Source: Christmas in Paris – New Year in Paris – Paris Tourist Office

Looking for a new tradition? Go to Paris for Christmas or to ring in the new year! The city dressed up for the holidays will take your breath away — if you go to Paris during Christmas time, you might think the city got their nickname “The City of Light” from this time of year. (Actually, it was probably because they were the first European city to use gas lamps outside.) The entire city is bathed in Christmas lights, from storefronts and windows to trees and landscapes. As always, there is plenty to do, including visiting Christmas markets and seasonal ice rinks.

I have given details below of several of my favorite things to do in Paris this time of year. But first, here are 12 pictures of holidays past to see for yourself: Paris during the holidays is a must-do. Even if it’s just once in your lifetime.

Here are 3 of my favorite activities to do in Paris during the holidays:

“Reconnect” with loved ones on the ice; just be sure to wear gloves.

1. Go ice skating at one of the temporary ice skating rinks, such as: inside the Grand Palais (avenue Winston Churchill, from 14 December 2016 – 2 January 2017), or outside on the Eiffel Tower (5 avenue Anatole, from 15 December 2016 – 19 February 2017). Ice skating isn’t just for kids: it can be a good way to “reconnect” with the one you love, especially if one or both of you have a hard time staying upright on the ice. Doesn’t that sound like fun for the whole family? Just be sure to wear gloves as protection from the cold and others’ skates in case you fall. Or is that when you fall?

Christmas markets are a great place to eat and people-watch.

2. Walk and admire, eat, drink, and buy gifts at Christmas markets. There are Christmas markets all over Paris, but probably the largest is on the Champs-Elysees. The highlights of my visits to this market in 2014 were talking to a Moscovite about his black lacquer boxes he had for sale and eating a crepe with Grand Marnier. (Okay, I might have had two.) I also got a serving of German-made goulash that was so large I had leftovers for 2 more meals. Since you’re in France, you can also purchase hot and cold liquor drinks to warm your bones.

Celebrating New Year’s on the Champs-Elysees? Hope you like crowds!

3. Ring in the new year on the Champs-Elysees (31 December 2016). Could there be anything more romantic than celebrating New Year’s Eve with the one(s) you love under the stars in Paris? I doubt it.

Salut !

 Fouquet’s Paris and Galeries Lafayette by Elsa L. Fridl. All other images from Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Featured image, Galeries Lafayette by Brett. The Eiffel Tower by C. A Paris Street by Dirk Haun. Au Printemps by Brett. Vendome Place by PhOtOnQuAnTIQuE. Notre Dame by Linus Mak. A Christmas Decoration by Jean-Yves Romanetti. The Champs-Elysees by Daxis. A Tree with Lights (“Christmas in Paris”) by John Stanforth. Decorations at Notre Dame (“Notre Dame dans la Boule”) by Luca Vanzella. Paris Opera House by Chris Chabot. Ice Skating on the Eiffel Tower by C. Christmas Market by Linus Mak. Celebrating New Year’s by Falcon Photography.

A rainy day in Paris is better than a sunny day anywhere else.

Friday. I feel awful. My head is stuffed. My eyes are watering like crazy. I have to stay in I feel so sick. Thank goodness the hostel has a great coffee machine. Even though I enjoy a good cup of cappuccino, the machine’s cappuccino is pretty good, especially for 1 euro. As I’ve said, a bad day in Paris beats a good day anywhere else, any time.

Later. As sick as I was, I managed to go to Gare du Nord to find out how to get to London when I go in December. I seemed to be getting the run around…no one could tell me how to take a ferry to Calais like I did the last time I visited Paris. Finally, I got the information I needed. Then, my debit card wouldn’t work, so I had to pay cash for a 1-way ticket to Calais. Hard to believe that Wells Fargo froze my account! Even after I gave them a travel itinerary before I left the States! And the Wells Fargo representative even told me she could see my travel itinerary in my account online! And she took her own sweet time making me verify each and every transaction, as slow as growing grass.

I don’t take anti-histamines much anymore, but I had no choice today, so I got an anti-histamine from a Pharmacie. I am so glad pharmacists in France are about as knowledgeable as doctors in the U.S. when it comes to medicines. I am wiped out.

Salut !

Image by Can Stock Photo.

Turkish Airlines is the #1 ranked airline in Europe. It is a well-deserved reputation.

Tuesday. I arrived at Dulles Airport last night with too much time on my hands because I didn’t want to take Metro late at night. I read my booklet on my new phone, called T-Mobile a few times with questions, and sat around and waited. Turkish Airlines’ counter didn’t open until a couple of hours before takeoff, so I was a bit bored. Once I could check in, I was able to go to the terminal, where there are more places to eat and simply more shops in general. While waiting to board I met a woman named Sharon who is getting married. She is meeting her fiancé in Barcelona. It was nice having someone to talk to at Dulles because I was there for a long time, I’m not much of a night person, and was very tired by the time we boarded. I believe what the experts say: You tend to eat too much when you’re tired. They aren’t kidding!

The flight left Dulles Airport on time at 11:30 P.M. I watched the Jack Ryan movie with Chris Pine and three other movies to make the time go by. (Well, 2 ½ more movies.) My legs felt a bit cramped, and it was much colder in the cabin than I’ve ever experienced before: Good thing I was wearing not only my blue cashmere Pringle V-neck sweater (with a white shirt) but also my black Ann Taylor wool blazer – I would have been freezing without the layers. (Now I sound like a J. Peterman catalogue.) What I couldn’t get over was how much space there was in the overhead compartments! The flight was full, yet there seemed to be plenty of room to be had in the overheads. I can’t remember that ever happening on another airline. The food on Turkish Airlines was very good. I only felt bad because the flight attendants woke up a seatmate so he would eat. He wasn’t too thrilled until he had some wine. A very handsome man was seated behind me. It made the flight more interesting, but I was also a bit suspicious, since he seemed a little TOO interested in me. He was, after all, a lot younger than I am.

