Viva La France!

Trova altri artisti come Edith Piaf in Myspace Music

POSTING  # 8 - AUGUST 9

Once again, it has been a while since I blogged. I think I left off in Bordeaux, so that's where I'll pick up again. What a beautiful city! I loved it, even though the pedestrian streets were often sidewalk-to-sidewalk with tourists, reminding me of Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras. But this is how it looks early in the morning.

The city is full of parks and squares with cool cafes everywhere, and a great place to run on the Garonne River. There was a festival on the river one day, complete with very cheesy (fromagy?) French karaoke singers.

I loved window shopping in Bordeaux. It seems that each shopkeeper tries to outdo his or her neighbors. This was a chocolate shop -- and the high heels are actually chocolate, too!




After enjoying Bordeaux for four days, I took another train to Paris where I stayed for a little over a week. I went to the Louvre VERY early in the morning, saw what I wanted to see in about 3 hours, and got out before the crowds. 

The only other museum I made time for was the insanely creative Salvador Dali. He is someone I would like to have known!

Compared to Bordeaux, the energy in Paris took some getting used to. And the prices took some getting used to as well. I went into a shop to buy hair conditioner, and on my way past one counter, grabbed a tube of lipstick -- (I know -- you're saying "Gayle? Lipstick?" I'm trying to be sophisticated!). The woman at the counter said something that sounded like "sankasankuro" and, though I thought it sounded like she said 55 Euros, I was certain I had misunderstood. Not wanting to appear stupid, I handed her what I thought was PLENTY of money -- a 20 Euro bill (not quite $30), thinking she'd give me back some change. She just stood there with her French-nail manicured hand out and one perfect eyebrow raised in a very impatient look. I said, "Combien?" and she looked me square in the eye, and in English said, slowly and loudly, as though I were not only stupid but deaf as well --" fif..ty..five..Eur...os!!"-- nearly 80 bucks! When she saw the shocked look on my face, she very condescendingly said "It's VEHHHHHHRRRRRRY gooood", and looking at my hair said, sympathetically, "Now, no more . . . fhhhhhreeeeeeezzzzz." So far, I have used the liptstick five times, which brings its cost down to about $8 per application. I need to use it several times more before I feel Okay about that part of the purchase, but my hair is now very happy.

OK -- a little about the food. One night, I walked along the Seine for about an hour and then found a promising restaurant on a little side street that wasn't overrun with tourists. There was a man playing the accordion when I arrived, and to be honest, he was the real reason I chose this place. I ordered a half bottle of  '05 Chateau de Rochemorin Bordeaux. My starter -- "Artisinal roquefort mousse with candied pears over caramelized walnuts and endive salad". My main course -- "Laquered duck breast accented with honey and spices with bourguigononne mashed potatoes". Dessert choices included "caramel floating island on creamy vanilla custard; teramisu cake with teramisu ice cream; cream puff filled with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce; coffee flavored creme brulee; warm French apple pie with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce; or warm molten chocolate cake with vanilla custard. I couldn't decide so went with the cheese sampler -- brie, camembert and roquefort. I was still full the next morning!

On my last day in Paris, I visited Jim Morrison, and some of my favorite writers at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, a beautifully eerie city of over 300,000 deceased. Many of the crypts are works of art, tributes to the painters, writers, and musicians who are buried there.

It took me a few days to shake off the sadness I felt after spending several hours there. I guess I had gone with the idea that it was a tourist attraction, but once I began walking around and seeing banners honoring those who served France in times of war, fresh flowers, wreaths, and love notes, I came away with a deeper appreciation of the legacy they left behind.


Reluctantly, I said goodbye to France.

Sarah, Noora, Dina & Saif

What made leaving France a bit easier was the fact that from there, I flew to Basel, Switzerland to see my Swiss kids -- a visit that was far too short.They served a beautiful brunch at Sarah & Noora's apartment the day after forcing me to drink vast quantities of alcohol. And I got to see Dina before she leaves for her year abroad in Mexico. Thanks, Kids!


Stay tuned for Adventures from Italy!


Love, Mom/Sissy/Gaylie