Bob and Gayle's France Trip

Fashion Crisis

In a book we read prior to coming to Paris, we learned the importance Parisian’s place on looking good. I suppose that is true of all top tiered cities such as New York or London. To avoid any such faux pa, I signed us up for a free fashion show at Galleries Lawfayette. When the lights dimmed and the first series of models arrived I learned, “Gayle doesn’t wear anything like that and if she did I couldn’t afford the tab.” You see, prior to the show while walking through this grand store I examined the price of a hideous woman’s night-shirt, square cotton with a handful of unremarkable flowers on it. It had Penny’s outlet written all over it. Price, over $50. No wonder nearly half of all the people on the streets wear jeans and a form of tennis type shoe.

Alas, I settled with giving the models our business card and telling them in broken French that if they ever come to Sequim that I would set them up with my designer line of enamel jewelry.

Our pictures do some justice in revealing the grandeur of this euro recovery machine, Galleries Layfette.

Creature Comforts
When we left the Les Halles metro we walked into a mall maze complete with comfort food and even more important, a free toilet. Let’s hear it for MacDonalds! (it’s counter is shown in one of our pictures). Later we dropped by a French version of the Nature Store and found some adorable mouton back rubs.

Finally we rested our tired dogs during a mass for John Paul II at St. Eustache Church. We were hoping to hear the famous organ and we certainly did. Here are a few details of the organ itself:

The new organ has five manual divisions of 61 notes and a Pedal of 32 notes. The Specification is exceptionally rich. The Positif has 18 stops, the Grand-Orgue 16 stops, the Récit Expressif 17 stops, the Grand-Choeur 19 stops, the Solo 11 stops and the Pedal 20 stops, altogether 101 stops, 147 ranks and 8,000 pipes. (That was for you, Dave B.)

When the organist pulled out all the stops, the walls as well as our bodies shook. The last number filled us with awe and wonder! I haven’t felt like that since we stood at a corner in San Francisco and a booming, slow moving, Chevy turned the corner. Boom, Boom, Boom!

Footnote: On our return trip via the metro subway, a French woman tapped me on the rim of my floppy blue rain hat and told Gayle she has one just like it and she approved of my choice! Fashion crisis averted thanks to moi!

Picture Set 1
Picture Set 2

posted by Bob and Gayle @ 4:55 PM