I had to pick up my new bank card at HSBC on the Champs Elysee this morning so I thought I'd walk it (about 30 minutes) (more because I'm cheap and didn't want to use another metro ticket). It was quite nice to walk in the snow, enjoy the relative quiet. Not many people were out on bikes, and certainly no one on Velibs - the rent-a-bike option in Paris. (Think Zip Car, but bicycles.)
While Buffett sings that he needs to go to where the weather suits his clothes, I realised that winter climates are where I belong. I was all set in my winter coat, hat, scarf, boots, etc. Function (and comfort) over fashion I say. Well, Parisiens are all-fashion all-the-time. What was this woman thinking out in her non-rubber-soled boots? And not only that, she wasn't using a shovel, but it was more like a push broom / or a giant squeegy thing like you'd use on your car windshield. I saw more fur coats today than I have in the last 5 years. And more women delicately stepping through the snow in high heels (with a cigarette in hand of course). (It is a wonder the French population hasn't died away from lung cancer.) I just have to question the common sense of a population that wears high heels in snow. Sure, I understand you don't have Bean Boots, but at least wear something a bit more practical!
I also saw street workers spreading sand on the sidewalks from a wheelbarrow. Great. But is it really practical to scoop some up in a dust pan and then spread it with your bare hands? Again, I have to question the common sense of a population...
Oh, and one more thing...Why is a grande chai tea latte at Starbucks 4.70 euros? That’s $6.02 and 4.14 GBP! In London, it was only 3.05 and in the US it’s about $3.7. Fastest way to rid me of my addiction.
Eiffel Tower as seen from L'Ecole Militaire about 8 a.m. this morning.
