First of all, Merry Christmas to all. Hope you are all having a great day with family and friends. Being so far from home at this time of the year makes you realize how important family and friends are. Anyway, cheers to all.

So, Paris. This is our third visit to this great city. And it never ceases to amaze us. The sights, the people, the food, the wine, the shopping (especially perfumeries). We've decided to forgo most of the attractions this time (The Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur) as we have seen them before. This time we're just going to chill out and explore the local area of our apartment (St Germain). Maybe a visit to the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides. We haven't been up the tower before, and Invalides is something we haven't seen before.

So, the Eiffel Tower. Woke up Sunday morning to a windy wet day. Perfect day to visit the Tower - not. Decided to go anyway. ****** weather means less people right? Wrong. Got to the tower to find only one access point was open - and it was packed with people waiting in line. Looked like it would be a couple of hours wait. I looked at Julie, she looked at me, and we decided "Not today". Opted instead for a walk down to the Paris Military School, then over to Les Invalides.

The Military School was a bust - no public access. Les Invalides however, was worth the walk. The complex was originally built as a residence for France's war veterans. Built in 1676, initiated by Louis XIV, today it is a museum of France's military history, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's original purpose. The military history dates back to the early centuries, through to Napoleon, and the twentieth century. The section on the First World War was interesting as many of the exhibits gave some detailed insights into the political machinations that gave rise to the war. Highly recommended for a visit if you are ever here.

Monday was given over to the Avenue De Champs Elysees. If anything typifies France then it is here. It has it all - high end fashion shops, luxury hotels, cafes with tables set up on the sidewalk where you can sit and watch the world go by, fine dining restaurants, chaotic traffic, all under the watchful gaze of the Arc De Triomphe at the head of the Avenue.

Tuesday. Not a good day. Tuesday was a day for technology meltdown. First up, Julies phone decided to get no reception. Given that our international travel SIM was in it meant we had limited ability to talk to the world. Thankfully it proved to be a temporary glitch. A few hours later it came good. A bigger problem though was our laptop decided to pack it in. We depend totally on the laptop for all our travel planning - from deciding where to go next, to booking our next hotel. Spent a couple of hours trying to get it working again. Ran a few diagnostics, managed to get it functioning to the point of turning it on - then nothing. Finally bit the bullet and decided that we needed to purchase a new one. So, a quick Google search (thanks to our smart phones) revealed where the Apple stores were (you didn't think we were going to buy a PC did you?), fired up the GPS in the car, and off we went.

Getting to the street was no problem. Finding the store was. We went around the block twice before we realized it wasn't on the street, but located inside a shopping complex. Next problem was parking the car. "Stuff it", we thought. "When in Paris, park like a local." So we did - half in a bus lane, half on the road. We did put the hazard lights on though - this seems to be the universal signal in Europe that says "Hey, I know I'm parked illegally, But it's only temporary, I'll shift it in a little while." What's the worst that can happen - we get a ticket?

So, off to the Apple store we went. Along the way we thought it might be prudent if Julie stayed with the car to explain to an inquisitive policeman why our car was parked where it was. Anyway, bought the new computer (complete with a french keyboard, not a standard QWERTY one), Back to the car I went. But, no car (no Julie either). Then I spotted it coming around the corner with Julie at the wheel. Apparently she got moved on by a policeman whose only response to her explanation was "It does not matter, you have to move ze car". So, not only did we get a new computer, but Julie got a new experience as well.

Rest of the day was spent configuring the computer with language, passwords, web sites etc etc. A waste of a day really.

So, on to Xmas day. Once again Merry Xmas to all. Just the two of us this year, so nothing special planned. A simple lunch of veal mignons, salad, bread, and a bottle of red wine. Tonight we're going to a flash restaurant around the corner to spoil ourselves (Brasserie Lutetia).

After lunch we spent the afternoon going for a leisurely stroll around St Germain. Walked along the River Seine, had a coffee at Cafe de Flore, explored some back streets. Very relaxing.

Dinner tonight was superb!! Julie had a plate of seared scallops with a vegetable compote, while I opted for a roasted lamb loin with gratineeted artichokes. We let the waiter match the wine to the meal, and a superb selection it was too. We finished off with some deserts, both of which punched all of our sweet tooth buttons. A perfect way to finish our Xmas day.