Bonne Année!

Day 9 of our adventure was a nice mix of relaxing and high energy. New Year's Eve is a big deal no matter where you are in the world and we were ready to celebrate our last day in Paris in style.

The day started out leisurely enough with breakfast followed by a couple of spa treatments for Holly and I. Who doesn't love a good scalp massage or facial? We hung out in the facility a bit...the Schnoogs rather enjoyed the jacuzzi spa...and then rounded up David for a walk and some lunch. (David is not really a spa guy. He hung out at breakfast, walked around and read a bit. If the dogs were around, he would have taken them on a walk. These are the things that he considers relaxing).

We ventured out towards the Arc de Triomphe. My architecture lesson will tell you that this is a late 18th century roman neoclassical design. I translate that to an impressive monument that Napoleon built to celebrate himself and the glory of his imperial armies. Today it is a central point of the city, with traffic, pedestrians and just about anything else you can imagine passing through (or around...it is the craziest roundabout I have ever seen and even if I were inclined to want to drive around it, I would be terrified that I would never cross over the multiple lanes of traffic to merge out!)

Lunch was tasty, with everyone going for their favorite; it is our last day in Paris, after all! We walked over to the Arc de Triomphe, took some pictures and got a glimpse of what the area was going to look like in just a few hours. CRAZY crawling with people. We learned that about 750,000 pack in along the Champs-Elysées to ring in the New Year. I think that about 500,000 of them arrived early to get a good spot. We braved the crowds for 2 blocks, stopped to get David a pastry and cut back over to the relative quiet and calm of our hotel's neighborhood.

We had reservations at an excellent restaurant called Boeuf Sur Le Toit. Thankfully I did not have to properly pronounce the name to be seated! We took the earlier dinner seating of 7:30 and as we saw the line OUT THE DOOR in the freezing cold upon our departure at 10:15 or so, I was very grateful for it. We had a great evening dining, chatting and relaxing as we said goodbye to 2008 and hello 2009. We even did a little dancing once the New Year was proclaimed!

As we did a 1/2 hearted packing job (everyone just opted to do it in the morning, even though a 5 am wake-up is required), we realized that our trip is just about over and it is time to go home. We have done so much that it is hard to remember all of the details even now, thankfully we took more pictures which naturally we are sharing with you here Paris - Day 9.

Happy New Year...or Bonne Année!