Christmas Eve in Paris

The 23rd December is mine and Hubby's Wedding Anniversary (that's last Tuesday if you're anything like me and forget what day of the week it is at this time of year!) and Hubby took me out to Dinner........in Paris. If you'll just allow me a minute or two to be slushy, I'd just like to brag a bit about how wonderfully romantic my man is - He always likes to treat me for our anniversary, last year we spent a lovely couple of days in London, another year it was New York, but this year he chose Paris as we visited there on our honeymoon and loved it. He always tells me how ridiculous it was to get married so close to christmas and do I have any idea how difficult it is booking something at this time of year? (no is the answer!) But secretly we both loved our Winter Wedding and it makes the whole christmas and new Year festivities even more special. In fact we like christmas in our house - if you read my last post you will see that it was our Nathaniel's birthday on the 28th December, mine is one New Years Day and Hubby's is the Day after mine, the 2nd January so we are pretty busy anyway at this time of year.

I wasn't planning on doing much shopping in Paris (not with the current state of the Euro) in fact on arriving at St Pancras International it seemed that everyone was going in the opposite direction to us - that is, the French were all heading to Oxford Street to do their christmas shopping, seeing as they were getting much more for their money. I wanted my 24 hours is Paris to be more about soaking up the atmosphere, wandering up and down the Champs Elysees and having some nice food and wine

I had intended to go up the Eiffel Tower, having run out of time to visit there on our Honeymoon, but when we arrived the queues were so long, I decided that my time in this beautiful City was too precious to be spending it in a queue. You will have to make do with a photo looking up at it instead!

I didn't intend to do any shopping, but there was one shop on my list which I had to visit - the huge Sephora Store on the Champs Elysees. As a self confessed make up junkie, this store is my idea of heaven, I don't know why we don't have them in the UK, as a trip to their website shows that just about every other country going has a chain of Sephoras. I didn't take a photo this time, but here is a photo taken of me looking very happy with my purchases way back on our honeymoon

Although we weren't in Paris for too long, the trip didn't end when we arrived at the Gare du Nord, travelling back to York first class was a truly relaxing experience which I spent planning my next trip to Paris, and snoozing, and sipping my lovely red wine.
Thank you Tim for our lovely trip - You are a wonderful Husband who never fails to surprise me - love you lots x x x x
So one week later, and what has everyone else been up to? - After recovering from our trip, and visiting family, we now have a few lovely relaxing days at home - at the moment one son is starting a Simpsons puzzleball, the other is playing on his DS Lite, my little girl is tired out from her bike ride (don't you know how tiring it is being pushed whilst peddling backwards?!) and I am going to spend my afternoon finishing off my new Maeve Binchy Novel and catching up with all your news.
If I don't see you again before Thursday then I would like to wish you all a VERY HAPPY 2009 thank you all for your friendship, your kind comments and your generosity throughout 2008 - Natalie x