Parislog 68
October 8, 2006

Last night Paris had a once yearly festival called La Nuit Blanche. The city hosts art exhibitions and many others participate. It is open all night long and the buses and trains are running all night also. Restaurants stay open late and the city lets you borrow bikes to get around.

My roommate and I went to the area of the Grand Palais and walked to Place de Concorde then to the Louvre. At the Grand Palais we found statues colored blue with lights and strange white forms on a structure with ladders going through it. There was a neon light announcing the night and hordes of people out for the sights. The Petit Palais had lights inside going on and off giving a sense that it was a part of a ghost story. The Egyptian Obelisk that Napolean brought home with him was colored blue purple and so were the fountains and statues. We had a full moon that night to add to the ambiance as well. In the Tuileries garden was an oval speed roller rink with 3 people in black going round and round.

The boats for tourists called the bateau mouche plied their trade up and down the river. They gave a special rate for the night and you could get on and off all night long. The river was packed with boats. In fact, the river was more crowded than the streets.

Walking home we found that quartiers that were typically full of people and noise on a Saturday night were nearly dead. Our own street was the quietest that I have ever found it except August.