Being in Paris during the Christmas holiday season sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?  When we started to brainstorm about how and where to spend a week off in December, I almost certainly thought my wife would pick a beautiful beach.  But she surprised me by picking a city with so much history, ambiance, and cultural autonomy to which I had never traveled.  So we planned a trip to Paris in a matter of weeks, jam-packed with everything there is to see and do in this one-of-a-kind city.  And then, as they are known to do, the French went on strike.  No, this was not just a few Parisians striking with signs in front of the Eiffel Tower.  Rather, we are talking any foreign traveler’s nightmare:  cancelled flights in an out of the city, all but a few metro lines closed, hours-long lines of automobile traffic, closed attractions, and, maybe worst of all, a lot of angry Parisians!  Still, we made the best of our week long trip to Paris and accomplished almost everything on our busy to-do list.  Check out our not-so-relaxing but forever inspiring trip details below.