We landed in Istanbul for a short lay-over before boarding to Paris. We had a PERFECT flight from Dulles. I couldn’t get over how clean the airport is in Istanbul. No drama, no loud noises. I did notice, however, a man sticking his head into the ladies bathroom to make sure everything was as it should be. I was not the only one who seemed to be a bit taken aback—the women in line seemed a little nervous about having a man putting his head into the ladies room—but they seemed to get over it. (They just eyed him a little suspiciously.) I had a cappuccino and talked to Sharon until I boarded my plane. Everyone around us who was on the flight talked about what a perfect flight it was. No wonder Turkish Airlines is top-rated in Europe. A fun fact I learned: Turkey isn’t part of the European Union so they can’t have a hub in Europe; this is why they have to fly from Dulles (and other cities) to Istanbul, and from there fly to Europe and other destinations.

Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline in a familiar passageway in Charles de Gaulle Airport, from “French Kiss.”

I arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport very late and very tired. We had to walk very, very far in the airport to pick up our luggage, and our trip included going up a few escalators. (And my feet were killing me!) We were cautioned not to get into a taxi with any driver who was hanging around the airport. We were told to only get a taxi outside certain doors because they would be legitimate taxis. We queued up and the line seemed to move…fairly quickly. Then it was my turn. The man who was assigning taxis asked me where I was going. I showed him a piece of paper on which I had written the name of my hostel, its address, and phone number. The first taxi didn’t know where it was. I was assigned another taxi and he told the man he THINKS he knows where the hostel is. Only as we started to drive away did I notice, much to my horror, it looked like he didn’t have a credit card machine. I doubted I had changed enough dollars to Euros for the ride. I was correct. He didn’t have a machine and he had to stop at an ATM to allow me to get cash. I was worried that this might be one of the machines that charges an exorbitant fee but it didn’t. I just wish I hadn’t been quite so tired.

Luckily, Plug-Inn Hostel has a huge banner outside its door, so even a weary traveler or cab driver would see it. I got in at 11:30 P.M. The staff person on duty first took my payment for the two nights I reserved. When I found out that my original understanding was correct – the hostel was 26 Euros a night, or $35 – I reserved a bed for the rest of my time here. I paid for that separately, though I was told I would have to stay elsewhere Saturday night because they were completely booked. Not a problem. Then, I was helped to my room and bed. I was in bed within minutes. It was a very smooth check-in process. The common area when you walk in is just as lovely as their pictures on the web. I just know I’m going to love it here at Plug-Inn Hostel.

Salut !

Airplane image by Can Stock Photo. Image from “French Kiss” used by permission of Blu-ray.com.

While luggage like this will likely get dirty, it is much easier to find among everyone else’s black luggage if it is lost.

For the next 30 days, I will be republishing my travel diary of my last Paris trip. With few exceptions, the diary will be published as I first wrote it.

I’m republishing it because of the many positive comments I received on it, and because, in all honesty, I am job-seeking, and I believe readers get an insight into who I am and how I think from reading it. I am skilled at planning events, coordinating details, and finding my way around foreign cultures. I take seriously that I am a representative of the United States while visiting other countries — and am well aware that locals make judgments of Americans based on their experiences of me — yet I can also laugh about situations of cultural confusion. Rather than getting angry at a misperception, I try to see it from the other person’s viewpoint. This is true not only while traveling, but in my every day life, as well.

So, without further adieu, I begin:

For the next 30 days, I will be publishing my travel diary that I wrote during my recent trip to Paris, along with additions based on my Filofax daily planner entries, receipts (what I kept), bank statements, cell phone records, and my long-term memory, which is significantly better than my short-term. I can remember beating the two fastest guys in the 100-yard dash in fourth grade, but if you ask me what I had for lunch yesterday I’d probably have to think about it. You will notice I make a lot of references to Rick Steves’ Paris 2014 guide book: I used it extensively during my trip. I can’t say enough good things about the travel advice Rick gives.

Sometimes I’ve talked about how much money I’ve spent and how I feel about it. I don’t go through life putting a price tag on everything because you can’t put a price tag on life experiences. I’ve talked about these experiences as information for my readers. (Hopefully, I have a few by now.) Also, some days I have a lot to say, and other days…not so much.

All names have been changed except for hostel management and public figures.

I make several references to the television program Seinfeld, so if an observation doesn’t make sense, it’s probably a reference to that program.

I make a few references to “Fancy Boy Idiots.” This is actually a pseudonym (or nom de guerre). I’m sure you can figure it out once you think about it.

Salut !

Image by Can Stock Photo.

Cats freely wander Pere Lachaise Cemetery where they keep the dead company.

Paris and cats, cats and Paris…the two just go together.

Source: bonjourparis.com

Happy Halloween! If you want to be in the spirit of this day, but like me, you don’t enjoy getting scared, today I’m sharing a photo essay on cats in Paris from a little earlier this year, courtesy of bonjourparis.com.

Au revoir !

Cat at Grave by Daniel Racovitan, Flickr, CCBY 2.0.