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SPECTRUM'S OWN DAVE THOMAS' TRIP TO PARIS

By Dave Thomas

PARIS:- When I first announced to my friends and co-workers that I would be taking my girlfriend Mittie to Paris for a vacation, they almost all had the same clichèd responses. “Don’t the French hate us?” “You know they don’t bathe, don’t you?” And my personal favorite, “Are you gonna eat some snails?” Well after spending nine days in the “City of Lights” I can safely say, “Don’t believe the hype!”

First, the French don’t hate us, at least, no more than we hate ourselves. You know what it’s like to go into a fast-food restaurant here. Believe me, you’ll get more nasty looks for changing your order from a Big Mac to a McChicken sandwich from your local McDonald’s than you would from anyone in France. Parisians have many of the same social, economic and political issues to deal with on a daily basis than we do and don’t spend their days thinking about ways to not like Americans.

Actually, it’s just the opposite. Whenever we went into a restaurant, the waiters were always happy to try out their English on us (too bad we didn’t try to learn French with the same enthusiasm). And when we said we were from Chicago, their eyes would light up and they’d say, “Chicago! Hey, Michael Jordan.” Second, not only do the French bathe, but Paris is home to one of the biggest markets for perfumes and cosmetics.

They have department stores that have entire floors dedicated to grooming and hygiene products. And when it comes to looks, not only is Paris the fashion capital of the world but the people are absolutely gorgeous. We spent an afternoon strolling down the fabulous Champs Elysès and not once did we see an obese person except for the American tourists. American tourists do stick out like a sore thumb in Paris. While Parisians generally dress well (no gym shoes, jeans or t-shirts) Americans are easily spotted in their cut-off jeans, college sweatshirts, and baseball caps, not to mention most American tourists are usually bordering on obesity.

Third, escargot, a specially prepared part of French cuisine, which is cooked with snails, is not all the French eat. Their restaurants feature many items including duck, salmon, and of course steak. In fact, Le Coupole, one of the most famous restaurants in Paris, features steak as its most popular menu item. Fact is, most of the restaurants we went to didn’t even have escargot on the menu. But enough about what’s not in Paris, what is in Paris is miles and miles architectural beauty and charm.

Each day, as the sun rose, we’d begin our day at one of the omnipresent sidewalk cafès. We’d order an espresso (which came in a tiny cup accompanied with two sugar cubes) and a croissant that was as light and flaky and sumptuous as anything you’ll ever taste here. All of the tables and chairs are situated to face the street. People-watching is part of Paris culture, so you never sit with your back to the street.

After breakfast, we’d head down into the magnificent Paris subway (called the Metro) where you can catch a train to get to almost anywhere in the city in less than 20 minutes. A favorite tourist spot, of course, is the Eiffel Tower. Now the Tower has always been a splendid place visit but this year it was something special. Since the millennium began, the Eiffel Tower illuminates and sparkles with lights every night at 10 and 11pm. And there’s a good reason for the times of this late-night light show. You see, it doesn’t get dark in Paris ‘til nearly 11p.m!

While visiting the Eiffel Tower, we noticed a number of young African men busily selling souvenirs and toys and lovely silk scarves with pictures of Paris scenery on them. Mittie adored the scarves and bought one from one the men for 100 francs (about $15). She was more than happy to help one of the young brothers out by giving him some business.

Unfortunately, her enthusiasm was somewhat dampened the next day when she saw the same scarves being sold in a souvenir shop in another part of town for only 25 francs. As the saying goes “there’s a sucker born every minute.” Thankfully, that little experience didn’t keep Mittie from wanting to help Africans because the next day she signed a petition and donated another 100 francs to another man who was raising money to help AIDS victims back in the motherland.

Among some of the other places we visited were Giverny, the countryside home of legendary impressionist artist Claude Monèt. His home is surrounded by the very gardens that were the inspiration for some of his greatest works. We also visited the French Palace in Versailles where King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived before they were beheaded during the French Revolution.

Outside of the Palace we were able to walk through the Versailles Gardens which seemed to go on forever. It seemed as though people were going on forever too. Hundreds were pouring in by the bus-load. Among the crowd was a particularly romantic sight. A handsome young African man and his lovely new bride were walking towards the palace gates dressed in their magnificent wedding clothes. A huge throng of friends, family, and well-wishers followed close behind.

Our favorite spot in Paris though was the hilly neighborhood of Montmartre. This neighborhood is a lot like San Francisco with its hilly streets and breathtaking views of the city below. The main attraction in Montmartre is the Sacre Coeur, a pristine white 19th century church that towers above the city. Montmartre is also abuzz with action and charm as dozens of “starving artist” gleefully seduce strangers into sitting and having the portraits drawn.

Some of these artists are truly masters while some are, well not so good. It’s always wise to see how well an artist has done someone else’s portrait before having yours drawn. Once again Mittie learned this lesson with tragic results. The last full day of our trip found us being the first people in line at the famous Louvre Museum. Here we saw such famous works of art as the Venus De Milo, theWinged Victory and of course the fabulous Mona Lisa.

We walked this huge palace-turned-museum for hours before leaving to do Mittie’s favorite thing, shopping. And boy does Paris have shopping. Gucci, Armani, Ferragmo, and Bally were everywhere. Two huge department stores, Printemps and Galleries Lafayette, anchored the Haussman Boulevard shopping district. Each of these stores featured separate buildings for men’s and women’s clothing, and with good reason.

The women’s shoe department alone takes up an entire floor! And the stuff in these places wasn’t cheap either. The average price for women’s shoes was around 800 francs ($125). Ah, but if it’s bargains you seek, head to the streets. Outside of the department stores are dozens of booth with less expensive items. Purses, perfumes, scarves, jeans, all kinds of great stuff could be had très cheap. This was also the best place to eat.

Many street vendors had crepe stands where they would make piping hot crepes filled with chocolate, delicious! Or if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, you can still enjoy a hot loaf of French bread stuffed with sausages. Oh and by the way, yes, they serve french fries (or frites as they call them) with almost everything.

Another peculiar thing they do is put eggs on hamburgers and pizza. And for some reason they don’t put ice in their beverages. But these little qualms are truly trivial when you consider the splendor of the city itself. Don’t believe the hype you hear from Americans about Paris or the French.

They are truly beautiful people and Paris is one of the most fascinating cities on Earth. I hope to go back someday and I highly recommend you do the same. Au Revoir!

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