Happy New Year 2012! - Celebrating on the Champs-Élysées

Waiting to welcome in the New Year on the Champs-Élysées. Sara took this photo while perched on Stephane's shoulders.




Imagine the sound of hundreds (thousands!) of champagne bottles being uncorked when all of the glass bottles that had been carefully concealed from the police magically appeared along with plastic champagne flutes at midnight. If you want to make some fast friends on New Year's Eve in Paris, bring extra glasses and offer a bit of bubbly to your neighbors. That's what we did and collected lots of "Bonne Années" and even a "Belle Année" from a French woman who was celebrating on her own and was happy to share the first minutes of 2012 with us.

2012 - just a few minutes "old". 
A huge crowd of revellers waited in vain for a firework display near the Eiffel Tower last night. It sparkled for five minutes, just as it always does at the start of every hour, as Stephane and I turned towards home at 1:00 a.m.

Comments

  1. Happy New Year.

    I saw fireworks from my apartment windows and heard the revelry from the streets, but was glad to be tidying up dinner chez moi, and not in the thick of it. Good for you. And I'm pretty sure The Champs Elysees is your second home--maybe you need a pied de terre there?

    I love the last two photos. We don't see "Vin Mousseux" in the States, I like the term.

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  2. Happy New Year, Joseph! It sounds as if you had a good evening with your friends. Everyone in our family has wonderful memories of the fireworks that we saw from Grant Park when we had the good fortune to be in Chicago on New Year's Eve in 2004.

    The "after the fun" photos are always some of my favorites. One of the pics that I didn't post shows piles of Quick (like McDonald's) boxes. Hamburger, fries and champagne - a winning combo!

    Bridget, Happy New Year! I hope that you're starting to feel better.

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  3. I just posted to ask what you did, and then I received this post! Fabulous time, and, as always, your photos are just like being there. Bonne Annee!
    -Mark

    www.parisinsidersguide.com

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  4. It must have been a wonderful atmosphere. I feel very boring at not being there!

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  5. The sounds of all of the bottles popping on the Champs must have been incredible...what an experience!

    Happy New Year MK!!!

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  6. I admire you for braving the crowds!!! Our roast took way longer than anticipated to actually roast so we were still eating dinner at the stroke of midnight! Happy new year!

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  7. Thanks, Mark and Bonne Annee to you, too!

    Steph, The atmosphere was wonderful because there were people from all around the world gathered on the CE. It was kind of funny just before midnight because no one was sure which language to use for the count down.

    Happy New Year, Mlle Ella!!!

    kbh, The crowds weren't as bad as I expected - in fact, the energy was really positive.

    And you were cooking more meat? What's happening to you?! ;)

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  8. I can't belive I'm on your picture!!!!! the one with the red jacket and black hat!!!! hahahaha I'm from Mexico and recently found your blog, now that i was looking at it i found this post and I'm on it! that's so crazy!

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  9. Wow! That is a coincidence! So are in the first photo? Were you with a guy with a beard? If so, I have some other photos that I can send you.

    And Happy New Year - you must have been standing right next to us!!!!

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  10. Hahahaha! that's right!! I was with my husband wich is the guy with the beard, I think we were righ next to you, I remember a buch of people drinking champagne very near, where you with them?, will be great if you can send us some more pictures, my email is belem.garibay@kikandbake.com i will really appreciate it. Happy new year!

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  11. Yes, there were four of us and we had a couple of bottles of champagne that we were sharing with people. I wish that we would have shared some with you and had the opportunity to meet you! I'll send you the photos that I have of your group right now.

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