I'm So Observative

Last night, I left work at 6 as usual and stepped outside, tired and hungry. I crossed the street, casually checked out the Arc de Triomphe, and then stopped stone cold in the middle of the intersection as people thudded into me from both sides.

The Christmas lights were on!!

They must have been checking the lights on the Champs-Elysées before they go live in the near future. I only had about a minute to enjoy before they turned off and the road went back to normal. I also managed to cross to the other side of the street without getting hit by a car or a motocycle.

But the lights were so pretty! They're white, almost blueish. There's also random long ones that shoot lights down their length, which are tied in among the normal-sized strands. They make it look like the trees are bleeding sparks, or melting into giant, fiery pyres. It's cool but a bit overdone, I must say. I would have been just as happy with boring old white lights.

Le sigh. I can't wait to see the whole thing lit up at my leisure.

[ETA] Oh, and the grève is pretty much over. No ceremony, or big annoucements-- the RATP just sort of shamefully acknowledged that everything is back to nearly normal. I think there should be a parade down the Champs-Elysées, and every person who was here for the whole thing should get 2 weeks paid vacation. That would be sweet.