Paris in Pictures - Wintertime Holidays

We chose the winter months, particularily the ten days at the end of December, for our third visit to the beautiful city of Paris. And it did not disappoint for the City of Lights knows how to do winter and the holiday season right!

Holiday Lights

At every turn, buildings, department stores, store windows, shopping arcades, and main thoroughfares were brightly and colorfully illuminated.

City Hall.

Champs-Elysees.

Christmas Markets

Located throughout the city were a variety of Christmas markets. Some sold traditional holiday fare such as mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, a variety of tasty treats. Others were more carnival-like. But all were interesting and fun to visit and stroll through.

Churches

Churches, especially those in Europe and here in Paris, provided spiritual sustenance as well as awe and admiration at their imposing architecture.

Notre Dame Cathedral was still under renovation after that terrible 2019 fire.

Saint Paul - Saint Louis.

Eglise de la Madeleine.

A holiday concert at Sainte Chapelle was spectacular, both the setting and the music.

We attended Christmas Eve midnight mass at Eglise Saint-Eustache.

Museums

On one of our walks, we stopped to eat our lunch under the portico at the Archives Nationales. A peek inside found that the current theme revolved around the plagues of current and past centuries.

The Cluny Museum is famous for its "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries as well as other fine works of art.

The Louvre was vast and imposing. It was also very crowded. Hint: do not visit on the day after Christmas. It seemed everyone in Paris had the same idea as we did. We found it difficult to efficiently find our way around for the provided maps and directional signage were somewhat hard to understand and counter-intuitive. Regardless, what we did discover was the world-class art within.

The Musee d'Orsay was much easier to negotiate. We spent the better part of day admiring the various works of art.

Walk-a-bouts and Discoveries

Walking through the marvelous neighborhoods and districts of Paris was a favorite past-time. There was endless variety at what we saw and encountered.

La Defense is the site of the Grand Arche and much of the city's more modern architecture.

The Jardin des Plantes had a fun and quirky exhibit displayed throughout its grounds and gardens.

There's the Arc de Triomphe.

And of course the Eiffel Tower.

What to do on Christmas Day itself? Well, let's visit Pere Lachaise cemetery and search for Jim Morrison's grave.

Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, and other notables are also buried here.

In the evening of Christmas Day, we took in a show at Moulin Rouge. Photography from the inside during the main show is forbidden. Good thing, though, since the things you see aren't suitable for this family-friendly blog.