After Hebron - Paris!

On Monday, December 17 I said Good Bye to India as I left from Coimbatore to Mumbai and then to Paris.

Tuesday, December 18 was an exciting day as I met Gigi around the luggage carousel at Paris -CDG and then on to the trains and the subway to our hotel which was just 2 minutes from the subway. After freshening up we were on our way to see the sights and sounds of Paris in December. The first stop was the Opera. Unfortunately the Nutcracker was sold out! Oh, well, there is always Les Galeries Lafayette. What lights! What colours! What a tree! What a crowd! After Ooty this was really bright, loud, noisy life! We managed to find a quiet (?) corner for afternoon tea. We had supper that night at a little Pizzeria just around the corner from the hotel. The food was delicious and the atmosphere very jovial.

Wednesday, December 19 saw us changing our return tickets for the TGV at Gare de Lyon. It was quiet easy to get there and we would have no trouble with our luggage. The Champs Elysees with the Arc de Triomphe and all the boutiques and other attractions took up most of our time before heading back to Les Galeries Lafayette to take pictures of the lights. We wandered the streets enjoying the sights and sounds before going for dinner in a wonderful restaurant with real table clothes and excellent service. Then it was on to the Tour Eiffel for some night time pictures. Everything was nicely lit up and gave a festive air to Paris.


Thursday, December 20 we went to Sacre Coeur and surrounding district before heading off to La Défense and hundreds of outdoor Christmas boutiques. It was fascinating to look at all there was for sale. We ended up in the shopping concourse for a wonderful afternoon tea and pastry! It was back to the hotel to freshen up before going for a Thai meal not far from the hotel. Again, the food was great. An early night was we were on the TGV at 8:00 A.M. Friday for the trip to Switzerland.