Are we really still in Paris?-- Adventure to La Defense

The grey misty sky and blustery winds could keep Jason and I inside this Saturday! We were determined to see the business district of Paris, known as La Defense. Not to far of a Metro ride this neighborhood is just west of the Seine (where it swoops northward...). The architecture out there is so clean and modern and so un-french. As we came out of the Metro, Jason and I were surrounded by glass, metal and concrete. The astounding Grande Arche was our main attraction. A super-cube, 20th century interpretation of the Arc de Triomphe directly in line on the "Axe" a few miles back into the city (which also leads straight to the Louvre). We rode in this glass pod almost 100 ft to the upper plane. Jason said he felt like we were in Starwars :-) Next time we're wearin' space suits. We enjoyed looking at the contemporary sculpture scattered around the main La Defense esplanade, we walked through the enormous shopping mall, and we experienced the french version of Home Depot... But the best part of all... was the enormous Marché de Noël right in the middle of it all. As we browsed the various, twinkle-lighted stands, we were bombarded with wonderful scents of crepes, gauffres, and savory grilled meats. Mmmm. We weren't compelled to buy anything (alot of it is very cheesy stuff, they had a lot of knickknacks and products you normally featured on infomercials). But I so loved the feeling of Christmas.