Well December flew by, and before I knew it, I found myself in 2011. There are worse places to spend the Holidays than Madrid and Paris. Madrid is truely lit up like a Christmas tree! All the streets have themed lights from snowflakes and ornaments to lit-up cityscapes and blinking eye balls. I have to give them credit for their artistic variety! Calle Hortaleza where I live has giant blinking eyes all the way down. It's not what I would normally consider as cheer inspiring, but they get an A for effort!
Paris on the other hand is...well...it's Paris. Probably the most romantic city I've been in yet! AND...I've been lucky enough to see it dusted with snow! The way the lights twinkle off the snow is dazzling! I arrived in Paris on Christmas Eve. I spend the first night walking down Rue Rivoli taking in the sights of the Hotel DeVille, Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter, Châtelet, and the Arc de Triomphe on Champs-Élysées. My original plan was to leave on the 27th, but a twist of fate, and thanks to low ticket prices, I was able to stay thru to the 5th of January. On Wednesday I made way to Versailles. It was very cold, and there was more snow than in Paris, but the gardens were still impressive, and there is no Palace in Europe to compare. In fact, (thanks to the free commentary) all the major Palaces of that time were modeled after Versailles, including Palacio Real in my very own Madrid. By dusk there was a shroud of mist settled on the Jardins et parc. The effect was enchanting! I took some of my favorite pictures there in the gardens.
Yesterday I headed to Montmartre to see the white-domed Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. There were 225 steps to the top (according to google), and the view of the Paris is breathtaking! Then I wandered through the streets in search of the Moulin Rouge. It was this part of Paris where Picasso and other impoverished artist lived in a commune for several years in the early 1900's, and is also the inspiration for the famous song "La Bohème" and the bohemian lifestyle! The streets are very small and winding in true Parisian fashion. The sidewalks are so small that the people walk down the center of the street (which I've found to be the norm all across Europe). You can buy little metal tins for about 6 euros with the famous Le Chat Noir cabaret advertisement on them. They are very cute :)
I was a bit worried to spend NYE alone in a new city, but thanks to a little parisian bar, and some liquid courage, I met some fellow Americans living in Paris. They were extremely generous and invited me to a NYE dinner. I had the most lovely turning of the New Year in the servants quarters of 200 year old building in downtown Paris. Jean Luc and company turned out to be chefs. The food was amazing! Smoked salmon and clams (and yes, I branched out and tried them). Potatoes au gratin with roast fowl. Then at the stroke of 12 we watched the fireworks reflecting off of the rooftops of Paris through the skylights. It was incroyable, invraisemblable, and fantastique!!! I still have 3 more days in Paris! Tomorrow agenda includes the Eiffel tower and the catacombs!
