We celebrated New Years Eve in Paris, in a sixth-floor apartment we rented with a view of the Eiffel Tower. It’s just a couple blocks from the Sorbonne and the Pantheon.
Unfortunately, it’s socked in, but we could see the lights through the mist. They started sparkling an hour before midnight, and then again as the hour hit. Not a lot of fireworks here, but we saw a few out that window, and others out the loft window toward Notre Dame. But the Parisians were cheering in the streets.
The trip has been pretty much stab/explosion/truck-attack free so far. Apparently they weren’t so fortunate in Istanbul; the Jayvee team struck again last night.
But it’s cold. Below freezing last night, and probably tonight as well. But we’re cozy, and we’ll be going out this afternoon to check out the Cathedral. But right now we’re heating croissants in the oven and making scrambled eggs with Welsh cheddar, and gravlox from Norway, with leftover oven-fried potatoes from dinner last night.
[Update a few minutes later]
Oh, and bonne annee to my readers.
Feeling very good to be in Paris, and escaping 2016 five hours earlier than the east coast and eight hours earlier than California. https://t.co/a2bS8W6v3Y
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) December 31, 2016
[Monday-morning update]
Yes, speaking from current experience, international travel is so much better than it used to be.
We’re off to the Louvre. We could walk, but it’s rainy and chilly. We’ll probably take Uber.
Fresh bread! That’s one of the things they do, that America mostly doesn’t.
Thanks for the update, Rand. Happy New Year!
Now go back to having fun. 😀
Bonne Annee, Rand!
Oh, Paris! The only place I love more than Austin and the Texas Hill Country. I’ll just leave these slightly modified lyrics here:
Ô mon Paris ville idéale
Il faut quitter dès ce soir
Adieu, ma belle capitale,
Adieu, non, au revoir !
Paris je t’aime, je t’aime, je t’aime
Avec ivresse,
Comme une maîtresse !
Tu m’oublieras bien vite et pourtant
Mon coeur est tout chaviré en te quittant !
Je peux te dire
qu’avec ton sourire
Tu m’as pris l’âme
Ainsi qu’une femme
Tout en moi est à toi pour toujours
Paris je t’aime, oui ! d’amour !
Paris je t’aime, je t’aime, , je t’aime je t’aime mais voyons !
puisque j’te dis que je t’aime, allons !
Pour les caresses
De milles maîtresses
Elles m’oublieront bien vite et pourtant
Moi j’leur faisais j’me souviendrais bien longtemps
Lune après lune
La blonde et la brune
M’ont fait sans phrase
Goûter mille extases
J’te l’jure que j’t’appartiens pour toujours,
Paris, je t’aime ? et comment ! – d’amour !
Bonnes vacances et meilleurs voeux pour la nouvelle année!
Not to put too fine a point on it (while doing same) in Paris you are _six_ hours ahead of eastern time US, nine hours Pacific time.
Oh, right. So I escaped even sooner.
Of course, if you’re using the Paris meridian, you’ve got a time-shift inside the city. Dividing the world into “Paris time” and “Peasant time”.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everyone. I hope everyone’s night was better than Rands, which sounds just horrible dealing with jet lag while people scream and holler outside your window, cold weather, and having to eat leftovers 😉
Happy New Year!
I thought the taxi guys had gotten Uber banned from Paris?
Anyway, why ride an Uber when you can take the Metro… 🙂
Because it doesn’t cost that much more with two people, and you get to see Paris as you drive around.