Merry Christmas from Paris 2018

Yes, this is the first post in two years.  And yes, we are finally back in Paris after two long years in Berkeley.

Friday we met our friend Suzy at the Brasserie Printemps (above) under the giant art deco dome, above.  Then  we walked across the street to the Galeries Lafayette to view the magnificent Christmas tree under its art deco dome.  Suzy and I walked out onto a glass viewing platform to see the tree up close and personal.  They prohibited any picture taking, since their purpose was to take our digital photo with the tree in the background, and sell it to us. We managed to convince the powers that were that we were not going to buy any photos, so the photographer took a break.  That gave us a much longer viewing time than usual.  The cables of lights from ceiling almost to the floor changed color and tempo with the accompanying Christmas carols, and the tree itself changed color.  It was quite a sight. 

 You can see the glass platform to the right of the tree below. 

As we walked outside we could see the famous Christmas windows, with moving characters enchanting the children. Unfortunately the reflections on the glass prevented photos of most of them, but here is a sample. They seem to be magical cows singing while mixing chocolate in milk cans. 

After almost more Christmas than we could take, we made our way home, crossing in front of the Opera Garnier, and finally finding our bus stop. 

 The bus was not crowded, and the traffic was not awful.  As the bus approached various sights, I took my camera to the front to grab a photo or two.  The bus driver quietly stopped the bus when he didn't have to, and waited silently for me to take my pictures. (You can see some of the reflected light from the interior of the bus.) 

First we passed the Champs Elysee, above, in full flower with all of its Christmas lights glowing.  Somewhere I read that there are now more than ten times as many lights for a tenth of the cost, thanks to LEDs.  That means their colors can change from season to season.  This year red seems to be the color all over Paris.

Then we turned onto rue Montaigne, home of couture designers with names we all know.

As we neared a particularly brightly lit corner, the bus stopped again, several car-lengths behind the nearest car.  The driver gestured to the left, making sure I would not miss the fantasy decoration of Dior.

And yes, that is a giraffe.  There is also a monkey, a tiger, and a huge bird, and probably more that will require another bus ride to locate. 

Thursday we had dinner at Chez L'Ami Jean, a reasonably famous bistro not far from our rental apartment.  Reservations are required 60 days in advance, and they called that morning to confirm.  We had an early reservation, and were the first patrons to arrive.  

We got our orders in, sharing a pate de compagne as a first course, with veal cheeks for Tom and sweet breads and veal for me as main courses. 

We shared the legendary rice pudding for dessert. Everyone raves about it, but I thought it wasn't terribly special -- regular old rice pudding mixed with some whipped cream, with a nice salty caramel sauce with toffee bits. Tasty, but hardly life-changing.  And quite heavy after a rich, meaty meal.  I found myself wishing I had tried the "black lemon" dessert instead.

Upon arriving this trip two weeks ago, we took a few days to recover from jet lag and explore our neighborhood, the 7th arrondissement.  We have stayed in the 18th -- Montmartre, which is the highest point in Paris -- for about 12 years, so this is a real change for us.  One thing that was immediately apparent is that Christmas tree "lots" which we never saw there are everywhere in our new neighborhood.  We're thinking that hauling a tree of any size up the hills, and stairs and inclines of Montmartre probably make them less popular.  Here, they are on every street corner.  Or at least, outside most florists.  Some are just a bunch of trees on a corner, with a guy helping to fit them into passing cars. 

Interestingly, most of the trees are in netting, and people just seem to buy them by height, foregoing the lengthy search for the perfectly shaped tree as we tend to do.  But then, being Paris, perhaps all the trees are perfect! 

We've had a few more adventures since our arrival:

A visit to the Cernuschi museum for a show on Japanese art...no photos allowed of that, but here from the permanent collection

English class in the 15^th with so many good friends

A walk to the Christmas market at Notre Dame for mulled wine

Dinner at the Eiffel Tower, with a viewing of the new security measures, including a bullet-proof enclosure, two security perimeters, and two “temporary” barracks under the tower; this is not your mother’s Eiffel Tower anymore

Christmas at the Marmottan museum

A visit to the impossibly trendy and popular Ateliers des Lumieres for a changing light show and music (yes, those are people sitting and walking in the otherwise empty space)

The Russian Orthodox Church nearby is lovely and we assumed would remain a mystery...until we saw that it was open for visiting...

Possibly the best outing this trip was our first, when friend Catherine drove us to Vaux-le-Vicomte to see the grounds and Christmas decorations.  The last time we visited we were so dazzled by the interior and its decorations and so pressed for time that we did not get to see the grounds.  This time...

 

Tom would not be denied.  He went straight from the entrance and stables to

 

rent a golf cart.  And what a good idea -- we spent 45 minutes making a thorough investigation of the gardens, upon which those of Versailles are based.  There was not another soul around, and we got good views of all of the features of the gardens.  

At one point at the far edge, we had to ford a stream... about an inch deep.  

 

The squirrel is the emblem of the count who built the place.  

Then there were the interior decorations. 

 

The last time we visited, there was a full sized ferris wheel operating in the grand ballroom.  This year the ballroom contained a hot air balloon.  We couldn't ride it, but we did sit and wonder about it for quite a while. 

And the view from the cupola

This year nothing says Christmas like a manifestation (demonstration) by the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) that have disrupted Paris for the past few Saturdays.  We were startled to come across them on the Champs Elysee (we had heard they were in another part of town), but there they were....

quite calm, and obviously quite tired.  And there we went, in the opposite direction!  

There are more adventures to come, and more posts to publish.  Meanwhile, to you and yours from both of us, Joyeux Noel!