Happy New Year

In case you hadn’t noticed, we are in Paris.

Paris doesn’t have fireworks for New Year’s Eve (as many people think) – except for a multitude of ‘penny bangers’ that make a lot of noise but nothing else. 

Fireworks here are reserved for Bastille Day in July.

So, coming from the NYE fireworks capital of the world, we wondered what to do. 

We read and talked to lots of people here.

We read that the Eiffel Tower has a light display but one tour guide said it wasn’t much more spectacular than a normal night.

Many told us that the main areas of celebration were filled with tourists, most young and drunk, and also many pickpockets. 

The crowds are crushing and it’s easy to get separated.

The traditional way for Parisians to spend NYE is with a feast / dinner party. 

A little dessert, including Laduree macarons

Many of the restaurants have caught on to this idea and offer their own feasts – at inflated prices of course.

So, between this and the increasing rain, we decided to have our own little Parisian dinner in our wonderful room.

We queued with the locals between 5pm and 7pm shopping for our delicacies. 

We shopped at the charcuterie (deli and meats), the supermarché and the magasin de vin (wine).

From our warm and cosy room, we could hear the rain on the windows, the crowds and their illegal fireworks banging, the car horns honking and church bells tolling at midnight, and the drunks singing as they made their way home or to the next party.

But most of all we enjoyed our little dinner – and the ‘cheap’ bottle of Bollinger we had with it (almost half the price of the same in Australia).

Happy New Year!

Here are some shots of the Eiffel Tower lights on a slightly less crowded night: