Arrivederci Venice and New Year in Paris

Though very much against our will, we had to say goodbye to beautiful Venice. It would just be too costly to change plans, and we were to spend our New Year in Paris.

So, before we left Venice, we decided to go to Mass in San Marco, and pass by the Vivaldi Museum.

Plaza San Marco looked really better with the early morning sun. A lot of people were having coffee and pastries al fresco.

We were tempted to stay and relax in a cafe, but we only had three hours left before our flight. The ferry to the airport will take an hour, so we really had to go.

So we boarded a ferry that took us direct to the airport in the mainland. We had to say goodbye to one of my favorite cities in the world.

We arrived in cold Paris again, and the mood was quite somber. Though it was New Year's Eve, the weather was bad and the sun didn't show. We chose to stay in a hotel near the Eiffel Tower to catch of course, the fireworks display that would occur at midnight.

We dressed up for dinner, and afterwards went to the Eiffel Tower, together with thousands of people, both tourists and Parisians. The Eiffel Tower looked stunning with the lights, but midnight came, and no fireworks burst.

We waited a little longer, with a throng of apprehension. We were standing beside a TV crew, and they themselves were shocked that there was no display. We heard that this non-event sometimes occurs, and everyone was just buzzing and waiting for something to happen.

But nothing happened. It was already quarter to 1, so we decided to call it a night. It was cold and we were very much disappointed. Nevertheless, we tried to cheer ourselves up and welcome the New Year with shivering smiles.