Zurich and Paris: Part III

Read Part I here and Part II here.

We arrived at the subway station to find absolute chaos. So many people wanted to spend New Year’s Eve at the Eiffel Tower that the subway trains were completely full at every stop along the way. Against all logic, people tried to force their way into the overcrowded trains. At our station, the train remained motionless for at least 40 minutes. At this point, we decided it would be smarter to walk a few stations instead of waiting for the train. So we walked to the next logical station so we could get, not to the Eiffel Tower since it looked so chaotic, but rather to Montmatre, an artsy neighborhood on a hill overlooking the city, where we could still watch the fireworks in peace.

Our plan worked. We arrived at our destination 20 minutes before midnight. As we ran up the hill, however, we began to feel drops of rain. I refused to believe that it was going to rain on New Year’s Eve in Paris. I could not fathom that we had come all this way, had pushed our ways through the subway crowds, to have the fireworks and our ideas of a perfect evening washed away by droplets of water falling from the sky. I was not disappointed. The rain stopped five minutes before the New Year, just in time to see the fireworks. Although I’ve honestly seen better fireworks displays in the US, the atmosphere itself was still incredible. Flame throwers, street performers, and a drum circle played for the crowd. People were holding banners with all sorts of wishes for 2008 painted in bold lettering. Everyone was happy.

After the excitement died down on the hill, we walked to the area around the Eiffel Tower. It was clear that that’s where all of the excitement had been. Police brigades lined the streets with officers dressed in full body armor, holding shields and automatic weapons. I saw a line of police charge at one stumbling drunk person and at that moment, I was quite content with our smaller New Year’s celebration on the hill. Paris police do not play around, and this is quite understandable considering the recent youth riots they have had to deal with in the neighboring suburbs.

We spent the rest of the night strolling down the famous avenue of Champs-Élysées toward the Eiffel Tower. People everywhere were shouting “Bonne Année!” or “Happy New Year!” and generally having a good time. When we finally returned to our hotel, we fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows and slept soundly through what remained of the night and early morning.