TRAVEL / December
someone (and something for yourself,
too) as well as select the perfect wrap-
ping paper and ribbon. There are few
other places in the world where handing
over your credit card and hearing it beep
in the machine is so pleasant. Although
perhaps the best gift is to take your loved
ones with you on that trip to Paris to
experience it all first-hand...
THE MUSEUM OF SHOPPING
Paris is famous for its museums (and
endless queues to get into them). But,
beginning in November, the city’s streets
themselves turn into a museum, thanks
to the competition between ambitious
department stores in creating the most
impressive window displays. Here, Christ-
mas window displays are a special form of
art, one that includes set design, mechan-
ics, and stories about various heroes. This
year, the biggest stores (Printemps, Gal-
eries Lafayette, BHV, Le Bon Marché,
etc.) revealed their Christmas visions
already at the beginning of November,
and they will most likely remain on view
through the first week of January. Of
course, as with all museums in Paris,
expect crowds of people and queues – but
it’s all worth it, because instead of the
usual mannequins or holiday decorations,
each window conjures a whole holiday
fairy tale.
If crowds and queues do not scare
you, head to one of the skating rinks set
up next to the city’s most iconic sights
at Christmas time. But if skating on ice
at the foot of the Eiffel Tower seems
to clichéd, try the Grand Palais, under
whose roof France’s largest skating rink
will open on December 16. The rink
will also offer a special programme
of events, discos, and pop-up cafés
(legrandpalaisdesglaces.com).
WILD CHRISTMAS
Paris is ever-changing and always has
something new to offer. This means that
even people who zealously avoid Christ-
mas markets, shopping, and ‘tourist
places’ will have plenty to see. For ex-
ample, along the banks of the Seine River
in the eastern part of the city, an interest-
ing stroll awaits those who are interested
in the wilder side of life.
Those for whom Christmas is a holiday
of food, for their part, will find a won-
derful gourmet market near the Gare
d’Austerlitz. Opening in mid-December,
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/ airBaltic.com
A Christmas
window display at
Galeries Lafayette
this season
In Paris Christmas
window displays are
a special form of art
This year’s Christmas decorations
at the Printemps department
store
the Noël Gourmand market offers a wide
range of farmhouse cheeses, regional
dishes, oils, spices, mushrooms, seafood,
salt-cured meats, foie gras, wine, choco-
late, and confectionery.
After indulging your tastebuds, head
to the nearby Jardin des Plantes and the
Museum of Natural History. This year
for Christmas, the garden will present a
special light show titled Espèces En Voie
d’Illumination (Species on the Verge of
Illumination; jardindesplantes.net) with
light sculptures up to 15 metres high. The