The Sights (well, two), at Night

Post-Fauchon, we had a quick dinner at the apartment, scavenging from our previous purchases (plus a cured sausage and a goat milk brie filled with chevre and figs from a cheese shop near Le Marche des Enfants Rouge). Dana bought a bottle of Riesling from the little confectionary across the stree for 4 euro - no wonder they drink so much wine here!!

After dinner we took a stroll up the Champs d'Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. It was a warm, clear evening and the Arc truly was a sight to behold. All the postcard pics that you see of it at night are exactly what it looks like - just like this photo we took, it's not a postcard :) We sat and watched the traffic manoeuvering around it, including two pedestrians, a couple (not young!) who suddenly darted out across the circle to go right up to it. Crazy tourists.

We kept walking south towards the Seine, not really with a destination in mind, but as we neared the river, the Eiffel tower, lit up in all its glory, appeared. Again, truly a sight to see. There is a blue beacon light and the tower, itself, is lit up. This was imressive enough, until the entire tower suddenly became a shimmering jewel. Unbeknownst to us, every hour the tower shimmers like this for ten minutes, some 20,000 bulbs creating the show. I found a video on youtube that gives you a good idea of what it was like.

That evening in Paris was the kind I think many people envision when they imagine what it would be like there - truly memorable.