Shopping Parisienne style

We actually ended up on an earlier flight than we had expected, so were able to check in and get our gear sorted, then go out for a walk.  We decided to return to the Galleries Lafayette area, to do some last minute shopping.  It was interesting to see that in our absence Christmas has started to take over the city centre.  Some stores have started putting their lights up outside the building, the windows of the main department stores a under wraps while window displays are put together.  The most incredible thing though was the Swarovski Chrystal Christmas tree that featured within the dome of the Galleries Lafayette building.  While it was both huge and stunning, I must admit that it detracted from the natural beauty of the building.  I was actually glad that we were able to document the building on our first visit, without the tree smack bang in the middle of each and every photo.  Our shopping expedition was most successful and we headed home after looking at both GL and also, the Printemps store, which we had not looked at last visit.  I preferred Printemps Christmas tree and actually quite enjoyed the 6 mannequins that were situated on the central iron staircase.  The building too was nice.  In general Printemps seemed less frenetic and easier to navigate than Galleries Lafayette.  That said, we have nothing like either of these stores at home, so it was an incredible experience to explore them both. As for the shopping? I'm smiling. 2.11.2012