For some reason I can't seem to get into a habit of posting at this blog. I continue to be impressed by other bloggers that make the time to post photos and words on a daily basis. This may have to be my resolution for the new year.
I'm writing this in December about the events of November. Still somewhat fresh in my mind are the events from the end of last month. The city's transit strike. This caused quite a challenge for Parisians and of course for tourists visiting the city. The strike fell in a time when Americans will travel, the week of Thanksgiving. The visitors that I had the chance to meet in that time had the great patience to deal with the events. They also were able to find the humor in being stuffed into a bus or metro. The most difficult part of any day was at it's end. There seemed to be greater obstacles than at any other time of day. A couple of nights I just walked home arriving sometime home after 8pm. There were actually some fun benefits to the strike. We never paid for a ride on the bus or metro. All of the turnstiles were open for free access. One afternoon arriving at the Museé d'Orsay we found there were no ticket being sold. The staff decided to leave work early to make their way home. The museum remained open but free of charge.
There was a threat just last week in December of a strike day. For some reason this did not have any affect on travel. A high percentage of the workers voted to stay on the job that day. They sound as if they will renew their strike efforts sometime in February 2008. Something to look forward to.
December has turned quite cold in Paris. This is the coldest I can remember a December being in Paris since living here. It's been cold enough each night, that in the morning you can find a small patch of ice to slip upon. The water in the fountains on the Place de la Concord had even turned to ice. The only nice part about the cold is that it has been dry and sunny each day in Paris for the past couple of weeks.
The city is especially beautiful at this time of the year.
The city is lit up for the holidays. This year has been the year of conservation. The lights along the Champs-Elysées have been changed for the first time in many years. I wasn't sure if I liked what I saw at first, but they have grown on me. They are of a blue tint, and tiny unlike the old bigger bulbs of the past. There are also little tubes of chaser lights that add a bit of movement to the trees. People have been describing the new lights as "red, white, and blue." This is in reference to the head lights and tail lights being sandwiched between the light blue in the trees. I'm still partial to the old reverence to the famous boulevard as the street of ruby and diamonds. Now there are a lot of little sapphires in the trees.
