Aux Champs-Elysées

           Yesterday, I spent a lovely afternoon/evening strolling down the Champs-Elysées in good company. Canadian company I might add, making my friend a neighbor as well as a fellow assistant. From the Arc de Triomphe, from which we could see la Grande Arche which is apparently a modern take on the Arc, to the Roue de Paris, we walked and talked and took our sweet old time. We stopped off in the Disney store indulging in memories of our favorite Disney movies and I found a plush doll of the big blue guy from Monters, Inc., one of the best movie characters of all time. We drank in the Christmas lights lit up along the avenue, pausing to take pictures in front of the cheery, not specifically oriented to any particular day display that was halfway down the avenue. And we kept walking down the Champs-Elysées where the Christmas Market stalls lined each side of the street. We walked down one side, indulging in the sights and smells of various stands featuring gaufres and crêpe, cheese, vin chaud, chocolate, jewelry, and what have you. The smell of spiced wine (vin chaud) is enough to go to one's head with feelings of giddy holiday spirits! The sight of the various booths of chocolate and confections, all potential gifts were chocolate lovers, were enough to incite memories of tooth aches and cavities. Looking upon the delicacies were enough for me.
         Still, we kept walking, strolling, laughing, stopping to watch a couple come down a super slide, in front of which a crowd gathered to take part in their adventures. Onwards we trooped, stopping at a seemingly German owned saucisse (sausage) booth, for my friend to order a bite to eat, where I couldn't stop doing  a silly dance to the reggae music they were playing. All at once, we found ourselves at the end of the markets, and the Roue de Paris, which had looked so far away when we'd been standing at the Arc de Triomphe, was right in front of us... and too expensive for us to ride (10€ an adult). Since a ride was out of the question, we paused to take pictures with the Eiffel tower in the background. The tower can be seen from many spots on the Champs-Elysées, adding a tall, elegant touch to the background. We had reached the end and all that was left to do was turn back around and find our way to the nearest metro. But first... we stopped along a few more booths on the other side of the avenue, sampling Maple Butter (mind-boggling!), Maple Butter Cookies (direct addiction upon first bite), and stopping to look at almost creepy, mostly cute baby dolls that cried upon having their pacifiers removed from their mouths. The time fairly flew by, and frankly, I was surprised at how much we walked. The best part, besides having great company, was looking back and realized how far we'd come from where we'd started, and seeing how the view had changed.