Paris at a Certain Age

Christmas on rue Mouffetard

Pretty Paris Sky

Changes in the sky around Place de la Concorde within a few minutes today:

BHV Christmas Windows

The Christmas windows at BHV are all about the bunnies this year.

They've captured the attention of little children who run from one window to the next squealing with delight.

These bunnies are in motion, thanks to little puppet-strings on their paws.

They are stirring and sawing and swinging and hammering and drumming.

Very high cute quotient.

 

Paris Heresy

Contrary to public opinion, I think the Noël Chalets along the Champs-Elysée are tacky. The lights are pretty at night and if you're in the mood for County Fair food, it might be worth stopping at a booth.

The crowds are awful and you risk tramping on someone's little toutou dog that you can't see underfoot.

The chalets sell mostly useless trinkets and County Fair crap.

What type of merchandise do they crowd around in fascination?

...for such wonders as the Magic Scarf. It's a scarf; it's a turtle-neck; it's a skirt; it's a hat; it's a bustier; it's a hood; it's a maternity belly support. It does everything but slice and dice. You'll have to go to a USA County Fair for your Ginsu knife.

The Ferris Wheel is Back!

La grande roue, or ferris wheel, is back up at Place de la Concorde for the Christmas and New Year's holiday (until 2/19/12). I'm not a big fan of Christmas, but a ferris wheel in the center of Paris is another matter entirely!

I'll have to try to find a time when there isn't a long line.

It's American Thanksgiving

and I'm thankful I'm in Paris!

Paris Boot Camp

Who needs a stair-stepper exercise machine in Paris when you have the steps of Montmartre?

Well, perhaps you need a drill sergeant to keep you going.....

faster and faster.....

 

higher and higher....

 

 

 

and to prevent you from defecting to a near-by bistrot.

Les Halles

They are tearing down Les Halles. It certainly was ugly.

But I don't know about this new version they have planned:

I know the old Baltard pavillions and central Paris location didn't work for an imortant wholesale food market.

But why couldn't they have kept the external structure and reengineered something functional inside?

Surely they could have made something useful inside those beautiful old pavillions.

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé

Yes, it's BoJo time again....

Autolib'

Paris is doing a superb job at providing alternatives to owning a car. In addition to the metro, buses, and vélib bikes, they have begun adding Autolib' electric cars.

This is one of the 'demonstation' cars. The regular cars will be blue.

It is similar to the vélib bike system in that you can rent the vehicle at one location and return it at another one of the many locations in the Greater Paris area. The official opening of the system isn't until December 5th, but I've already seen some of the cars zipping around Paris and the plug-in stations are in place.

By June of 2012, they expect to have 1740 'BlueCars' and 1,100 stations with nearly 5,000 terminals. Eventually they plan to have 3,000 cars available. To use the service, you subscribe using your driver's license, identification and credit card. You're then given a badge that you use at a terminal to unlock a BlueCar. After that you unplug the car from its charging station and drive off, returning the car at the terminal of your choice at your destination and reversing the procedure.

There are several rate packages available, varying from an 11€/month family package to 10€/day.

There is a help button inside the car and they say, "With Autolib', you are never alone". You can tell they've become a real part of Paris because they've already been tattooed with graffiti.