Pre-Christmas… at the Grands Magasins…
Paris… is icy…
Snow is edging… its brilliant whiteness…
In our… direction…
It’s a cold cold European winter… they forecast…
Fur… (“faux”)… is a must…
Wrapped up… like…
Warm… muffins…
We head to the mega-stores… “les grands magasins“…
Le Bon Marché…
Printemps…
Galeries Lafayette…
For pre-Christmas… window-“store”-shopping…
On our way through our darling… rue du Bac… “juste avant Le Bon Marché“… we come upon a cluster of people entering through a large door…
Mystified…
Curiosity impelled us… to enter…
Lo… and behold…
We come upon… “une petite église“… a tiny church…
Peering through… we’re stunned by a vision of…
Divine… beauty…
Lovely murals of the… Virgin Mary… in pale blue and gold on the.. “autel“… alter… of the Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Médaille Miraculeuse...
It is… the church of…
Saint Catherine Labouré…
Who made it… a place of pilgrimage…
In the very heart… of Paris…
Elated…
We continued… to the Bon Marché…
Where the Christmas scene… is simply divine…
“Les Arbres de Noël… brillant“…
Twinkling Christmas trees… sparkling decorations everywhere…
Irresistibly… inviting…
Le Printemps… was a delight…
In the midst of its… newly marbled floors…
A tree of pink and white baubles…
Is… dazzling…
On our way out… we have a “chocolat chaud” and a… guilty gateau… at the romantic… Café Pouchkine terrace..
Galeries Lafayette… next door is the busiest of all…
People here… there… everywhere… bustling and jostling to take a glimpse of the magnificent gigantic… Christmas tree… touching the dome of mosaic…
Resplendent… with the famous…
Swarovski… jewels…
It’s… literally…
Breathtaking…
Shimmer…
Glitter…
Snow… is on its way…
Christmas… is nigh…
Hope…
It… will be…
White…
a.