Paris for the winter holidays

Paris for the holidays

What’s going on in Paris this holiday season? Consider visiting Paris during the winter and you’ll avoid the heat and the summer crowds. This year there are many art exhibits to choose from, as well as music, good food, and of course, lights, always lights!

Exhibits:

• Babar, the beloved elephant king celebrates his 80^th birthday with an exhibit at the Musée des arts décoratifs, beginning December 8^th entitled “Les histoires de Babar”. Children are free.
• Also for the young and young at heart is “Sempé: A bit of Paris,” at the Hôtel de Ville (until Feb. 11). At this exhibit you’ll see over 300 drawings as well as original texts by the famous French cartoonist. Free admittance.
• The “Cézanne and Paris” exhibit will be at the Luxembourg museum through February 26^th. Although he is usually associated with Provence, Cezanne’s artistic development owes a lot to the capital.

Food:

• Whether it’s at a cozy bistro, or a four-star restaurant, make sure to have something traditional for the season: raw oysters, for example, as an appetizer, followed by game bird stuffed with chestnuts. And for dessert, of course, a creamy bûche de noël.

Lights:

• Paris isn’t nicknamed the City of Lights for nothing. The capital will dazzle you especially during the holiday season. You will find lights throughout the city, but make a point to see the Champs-Elysées, the Place Vendôme, and Avenue Montaigne.

Music:

• If you get a little homesick while you’re in Paris (is it possible?), attend a production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s American musical, The Sound of Music, at the Théâtre du Châtelet, from December 7 – January 1^st.

Bonnes fêtes à tous !