Day 2 - Rain, wind and Christmas Market

This morning, I was surprised to see that I had slept right through until 8:45.  I got dressed and went down to breakfast.  This hotel has a very pleasant breakfast room with attentive staff and a gorgeous buffet.  A pot of coffee and warm milk is brought to your table and the buffet consists of several different breads and pastries, including baguettes and croissants; also yogurts, cold meats and cheese, eggs and sausage, and crepes.

After breakfast, I took the Metro to the Palais Royale-Louvre stop and went to the Musee des Arts & Decoratifs. I had never been to this museum before and it was wonderful.  It is a collection of decorative arts from several centuries.  Most of what I saw was from the 17th and 18th centuries.  Lots of porcelains, jewelry, furniture, etc. that only the rich to could afford back in the day, and only museums can afford today.  Everyone who likes the Belle Epoch and Art Decco should go to this museum.

When I left, I was desperate for something cold to drink.  Again, I was faced with a choice between McDonald's and Starbucks, both being across Rue du Rivoli from the museum.  I chose Starbucks and got a bottle of cold water that I drank outside under cover, but with rain being blown in on me.  No matter, I was so warm that I had my coat off anyway.  I enjoyed looking at the Haussmann era buildings with their mansard roofs and decorative wrought iron balconies. The people-watching was pretty good, too.

After my rest, I went to the Christmas Market at the Tuillerie Gardens.  It was amazing.  There were a ton of food booths, serving up everything from oysters on the half-shell to sausages roasted over wood fires ("Rouge Chaud" - Red Hot!).  There was even a filet of salmon cooked Northwest style - standing vertically across from a tower of wood coals.  Me, faced with all this wealth of choices, I had a crepe with Nutella and bananas.  It was good, too.

The market was very busy and many of the "chalets" (stalls) were selling items made in France.  There were several amusement rides, and in spite of the weather, everyone seemed to be having a good time.  There is a "big wheel" costing 10 euros, but I decided not to take a ride since the weather was so bad.

Rain and wind was the weather of the day, and I was so damp - inside and out - that I decided to go back to the hotel.  While on the bus about 8 or 10 police vans with blue lights and sirens blaring went by in the same direction I had come from.  I still have no idea where they were going or why, but I have a feeling that it wasn't good.

Housekeeping was still working in my room when I got there, but she finished up and I put my feet up for awhile, leaving the window she had opened for some fresh cool air. I had downloaded some videos from my Amazon Prime account, so watched one of those. It rained really hard for quite awhile, so I was glad to be inside, but around 4:00 I looked out and the sky was clear, so I decided to go out again.

I rode the Metro to the Opera station (I have discovered that Line 7 is the deepest line at the stations where two or more lines connect, and there are lots of stairs to climb up and out).  Then I walked over to Galleries Lafayette and Printemps, two of the big department stores, to see the animated holiday decorations.  The are so original and imaginative.  There was a big crowd of people, but everyone was smiling as they watched the windows, and I couldn't help but think that tomorrow there will be "manifestations" and probably violence, but tonight everyone is smiling.  I posted a picture and a couple of videos on my Facebook page.  So far, all of my pictures are on my phone and once I figure out how to transfer some to my Chromebook, I will post them on this blog.

I rode the bus back to the hotel and decided I was too tired and damp to go out for dinner, so did some shopping on Rue Cadet, bringing dinner back with me: half of a baguette, meat tureen, green olives, an orange, and a pastry for dessert.  It was pretty good and satisfying.

According to my Fitbit I did 13,600 steps and 27 flights of stairs today!  I think Fitbit counts a flight of stairs as about 10 steps, give or take.

Well, that's all until tomorrow.