jour 3, mardi, le 30 novembre

The most interesting aspect of our stay so far is the weather. Very cold. We're fortunate not to have had any significant snow. Nearby areas of France have had significant snowfall and much colder temperatures. Orleans was -15!!!!

Sunshine today. Not a bright sunny day as in summer, but sun peaking through clouds and fog. It is the fog and the wind that makes it seem colder than it is.

Walked to Île de la Cité from the apartment. First stop was Sainte-Chapelle. Security was very strict due to the proximity to the Palais de Justice.

Very beautiful inside with the sunlight shining through the blue stained glass windows. Unfortunately part was blocked due to restoration.



Walk to Notre Dame to climb the Tours. Unfortunately they were closed, no reason given. I'm assuming it was due to the weather, too cold and icy. We'll go back next week when the weather is to be warmer.

Then to Île Saint-Louis. Difficult to enjoy the walk and shops as the wind was blowing. Went into numerous stores, not to buy or even look, just to warm up.



Then the metro to the Arc de Triomphe. Very windy here!!! Climbed to the top. The view was not perfect as the fog obscured longer views.



Then walked down the Champs-Élysées to Place de la Concorde. Went into FNAC where Katarina voiced "you don't need to buy that" (I'll be back ;)) and Sephora.



Then, starting across from the Grand Palais, visited the Christmas market. Need to go back at night to see all the lights. Most items being sold were very tacky. Snacktime - Crêpes!! Katarina - banana/nutella; Gord - Grand Marnier. I didn't realize that they had overdone the Grand Marnier on mine. Picked it up and the liquor/sugar combination dripped down onto my camera!!! What a sticky mess. Took a while to clean in the apartment; but fortunately it still seems to work.

Walk through Place de la Concorde and then back to the apartment to warm up and have dinner.



No early bed tonight, as we're off to the Olympia to see Garou.
Opening act was very good and went from 8:30 until 9:00. Garou came on at 9:30 and performed for over 2 hours without stopping!!! His first comment was that the weather in Paris was crazy, so cold, it was like being in Québec!!! He promised to warm up the crowd by singing "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and doing his hip moves!! Couple of Québec flags spotted in the crowd.



Great to hear the crowd sing along to his songs. And such a performer. Sang all of his hits and did covers of Leonard Cohen (Everybody Knows), Elton John (Candle in the Wind), the Beatles (Let it Be/Hey Jude) and Elvis. Absolutely wonderful show, everything from ballads to rock. And, for Katarina's sake, 40% of the songs were in English. The highlight was when he sang Belle from Notre Dame de Paris, everyone sang along and gave him a standing ovation that didn't end until he requested everyone to stop. Garou's show will be difficult to top.



I had planned to go for a walk in the neighbourhood to see the lights/store displays, but as it was now close to midnight, back on the Métro and off to bed.