Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Winding Down


Today we took it easy. Not that we've been running around like crazy the past week, just slower than normal.  Our usual style of vacation is to intersperse a few museums, exhibits or special activities in with a lot of just wandering around and becoming part of the scenery.  In other words, we're very good at doing nothing!

Today is a good example of this.  We were up and out by 10:30, hit Paul's up for almonde croissants and cafe creme and, with no destination in mind, we just walked in a new direction.   The ability to get lost is one of the reasons I'm not a fan of cruises.  You can only wander the ship so long before you end up back where you started, then you are out of new places to explore.

We walked to Ave Montaigne and window-licked the couture shops of Dior, Chanel, Valentino, etc.  Heres my Tip of the Day:  within two years we in the states will be wearing elephant bell trousers again--just like 1975.  Also, palazzo pants.  This is good news for those of us with big thighs.

 At one point I had to use the bathroom and, after wasting five minutes explaining to the hub that, no, I couldn't just ask the big guys in black suits in the doorway to Emilio Pucci to let me use the facilities, we walked at a faster clip a few blocks over to a more laid back part of Paris (there's a sentence I never thought I'd use) where we could use a cafe's WC for the price of a couple of diet Cokes or coffee.   By the way, both beverages are roughly $5.50 and no refills, which makes the privilege of ducking past an open urinal to get to a seat damned pricy.  

Le Toilette Break

Home to rest my mushy knees by 2:30.   Back out at 8:00 for a lite dinner of spaghetti Bolognese, a bottle of pully fume and espresso. Walked to the Champs for an ice cream cone and home again by 10:30.

Tomorrow is our last full day and will be spent picking up the various things we promised to bring back for people.  Neither of us will be sorry to say good-bye to the little studio apartment and we're both looking forward to getting home, but I always hate saying good-bye to Paris and this trip, in particular, has been special because so much of it was spent with my special friends; my Jersey Girls.  

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey! What about your Jersey guys?

jodydem said...

I'll miss your stories of Paris. Your lunch restaurant was on my list last spring but we never made it ' Well october is coming.Hope you get your deposit beck that's why I like vacaotion in Paris apts,No deposit and you pay in dollars!

Natalie said...

The bathrooms: one of my less fond memories of Paris. I think I would have tried to hold it!