December 24, 2025
Happy Holidays to all who celebrate. From the Winter/Summer Solstice to Hanukah to Christmas to St Nicholas Day to Boxing Day to New Year's and the start of 2026!!! Can you believe it's going to be 2026?? I can't. I was doing my annual presentation to my students about Antarctica and realized it has now been 22 years since I was on Ice....crazy to think that....they always ask..."would you go back?" And I always answer "yes - but with some stipulations - South Pole in the Summer, McMurdo in the Winter or Palmer whenever they would take me!!!!" It's just crazy to think it was that long ago. Anyway, time marches on, as someone once said...and here's hoping your time is going well and you are enjoying the ride.....
I am still really enjoying my life in Paris.....especially getting to see so many people as they pass through...I guess Paris is the number one tourist destination in the world again....and I am so happy that I reap the benefit of seeing folks when they come through....I have also really enjoyed all of the musicians I have seen and will see in the start of 2026, all of the theater performances, all of the amazing food choices, the fun bars and pubs I can visit, all of the incredible museums that are available to me and becoming an Opera Patron, i have seen a bunch of operas now and dance performances.....plus, I am still amazed that I am tenured and have a job that funds my life.....so all is good there....and if you are headed to Paris, please let me know....my place is small, so staying with me is a challenge, but I will definitely spend time with you during your visit if possible.....
I figured my last post of 2025 should be of my life in Paris these past few months - fall and into the holiday season....Paris is one of the most beautiful places during the holiday season that I have ever experienced....the Parisians really take it upon themselves to make the City of Lights stunning....the weather is usually not that great, but the lights and decorations really make up for it.....so on with the pictures of paris & some French locations I have visited this past season.....sorry, its a lot of pictures - but its been a fun 4.5 months 😜
one of the things that Paris set up this summer was swimming spaces in the Seine river...when I got back to Paris before school, a friend of mine and I went swimming....the water was super clear, had a mild current and was chilly....BUT it was sooooo cool to think we were swimming in Seine....I will do it again, if they set the pools up next summer....
Another thing I was able to attend was the festival Rock on the Seine - this is actually the night that school started....but I was so excited to see Vampire Weekend 🎶 Lots of other bands were there, including a woman from Philly - Zinadelphia....she was super cool.....I was just reminded again how much I like festivals....
one site I do not think I will ever tire of is the Eiffel Tower twinkling....it does this in the evenings, every hour on the hour....this was a catch of mid-twinkle....thanks Iron Lady ⭐
One of the nicest looking museums, especially on a sunny day, is the Louis Vitton Foundation...located out in a forest & park....we went to see the Hockney exhibit that was there...which was amazing...although, I just don't get his piece, Portrait of an Artist that sold for 93 million dollars...but I guess art is in the eye of the beholder....I would have chosen a different one, as I love his landscapes.....I did get to see Portrait of an Artist in person though.....as it was part of the exhibit....
I am still living in the same apartment since moving to Paris...which I really like...especially for the balcony and the views I get of both the sunrise and sunset....this sunrise is from the first day of school...and the sun is coming up over Notre Dame in the distance....what a view....
i finally made it to one of the cutest streets in paris....rue cremieux...the folks that live here definitely take care of the street they live on...all of the colors and cobblestones down the center....adorable! and the restaurant down the end is quite tasty 👍
one of the fun events i attended this fall was La Course de Cafe (the waiters race)....it had not happened for the past 13 years....there were hundreds of waiters racing through the Marais district carrying a tray with a cup of coffee, a glass of water and a croissant...this is to celebrate the parisian cafe culture....it was open for professionals and then the public could try...no, i did not try 😉 waiters must walk, not run, the approximate 4 kms/2.5 miles and NOT spill the coffee or water, while wearing a waiter's uniform...it was a blast to watch and the winners finished the race in a crazy quick amount of time - men's - 13 min and 30 sec and women's - 14 min and 12 sec......so impressive!!!
another new experience for me this fall was apple picking on a farm....we went to Cergy Picking Farm....they had so many different types of apples...it was incredible 🍎 this was me with the galas....they also had pick your own veggies and wild flowers....and we had a farm-to-table brunch before going picking....the french LOVE food and really care about quality of food they eat...this place was so much fun! 🍎
i also made it to paris' oldest cafe/restaurant when my friend David came to visit....Le Precope....founded in 1686 by a Sicilian chef....in the shot above you see Napoleon's hat....yes, THAT Napoleon....he supposedly had a meal at this restaurant and was unable to pay with money....so he left his hat, with the intention that he would come back for the hat and pay the bill.....i guess that part never happened...
