stephmodo: Reflections: December in Paris

Reflections: December in Paris

• 08 December 2009





















One year ago this month, we closed on La Maisonnette and gutted 2 of the 3 floors. It obviously wasn't preferable to have to take care of business during the holiday season, but the French didn't appear concerned with timeliness (it took 15 weeks to close), so the situation simply was what it was. With two weeks' notice, Ben planned out all the work he wanted to do while there, namely alot of demolition :)

His buddy Chris generously offered to come help for 10 days, so they spent several nights poring over lists of tools they'd need, and then packing those tools carefully in suitcases weighing exactly 50 pounds :) Tools are quite expensive over there so it was necessary to bring over as much as possible. This was the first of 3 occasions when my husband was required to head over to France to work on the house for almost a month each time (the workers wouldn't work unless we were there unfortunately). Pfew! I'm glad those days are done :) I can hardly believe what's happened over the last year. Talk about unpredictable.

The day before they left Paris, these two friends captured Christmastime in Paris on video, namely the Champs Elysses. It looked chaotic, but incredibly fun at the same time. As a viewer it was easy to feel the energy of the city and I instantly thought about how fun it would be to head over there in December. Just check out the lights! Aahhh...Paris.

P.S. Has anyone else almost killed themselves driving around the Arc de Triumph besides me? That was undoubtedly the craziest driving experience of my life :)

image via my jewel thief on flickr

14 comments:

  1. One year my husband and I went to Paris in December. It was incredibly beautiful, lights everywhere and Christmas trees. So unbelievably magical, like a storybook. You'll definitely have to go there for Christmas one year. (And if you are looking for a great place to eat, check out Le Divellec. It is very expensive, but quite an experience. The best food I've had yet in my life. Perfect for a Christmas in Paris feast. Although...bring your coat. Paris in December is FREEZING.)

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  2. No, but my husband almost killed himself
    trying to run across the round-about as a naive college backpacker.

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  3. I got back from three months in Paris yesterday, and even riding around the arc in a bus makes me fear for my life! And looking down from the top of the arc increases my respect for french drivers incredibly!

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  4. I have fond memories of the Place de l'Etoile.
    I remember getting stuck in the middle of traffic there with my uncle once, and someone in another car got out and started pounding our car with his fist. My uncle (a seasoned Paris driver) then got out and challenged him to a fight. My uncle was a big man ... so luckily it ended there.
    The drive around on the little streets takes much longer but is much less risky, and more interesting :-)

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  5. My husband and I spent some time in Paris in December two years ago, and I really recommend it! We had clear blue skies and sunshine most of the time, which made for some beautiful photos, and everywhere we wanted to visit was practically crowd-free. And it was cold enough to warrant lots of stops for hot chocolate :)

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  6. A year and a half ago my friends a I backpacked Europe and we took a taxi around it! What a scary ride that was!!

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  7. I love your Paris posts.

    Husband and I are saving our pennies to go in August. Looking at the Paris at Christmas photos remind me to cut back a little right now to enjoy later!

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  8. We just got back from a short Paris trip and seeing the city all decked out for Christmas was absolutely delightful. My favorite was around the Galeries Lafayette...absolutely stunning!

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  9. I've driven around it twice while I was there for work!! I had my co-workers count the streets since we needed to take a certain street to get to our hotel. It was myself and two women...we screamed the entire way around! lol

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  10. i dream of a christmas in paris...one day ;-)

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  11. absolutely gorgeous shot. i, too, almost died trying to cross the Champs-Élysées. i finally gave up after 20 minutes of trying to dodge cars.

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  12. Not for the faint hearted or the weak! i went around in a bus and that was chaotic enough. you were very brave going in a car! so love your blog, it is my daily read. in one of your posts you talked about l'Ebouillante - we got to go there on our last trip to Paris...the omelette's were fabulous and my kids thank you for the suggestion of hot chocolate in a bowl! brilliant.

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  13. Ahh I miss the Champs de Elysee in December! We use to drive around the Arc every Sunday to go to church(just off the arc de T). My husband was brave and got his French drivers license when we lived there. He LOVED driving in Paris, especially around the Arc! It scared me to death, and I would close my eyes every time and tell him to let me know when we were off!

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  14. Beautiful photo!
    My husband used to work on the Place de la Concorde, and he battled that roundabout daily on a *bicycle* if you can believe it!

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