Anne & Kirk Woodyard – Music and Markets Tours

Our Christmas gift to each other this year? A couple of days in Paris with friends – an easy and quick train ride up and back from our Aix home, so it’s not quite as extravagant as it sounds! We’ve read and seen tempting updates of the fabulous Christmas windows of the Grands Magasins (Department Stores) – what fun it will be to enjoy them with friends!
I’m sure you must have some Paris favorites, as we do… I always love to include a stop at Angelina, for their decadent hot chocolate, to get at least a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, to stroll down favorite lanes. So our Parisian Christmas Gift to each other really gets going when we meet friends at Angelina on Rue du Rivoli.
A pot of rich chocolate, almost thick enough to use a spoon, and a bowl of whipped cream – yes, decadence in a cup!
The Christmas windows of the Grands Magasins await us, but first, a ride on the Grand Roue de Paris, high over the Place de Concorde, the Eiffel Tower shimmering its hourly glitter across the Seine.
We ooh and aah from our perch,then gaze down on the traffic -filled Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe just visible in the distance.
Bundled up against the chill, we join the shoppers and strollers under a canopy of lights stretching down Boulevard Haussmann, where the scenes enthrall…

in the Printemps windows skaters revel, dressed to the nines in exquisitely tailored miniatures of Dior outfits available inside the store – a discreet price list and directions to which floor carries the item is at the bottom of each window. 
And the show goes on – the elegant marionettes dancing, riding a carousel, floating in a balloon. The workmanship, both of the gorgeous clothing and accessories (those miniature purses – love ’em!)  and the scenery, is fabulous.
On to Galleries Lafayette, where the windows (Louis Vuitton) are not at all as interesting as the Dior at Printemps, but the Christmas tree inside, under the stained glass dome, can’t be missed! Swarovski this year, it’s surrounded by tourists and locals snapping a photo.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse of the holidays in Paris – Merry Christmas to all!

The best way to describe us (Kirk and Anne Woodyard) is that we’re interested in the stories that make the places we visit come alive.
We’ve visited Europe more times than we can count, learned some entertaining stories there, and met some warm and helpful people who also enjoy the wonders of music and life in Europe.
Between our music-related travels, we split our time between our homes near Washington DC and the south of France. We look forward to sharing these stories and friends and experiences with our Music and Markets guests.
While both of us have experience in organizing travel and music groups Kirk’s background is in project management and competitive writing, and Anne is an accomplished pianist with over thirty years of teaching experience, and a travel and food writer specializing in France and Italy.