I like Paris in winter – there are not too many tourists and the queues to get into museums and galleries are much shorter. Of course, in 2010 western Europe experienced snowpocalypse and many people suffered from cancelled transport and were forced to spend days trapped in airport terminals. Luckily I was spared that experience.

The typical Australian Christmas experience for me is to join relatives for a long lunch in the heat (trying to stay out of the sun) and then drive home in the evening to collapse for a nap.

Instead, this year, I drove back from Ieper (aka Ypres) in Belgium to join some friends for Christmas in Paris before flying to London. These friends are not geeks, so there was little discussion of technology. Instead we dined very well and went to the opera. Our conversation was wide-ranging and that camerarderie that arises when far from home on a traditional holiday kicked in.

On Christmas Eve we dined at a traditional restaurant called Au Chien Qui Fume near Pont Neuf. The staff were friendly and welcoming – making jokes and recommending wines to accompany our meal.

For Christmas Day we had a late lunch at a tiny but lovely Breton inspired place called Le Relais de l’Isle. It is on l’Ile Saint-Louis just across the bridge from Notre Dame Cathedral. Again we experienced a warm welcome from the proprietor of this establishment and enjoyed a fine meal with good wine.

Then on Christmas Night we were off to the Opera Bastille to see a performance of Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. It was rather amusing to see the opera performed in German with surtitles in French. It was a very enjoyable production and I enjoyed the strong female performers.

It was a very different experience of Christmas – of note was the fact that so many venues were open in Paris on Christmas Day. The weather on Christmas Day was lovely, Paris at its winter best with cold crisp air and clear blue skies.