On Tuesday, Max and I went ice skating at the rink in front of the Hôtel de Ville. For just 5 euro a piece, the city hall rented us each a pair of high-quality (and moderately sharp) skates - they hold onto your shoes as collateral, but this is convenient since there are no storage lockers in the rental chalet. It being shortly after noon, the rink was not at all crowded - a couple of teenage boys showing off, some women practicing figure skating turns, and the usual handful of licentious french men standing just outside the rink and watching the girls skating. I had a blast, despite my being about as skilled a skater as the german primary school students that showed up halfway through our time on the ice.
This winter there are three patinoires de noël in Paris: Hôtel de Ville, Bibliothèque François Mitterrand, and Montparnasse. They are open seven days a week, from 9am-10pm on weekends and from noon-10pm on Monday through Friday. If you bring your own skates, it is absolutely free! Just walk in off of the street (unclear what you would do with your shoes in this instance). I highly recommend the Hôtel de Ville rink... it's a pretty location, and when you get tired of skating, the best hot chocolate in Paris is just a few steps away by metro (Angelina, take Ligne 1 from Hôtel de Ville to Tuileries). I will definitely be going back (although next time, lacking an escort, I might need to trade in my skirt for a pair of unbecoming baggy pants)
On a different note, one sentence from my last post angered a friend, and so I feel an explanation is necessary. I did not mean to imply that Parisian women are ever, *gasp*, unfashionable - but rather that the current trend in Paris fashion is very much reminiscent of the 1980s. Loose, formless tops with batwing sleeves, often worn with long, bulky necklaces...close-fitting, tapered-leg pants, and long, messy hair to complete the look. I am suitably bitter about this trend because it is wholly unflattering to curvy-figured individuals like myself, and because my hair seems to grow out at a rate of one centimeter per month (if I'm lucky, it'll be shoulder-length by June). Not to let this sour my blogger impartiality. But in all fairness, I think that an American visiting Paris - seeing the flannel dresses with black leggings, Levis and leather jackets that are these days the rule in Paris street fashion- cannot help but be reminded of Molly Ringwald and The Breakfast Club. Maybe the French are onto something...but I, for one, miss fitted waists and set-in sleeves.
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