Last (nearly) posting from abroad - 4 of 4

Just to get a bit of seasonal spirit, we went to a little Christmas market whilst in Paris. Held at the Fondation d'Auteuil, a national children's charity based not too far from the Eiffel Tower, it also included an annually famous Nativity display - La Creche Merveilleuse - created by Fouque, a factory in Provence famous for its figurines.

Just a couple of pictures to whet your appetite - if you like it have a look at the rest of the set on Flickr.




And then some of the other weird and wonderful sights from our all-too-short trip to Paris.

A classic car parked in the Rue St Honoré - a Hindustan Ambassador, that curvy Indian limousine based on the old (very old) Morris Oxford:


Removals, Paris-style. As a former removals person, I'm always impressed by the way they get the goods to the upper floors without gasping up the stairs. Brilliant, if a little scary when the wardrobes go up:



Freight transport, Paris- and Seine-style, with the emergency car for those essential journeys ashore... and a turning circle that needs some serious forethought:



Continuing the transport theme, the Velib - a huge fleet of bicycles available for pennies and making a serious difference to the way Parisians and visitors alike get around town - although there's never enough bikes at the top of the bigger hills apparently:



Transport on ice now - the ice skating in front of the Hotel de Ville, with Penguins and Chairs for the more unstable. Excellent idea...



And finally, much to my horror, after 16 visits to Paris and heroic resistance, I was finally dragged in to the same room as the Mona Lisa. It's a fabulous picture, but the effort of getting within viewing distance was just too much like hard work...



There, another fabulous few days on Paris. Energy restored (a bit), looking forward to the next trip (a lot). Back to the old postcards. Oh just one more...