GoldenBeeTours

I was in Paris for the Reveillon, as the French call the New Year celebrations. The weather was typical winter in Paris, cold and grey with occasional light rain, but the city was beautifully dressed up for the holidays and full of people from every corner of the world.

While we are all used to Paris being full of tourists no matter when we go, there are newcomers to the scene now: Chinese, Russians and Eastern Europeans, people who could not travel when I first started going to Paris, many years ago. That has changed, and now on one single block in Paris we hear more different languages than anywhere else; it is really where the world meets to celebrate.

Right after I arrived I went Theatre des Champs-Elysees to get tickets for a show I had heard a lot about while still in New York: Sara Baras Ballet Flamenco, a Spanish dance company performing in Paris for a short and booked season. I was lucky and got one of the last remaining seats. Sara Baras’ flamenco is modern, totally different from the traditional flamenco shows I had seen in the past. This is a young, energetic and passionate dance group, and their performance is visually amazing. After the show I had dinner across the street at Café du Theatre, where by chance the dancers were eating; I asked one of them when the group would come to NY. “December 2008”, he replied. I plan to see them again here. Yes, they are that good.

On the magazines stands around town many publications brough photos of president Sarkozy and his new girlfriend Carla Bruni, an Italian ex-model well known in France. She seems to be much younger than the recently divorced Sarkozy, but this being France, no one seems to care. As for Cecilia Sarkozy, the president’s ex-wife, no news and no magazine cover, which is probably just the way she likes it; Cecilia was always too private for the kind of attention a first-lady of France attracts.

The restaurants, bistros and bars in Paris were all crowded, but with a little patience one can always find a table for any type of budget. The most acclaimed places require advanced reservations, of course; but unless you really have to be in a 3 star Michelin restaurant, the options were many, and delicious. This is something I love about Paris - I don’t have to spend a fortune to eat well, like in New York. Even with the Euro now at $1.4 a good meal can still be had at a reasonable cost.

Shopping is another deal - it’s now more expensive to buy anything, due to our weak dollar. But even now I still get good quality for less. I simply avoid the big stores full of eager tourists, and always end up with nice purchases that would cost much more in New York. I like to remind myself that it is taste which makes Paris what it is, not money. On the same token, it is the Parisians different priorities in life which allow them to enjoy life the way they do.

This was always the case in Paris, but even more so now. A Parisian friend if mine told me that many of the city’s top chefs are now refusing to submit to the rigid and costly criteria of the Michelin guide, traditionally the publication that rates all restaurants in France. For the Michelin, three stars are the equivalent of perfection in a restaurant, but many chefs are choosing to be more creative with less expensive menus, she told me. The idea is to keep in mind younger and less affluent clients, without sacrificing the food. I find this trend very useful as we enter 2008. And it had to start in Paris, where else?

On the evening of the 31st, the streets were crowded and the stores open until later, so people could buy what they needed to cook meals at home, where most Parisians celebrate the Reveillon. On ‘my’ building, families with children came in carrying huge food trays wrapped in aluminum foil, all dressed up in their best outfits, the women in their impossible – and glamorous - high heels.

The subway – Metro – was free that night, all gates open without the need for tickets. When I asked why, my friend looked surprised: “well, the people who work on the Metro also want to be with their families”, she said. Sure, I thought. And the government would not dare to disagree, God forbid. Vive la difference!

To have our own dinner, we headed to the 7th arrondissement (district), where we had reserved a restaurant close enough to the Eiffel Tower to allow us to see the fireworks, yet far enough to avoid the huge crowds going the same way. Our small but charming La Taverna proved to be a good choice: Italian food of the highest quality and a prix fix Reveillon menu for 60 Euros per person, plus wine. For appetizer, we had ravioli of fois gras; main course was coquille St. Jacques with artichoques beautifully served in plates with a deeper middle (not like soup plates, different), so the sauce doesn’t spill. Not too many tables, and far enough apart so people could talk without having to whisper. The service was attentive but not fussy. Oh, the address: 22, Rue du Champs-de-Mars, Paris 75007, phone 01 45 51 64 59. La Taverna is on the Pudlo guide of Paris, if you want to read their review.

At midnight of the 31st a law banning smoking in public places went into effect in France. We joked about that, as the couple sitting next to us was chain smoking since we arrived. “Let them enjoy their last cigarettes”, we said. “Soon enough they won’t be able to do so in restaurants anymore”. I actually wonder how the French will cope with this restriction, as smoking seems to be part of their character…

After dinner we walked few blocks to the Eiffel Tower, streets mobbed with people going on the same direction. Cars honked, people sang in many languages, a contagious festive atmosphere. I thought of my very tough year, now behind, and I felt hope in this new one. In my heart I asked for health and peace for me and my family. And that I may always be able to see Paris when I need it. It heals me.

A fine rain started to fall, but no one seemed to care. The Tower was lit like a dame ready for a party in a royal palace, quite a sight in the middle of the night! At 12 o’clock people toasted the New Year, hugged and kissed. The Tower stood there, sparkling in shining golden lights, solid and sure of her own beauty, the center of it all. I cannot imagine a better way to begin a New Year!

I called my children back in the US, where it was still 2007. May this New Year bring us all we most desire, we said. May we all have peace. May we never forget that love is what makes the world go around. All the rest we can manage.

And may we always have Paris.

Happy New Year to all!

This entry was posted on Monday, January 7th, 2008 at 3:41 am and is filed under Paris. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.