I spent much of the afternoon walking about, almost at random, and discovered a gaudy winter wonderland of stalls selling Gluehwein/Vin Chaud, scarves, churros, taffy, etc. along the Champs d'Elysees to the west of the Place de la Concorde. There was a little rollercoaster in the form of Santa's sleigh, and tons of piteous pine trees sprayed with the fake white snow stuff lining the street.
My trip started out less sugary; I wanted to find some place sort of nice to sit and listen to my recordings of the coachings I've had so far. I ended up on a bench near the Hotel des Invalides, with a view of the Eiffel Tower on the horizon and the Grand Palais across the Seine. I listened for about an hour, taking notes and probably looking mysterious. But it was a bit chilly with a breeze, so I took off across the river and that's when I found the aforementioned wonderland. It was just so surprising to walk past the ornate and grandiose facades of the Palais to suddenly come upon that Santa rollercoaster. I had just taken all of these wonderfully artistic black and white photographs coming across the Alexandre III bridge...
I meandered back up towards my 'hood via the Square de Madeleine which was decorated more tastefully for the holidays, and is filled with all sorts of shiny baubles and silky undergarments I'll never be able to afford (Cartier, Hermes, La Perla...etc.). But I stopped by a few of the fancy food shops and saw the most beautiful display of fruits ever. I could have gotten a little cup of blackberries for 10 euros, but I didn't want to throw off the symmetry of the display...right? I did indulge in a little Christmas shopping at Fauchon, which somehow makes it look reasonable to charge 150 euros for a box of chocolates. I got some very teeny boxes of other delicacies. All in all, a delightful afternoon.
Tonight I may indulge in some guilty Americana and see Twilight: Chapitre 2: Tentation (New Moon for the rest of us). I figure the dialog will be simple enough for me to understand the dubbing... ; )
