Joyeux Noël ! A perfect night for shawarma.

We woke up in the dark on Christmas day. These winter days were short! Abs and I had stayed up late doing a bit of decorating, and Cy had stopped in a souvenir shop the night before to buy a few things for us--a wine bottle stopper for Abby, and a multi-color ink pen for me (I actually love those)--so although we were on the road, and had done Christmas before leaving Almunecar, we were not entirely without the regular Christmas morning rituals. (You'll see that even though we are a non-religious family, we even went to a church on Christmas.)

This is also where I get to introduce our Bexley friends Adam and Alexandra, and their sweet kids Jonah and Elena. We spent most of the rest of Christmas day with them doing what people who are not Christians do on that day: seeing what's open and making the most of smaller crowds.

Their family spent the year on sabbatical in Cambridge, and Adam realized that we all might be in Paris around the same time. I'll just say at the top that spending time with them in Paris was one of the real pleasures of our trip. But also they were good guides: Adam had lived in Paris for a time, and speaks excellent French, and Alexandra had done some excellent sleuthing about things to do (more on that later).

Our first stop: the Eiffel Tower, which is open even on holidays. We did the climb rather than the elevator, which wasn't bad.

    

The kids developed a taste for macarons...
 

     

On Facebook, I posted this photo of Alexandra and me, to see if any Bexley friends who know us both would be surprised (or scandalized) to see us together in Paris. But the best comment I got was from a North Carolina friend who said "Abby sure looks different".

We all went together for lunch together and then split up for the afternoon. Our family decided to take the Metro toward Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur. One of the stops along the way reminded Charlotte of a dear friend she missed at home.

     

But then we arrived in Montmartre.

 

Lots of artists offering portraits, caricatures, and other original work. Also some graffiti.

    

And then we wound our way up to the basilica, which of course stands so impressively on the hill above Paris.

   

One interesting thing about its interior is the prominence it gives to nuns.

   

But mainly I just find it a very peaceful, calm place. Not because of any religious belief, but some of these large churches (Notre-Dame as well) are just wonderful spaces. I think I mentioned that in Rome the many churches were essential retreats from the bustle outside. Similarly Sacré-Cœur gave us a moment of quiet. But Sacré-Cœur is also interesting for how homey it feels compared to some other grand churches, which can sometimes feel formal and stuffy. A lot of the art seems closer to folk art than in some other churches.

We enjoyed the views over the city from the hill, walked back down to the Metro station where Abby tried some sub-par "vin chaud" (hot wine), and then made our way back to our apartment.

For dinner, then, we met up with Adam, Alexandra, Jonah, and Elena at Adam's all-time favorite shawarma spot, and it seemed maybe his favorite eatery anywhere ever: L'as Du Fallafel, a restaurant in Le Marais, the old Jewish quarter--and not far from our place.

It did not disappoint. It was the best shawarma sandwich I have had. The restaurant is an Israeli-owned place, so the thought did cross Adam's mind (as it does, unfortunately these days, esp given some recent events in Paris) that it could be a target of an attack, and he realized he would feel responsible bringing Abby, the kids, and me along... "but the shawarma is worth it," he said. 

Here is a picture of their family standing in line (Elena sometimes was averse to having her photo taken).

And here is a picture of their family with their new, and momentary, best friend.

A great day, in the books.