What does one do in Paris in winter?

Glad you asked! You walk around and enjoy the sights.

Seriously. There are no crowds anywhere...well, maybe around a few things. But, I'll get to that later.

We took the day after New Year to wander the deserted city and go check out a park.

Parc Monceau, that is.

Pretty, isn't it? Just imagine what it would look like on a summer's day!

This park was developped in 1778 and finished in 1779. Louis Carrogis Carmontelle, a painter, designed the park for the Duke of Chartres in what the Duke called "Anglo-Chinese" style.  However, I think Carmontelle said it best when he said:
   "It was not at all an English garden that was intended at Monceau, but precisely what the critics said; to put together into one garden all times and all places. It is simply a fantasy, to have an extraordinary garden, a pure amusement, and not at all the desire to mimic a nation which, when it makes a 'natural' garden, uses a roller on all the greens and spoils nature."

And it is just that, a garden of all times and all places.

 Just consider that above- Roman columns.

Happy New Year photo

 Next we have the rocky crag that resembles a Scottish wild countryside.

 No garden is complete without a dangerous tree...wait, what? Just reminded me of the Whomping Willow in the Harry Potter movies.  Beware the trees!!!

Artsy photo

 But seriously, it's a fantasy Egyptian tomb entrance.

See?! There's the mummy statue

 But wait, there's more!

Voila! 

Have to have an Egyptian Pyramid. It's not a garden of all places if not.

Next up:

Chinese statue in the front, pyramid in the back, manicured lawn all around...and strangely it works.

 And all around in the bushes we saw these:

No idea what plant they are, but they are little white berries on spindly sticks. 

Took this photo for you, Miss K.

We also saw a Jules Verne themed Carrousel, but I didn't take any pictures of it.  The parents don't like strangers taking pictures of their little ones...and I can't blame them.  I wouldn't appreciate it either.
But, just imagine, instead of a horse or unicorn, you could ride a submarine or a hot air balloon!  Pretty fantastic if you ask me!

We continued our stroll, down the deserted streets once we got out of the park and in the midst of Paris glamour, we saw this building.

Kinda sticks out, doesn't it?

It's a Chinese cultural building and conference place. They also have a tea room in there. Obviously, they were closed on January 1st. So, we continued down to Boulevard Haussman.

There, we hoped to see the windows.  And that was where we found the rest of Paris. They were all trying to see the windows too!

Luckily, with patience, and with the help of a small child who decided she didn't actually want to see the windows, I managed to take a picture or two of the beauties.

This is from Les Printemps, done by Prada.

It's not a holiday window if you don't have Can-Can dancing bears wielding candy canes on top of a gingerbread roof...

Odd? Yes, a bit.

Beautiful? You bet your booties it was! The bears even kicked!

The other windows were too crowded to get to, but let me assure you, there were bears and dolls and diamonds galore.

At Galleries Lafayette, they had a few done up as well.  Doctor A and Mrs. P, in Fairfield, this one's for you!

When monkeys swing in time...you'd better get in line...because you'll start to rhyme! Hey!

But then again, maybe my friend Doctor A should look away...she might get hungry looking at all those monkeys...just kidding!

And thus concluded our New Year's Day walk.  Just a snippet of what you can see and do in winter in Paris.

Until next time,
Bisous!