It’s our penultimate day in Paris. Boo Hoo. 😫 Gail and Larry want to shop for gifts so we go the the huge and elegant Gallérie Lafayette department store. But first we need adequate nutrition to shop.
We stop at a cafe across the street from Lafayette for lunch, the Sofa Cafe. Our server is engaging, silly and welcoming. We have happily experienced that behavior our entire visit here in Paris. Howard has a pork charcuterie plate; Gail and Larry have a chicken club sandwich; and I have a croque Madame. Too bad the conviviality is interrupted by the bad food. Oh well… On to shopping!
Sale, Sale, Sale! We see the signs everywhere at Lafayette. It used to be in all of France that sales only occurred twice per year and every shop could only have their sales at the same time as everybody else. (And it also used to be that NO SHOP was open after noon on Sunday.) But both always/nevers appear to be no more.
We find some beautiful scarves and other typically French gifts. Then we find the Lafayette Épicerie! Wow, three stories of incredible produce, wine, bread, chocolates, pastries, spices, Iberian hams (with the hooves and everything), cheeses, prepared meals, more than one cafe for a meal, and MUCH MORE. That place was a mouth watering extravaganza!
I finally found a great baguette at the épicerie. Yippee! (We have delicious cheese at home.) And I looked for Amer Picon to no avail. (The tax-free liquor store at the airport did not have it but I eventually ordered it from the US.)
Here are a few memorable moments that I forgot to note in previous travelogues:
We seemed to be on the metro during rush hour many days. We had to PUSH IN but we also had to PUSH OUT. It was scary sometimes. But it think we got better at it the more we had to do it.
We saw a motorbike and car accident. The impact was startling. But you saw so many crazy drivers here we shouldn’t be surprised when crashes happen. Everyone appeared to be OK.
I’m afraid I was pushy in my recommendations of what we all should wear in Paris. That recommendation was to wear BLACK. It was funny when Larry said, once we were in Paris, “Everyone wears black!” The idea was to blend in with the natives so that we were not targets for pick pockets or derision. Gail’s DIL, Elaine, took her shopping and she picked out beautiful clothes for Gail’s trip. (I’m asking Elaine to be my stylist next time.)
The perfect example of what NOT to wear in Paris was found on the metro. A lady who was probably our age and her husband who was about 10 years older stood out like sore thumbs. She had on white lace HOT PANTS with panty hose. Her husband had on a T-shirt with some sort of USA slogan on it. The “lady” was doing some sort of booty wiggling dance as she swung on the metro pole-grip. BIZARRE! And embarrassing for any American who saw her.
Even though EVERYONE spoke to us in English, I loved trying out my French. I can say whatever I want but understanding the response is limited. It was nice when French people complimented me on my French. 👩🎨
So here is my summary of some of our impressions of Paris and the trip to-dos /not-to-dos differently next time:
- We were disappointed in several meals so next time we will pay better attention to the cafe’s menu du jour or plat du jour (posted outside every cafe or restaurant) and/or check Yelp and TripAdvisor for restaurants near us.
- The metro was super clean with no beggars.
- Start our jet lag adjustment 3 days before we leave. https://www.jetlagrooster.com
- Begin taking Airborne 3 days before leaving and continue 3x/day through the first 2-3 days in France.
- Only fly Air France’s Premium Economy no matter what it costs!
- USE HAND SANITIZER! And wash hands frequently.
- Arrive in France after noon. (We arrived about 8am on this trip.) That way we have the afternoon to get out into the sun and begin to adjust our internal clock. Take an quick shower and get out in the sun.
- Get out of the apartment by 9-9:30 each day.
- Don’t hesitate to get a taxi or Uber if we are worn out.
- There is no longer dog poop on the streets of Paris! The streets are very clean.
- I think September is the best time to visit. I thought visiting at the very beginning of June would be OK but the crowds were too much.
This will not be out last trip to France. I was encouraged by my French speaking abilities and want to continue learning. Howard and I will start French classes through Ashland Park and Rec in the fall. If nothing else, we will exercising our aging brains in the right way.
Viva la France! 🇫🇷🥐🥖🍾🥂
THE END