i got super lucky on one of my visits to the trocadero overlooking the eiffel tower...look at those crazy clouds!!! it was insane....and as you can see in the bottom of the picture, everyone else was there too 🤪
another fun event my friend Bill and I went to was the playing of LaLaLand soundtrack live while watching the movie...the conductor of the event was the original composer of the score - Justin Hurwitz...i guess he lives in paris....it was an incredible version 🎥🎵
one of the things i love in paris is all of the graffiti....i understand that lots of folks find graffiti obnoxious, but i love it....i am an avid fan of invader, alien, A2, diamond, and seth...plus i love seeing Shepard Fairey's stuff on the city hall....these artists are incredible and some of the ones you see around town make you wonder if the artist who did the art will be the next one to make it big....🎨
as i said above...i really enjoy the balcony off of my apartment and before winter really sets in, i always try to have my coffee in the morning on the balcony before school to start my day...this sunrise in october was just incredible 🌅
one of the restaurants i have been wanting to try is called stellar and has a space theme throughout....the food was really creative and the atmosphere was awesome...especially for a space enthusiast like me....this is bill and i with the NASA astronaut at the front of the house.....so much fun 🪐
one of the most beautiful spots i get to experience for ballet, dance and opera is the palais garnier...this is one of the main opera houses in paris and was designed between 1861-1875 for Napoleon the 3rd...it is of french baroque design, has a ceiling painted by Chagall and is a huge hit with Instagrammers 😜
one of the trips i took outside of paris was to the town of amiens...it has a HUGE notre dame cathedral, like paris, and is where the president of france met his wife (whose family owns the oldest chocolaterie there and makes world famous macarons - funny that his name is Macron)...and yes, she was his high school drama teacher...they did not start to date until he was in college....ah, the french!
Amiens is also known as the "venice" of france for all of its canals....unfortunately, when we went there in Nov., all of the canal boats were finished for the season.....so we will need to go back....but it really was a quaint town and is where Jules Verne is from....
one of the many bands that came through this fall was mumford & sons....and this was the first time i had seen them live....wow!!! they were incredible live....we saw kings of leon in this space about a month before....and mumford & sons blew them out of the water...if you get the chance to see them live....do it!!!🎵
another speaker i had the pleasure of seeing live was Molly Ringwald, at the American Library of Paris...i had no idea she had written a book and had translated books from french to english....she is also in the process of writing her memoir and is a library fellow....so when i am there, she could be there too, writing her newest book...how cool is that....gotta love the red tights....
as november started, the city started to get dressed for the holiday season....one of the things Paris prides itself on are the department stores...i know they are going out of fashion in the states....but they are definitely not in paris...they are grand old buildings that are beautifully designed both inside and outside...and they all decorate their windows for the holidays....they always have themes and folks always can be seen checking out the themes of the windows throughout the season....
another performer i got to see was Lady Gaga....if you have not seen this woman perform...you have to go...she was incredible....the whole production was simply mind-blowing!!!!
and when it was just her and the piano, it was incredible....she shows so much gratitude to her band and dancers, and especially her fans.....wow, what a show!!!!
Bill and i went out to eat before the show....and look at the quote we found in the stairwell to the food court....perfect!!!!
this florist is just down the way from where i live and i love what they do with their storefront every year for the holidays....most stores do this...maybe not to this extent, but shop owners pride themselves on decorating for the season.....
paris is such a great town to re-connect with folks.....so many people come through and i love to show them the parts of paris i love, in between them going to see what they want to see in this city....Kelly swung through in November and I had not seen her in quite awhile....
the Galeries Lafayette is another department store and every year people flock there to see their christmas tree that is always in the center of the store....the roof at the top is called the majestic Coupole....the stained glass is stunning and it was built in 1912 by a glassworks artist.....
another friend who swung by on her way to africa was Jen.....we knew each other in Beijing during covid, but were not really able to say a proper goodbye there....so it was great to say hello and catch up close to notre-dame....
Notre-dame always has a small, artisan Christmas market just across the way....which i was able to check out again this year....i am much better with the smaller, not-as-commercialized version of the christmas markets in paris.....
a super cool exhibit i made it to before coming to the states for the holidays was a minimalist exhibit at the bourse commerce building....you can see how big these sculptures are...but they were made from natural materials - the cone is a cone of salt, the mound that is yellow is made from sand, the mound that is brown was made from clay, the bushes all were pieces of plants that were found in the surrounding area of paris and shaped into a ring and the yellow curved structure is made from beeswax.....it was outstanding...
i also made it to the grand palais for an exhibit as well...and got to peek into the area of the building where they have built a huge ice skating rink, with an enormous eiffel tower in the middle...not sure i will get to skate here, but i was glad i got to see what they had created this year.....
another building that is always dressed up for the holidays is the Dior building....this year's theme is a "Circus of Dreams"....all of the windows and the outside of the buildings of the Dior brand have this theme on them for the holiday season....it definitely "highlights how the Dior brand can change everyday spaces into spectacles"(quote stolen from instagram 😉)...it really was stunning.....
after one of my holiday meals with friends (raclette & fondue🧀)...we were wandering around and saw this penguin that was drawn on one of the doors in the neighborhood, so of course i had to take a picture with it....too cute 🐧
