La France

So...here we are, in Paris.

We flew out of Seattle on this huge plane

 and changed planes in London. Looking out of the plane window the next morning I could just tell we were flying over France.

There is just something there...a certain "je ne sais quoi" that says c'est la France!!!

When we stepped out of the plane we were greeted by this

and this

and there was a delicious scent... a mixture of good perfume (the French kind) and coffee. I knew where I was!

We are in Paris for a few days before we take the TGV south and have a few visits in mind. Over at the Gare de Lyon I took these pictures of murals along the hallway leading to the trains. There were some holiday lights up too.

I'm enjoying looking at people walking by and it has been so mild that everyone seems to be strolling rather than rushing by.
We went to see friends for lunch and rode in this tiny elevator almost too small for two of us. We had to close the door in order to find the button for the 4 th floor.

The geraniums on the balcony where we are staying are in bloom. It seems like springtime in Paris.

We took the bus to see the exhibit of the beautiful dresses of the countess of Greffulhe who was the inspiration for Marcel Proust of the comtesse de Guermantes. It was amazing.

I took pictures from the bus window as we wove through the city.

It was warm enough to have lunch outside in a corner cafe

This driver just decided to "find" their own parking space while they enjoyed some lunch!

Then we headed to Montmartre and of course the fabric vendors...I found some beautiful silks for felting.

Some of the shop fronts and windows have holiday decorations.

At this florist there are Christmas trees priced between $60-240!!!

I think we are pretty lucky to be living in Oregon!

I'm wondering what this shop sells???

Don't you love this chair? I think it would be sensational in the garden.

Finally here are a few posters I saw along the way. Tomorrow night we'll go to see the lights in Paris and then Saturday we get the TGV to Carpentras. I can hardly wait!