Dawn til Way Past Dusk II

We said goodbye to the islands and hello to Paris shopping sales! And the sales in Paris aren't like a weekly red apple or white sale - these are the twice-a-year, government regulated sales.

The shopping started on the famous Champs-Elysees. The boulevard was still decorated with its beautiful Christmas lights and the sideways overflowed with people. Somehow costume jewelery even seems more elegant when coming out of a Paris department store.
Our walk down the boulevard took us straight to the Arc de Triomphe, where after climbing more steps we were rewarded with a beautiful view of night time Paris. From the roof of the Arc we watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle in all her glory - one of my favorite thing in Paris.

After the sparkle show, we traveled to the Rue de Cler area for dinner at Chez Agnes. The restaurant is a one woman show - she cooks, she serves, she entertains. When we came in she change the pin on her shirt from a French flag to an American rhinestone pin. We started with escargot and a fois gras salad with the house red wine. For dinner, mom enjoyed a delicious lamb chomp and I had a wonderful, moist leg of duck. She wouldn't serve us dessert until we had cleaned our plates; I quickly finished the remaining rice on my plate so I could have apple pie a la mode. The best part about dinner was talking to Agnes, the businessman from Dijon next to us, and watching "Bonnie" the dog. Agnes was very proud of the dog she got from West Virginia and the Christmas ornament from the White House (even though it was Bush's White House).

It was another wonderful day in Paris.