In what seemed like a blink of an eye, we were getting ready for Christmas.
No matter the time of year, Paris is a beautiful city. But at Christmas, it sparkles.
Place Vendôme
The street joining Place Vendôme and the Jardin des Tuilleries.
The Jardin des Tuilleries. (No, that’s not the real one.)
Rue de Rivoli
A little farther down on rue de Rivoli, the BHV department store.
Across the street from BHV, l’Hôtel de Ville.
It was a chilly night. We needed a hot cup of Vin Chaud. (I think that might be redundant.) We chose a Bistrot across the street from l’Hôtel de Ville. Like everyone else, we chose to warm up inside. Not a soul braved the outdoor tables.
And then, the Champs Élysées.
Facing the other way.
This night, the Champs Élysées was a sea of cars. On New Year’s Eve, it was an ocean of people. As this YouTube video shows, the Arc de Triomphe became an incredible projection screen. It was a spectacular. show.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBCjyLtDxf8
If the link doesn’t work, copy and paste it or go to YouTube and search:
Paris New Year 2024 – Full Show
It should say it runs 30 minutes. The first 20 minutes are the images projected on the Arc de Triomphe, the remaining 10 minutes are the fireworks shooting up from around the Arc de Triomphe.
Aleau, too, was sparkling.
