City of Light

Somehow, everyone felt like sleeping in this morning - which is OK. We've been here a whole week now, and it was time for some R&R. After breakfast, Kevin & Grace went to the big Sunday marche; who knew buying veggies could be so much fun? One guy had a good laugh when Grace asked for zucchini - he couldn't believe that's what we call la courgette! We're still a little intimidated by the meat, however. The parts we recognize well are très cher (no Costco cuts here) and then there are the other bits.... hmmm, we may need some friendly assistance at the boucherie this week. In the meantime, we eat more veggies - and they are very good, indeed. Even the kids are eating them and liking it. We've also not watched any TV (somehow, Kevin just hasn't gotten around to fixing the connection) and have had seven consecutive dinners together - a frightening trend may be developing.

After some homework this afternoon, we decided to go for a walk before dinner. It was breezy and cold and wonderful--- this city shines at night like no other. Our destination was a big Ferris wheel that we saw last week at the Place de la Concorde - a very large square in the center of Paris that used to be the sight of some gruesome events (Louis XVI and his bride, Marie Antionette, among many others lost their heads there), but now hosts an Obelisk (one of three Cleopatra's Needles; Kevin and his Regis friends know well another one) and numerous statues, fountains, etc. It's at the head of the Champs-Élysées and one can see clear down to the Arc de Triomphe. The Ferris wheel is seasonal; fear that it may disappear soon prompted tonight's hour-long trek. The Christmas lights are still up in most parts of Paris, in particular the trees down the Champs-Élysées are decked out with these cool blue lights that move to give the illusion of falling snow. (If it would snow here, with the lights still up, this place would be pure magic!)

Kevin and the girls went up in the huge wheel (Grace is nursing a cold and decided to stay earth-bound). It was a bit scary, actually, and very cold and windy --- but also a lot of fun. You can check out some of the pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/mckeegans/Jan13NightWalk. (You may have to open a Picasa account (free) to see them - I'm not sure. ) Please leave a comment if you can't see the pix or there is some other problem with the blog.

Now to something a little less exotic --- let's go Giants!