Sunday, January 4, 2009

THE PARIS JOURNALS EIGHTH ENTRY December 25


Christmas in Paris. Understated but festive. Surprised at how few decorations I see but not disappointed.
We had our traditional yule breakfast of smoked salmon, then exchanged gifts. I’m delighted to get a box set of Edith Piaf CDs, quite appropriate for the venue. Oldest daughter gave me a Godfather T shirt that she got while in Venice. The shirt has Vito Corleone and the Italian title of the film, Il Padrone, on it. Oldest daughter was there visiting one of my nieces. My brother and his wife have four magnificent children that hold an exalted status with my young uns. Oldest niece lives in Bologna, Italy and oldest nephew is currently in Finland.
We’re all tired from a week of hub bub so take it easy. Do take a stroll to the park. In this case the Luxembourg Gardens. Massive. Beautiful. Full of gorgeous statues. The French senate building is there. The Nazis used it as their headquarters during the occupation. There are strong reminders of the occupation here. As a student of World War II for most of my years I find this fascinating. Being where Nazis actually trod makes them all the more compeling and repulsive.
The weather has been mild until today when it is appropriately Christmas cold. Joyeux Noel.

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