opera House
the Paris Opera house - the center of the one of the best shopping districts

Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower at night from Trocadero