Christmas (in Paris and out)

Greetings, Readers!

I’ve just returned to Paris in time for Christmas after being in Anitbes, the town in the South of France between Nice and Cannes where my best friend lives. The “South of France” sounds like it ought to be a warm place, but is really not in winter. My BFF and I froze our keisters off at the beginning of this past week. There might be palm trees and sunshine in Antibes, but balmy it is not in wintertime. It’s chilly.

It beats being in Paris, just for views like this one, though:

From the Old City and the Fort Carré to Cap d'Antibes - click to enlarge

Or this one:

Old Antibes, with the Alps in the background

Or this one:

Sunset at the Winter Solstice - La nuit la plus longue de l'année

Even in winter, the colors of the South — Mediterranean blues, terra cotta reds, sandstone yellows, sage greens — make me feel terrific because they uplift the spirit so! No Paris grays are to be seen anywhere.

Alas, I am back in Paris, and I am posting because it is time for me to wish you a Happy Holidays!

Yes, it is those bears again. Remember them? They are in the windows at Microlithe, the association at 59bis rue Olivier Metra, 75020. I have blogged about this window here and here in the past. Adorable, eh?

I’ve got some more Christmassy photos I’d love to share with you, so if you’d like to have a look, keep on reading.

Ghetto Living in Paris — Part Three

A view of the Eiffel Tower from the Avenue du Président Wilson exactly here. August 2010.

I am mostly putting this photo here so you know what this post is not going to be about.

The past month I spent more time than I really want to think about researching and constructing 100 word descriptions about the top sites and points of interest in Paris, France. One hundred of these 100 word descriptions later, I am a little sick of Paris, to be truthful. 

Juillet is Full of Glee

Paris Plages, La Villette (19th arr.) – July 24, 2010

Summertime.

It’s still here in Paris, but in weird ways. Today (it was Tuesday when I started this…), for example, is cloudy with a high of  21°C/70°F. Not really summer-like temps and atmosphere. I’d love to feel a sunshiny 28°C/82°F with humidity below 70%. Maybe a slight breeze. Warm enough to wear a sleeveless top, but pleasant enough that going outside does not feel like going into a sauna and/or steam bath.

Yeah — for those kinds of summertime conditions, Europe is not a good place, I guess, unless it is maybe on Corsica or the Côte d’Azur. Maybe I need to think about moving to somewhere more equatorial someday.

Still, there is a lot of fun going on now that the kiddies have been out of school for a couple of weeks and people are in chillaxin’ vacances mode.

Paris Plages is one of those Paris events that is a sure sign summer is here.