Who needs Paris?

I do. Now that I can't sleep much at all, having a whole bunch of pictures to peruse during the wee hours of the morning is a wonderful way to pass the time. This weekend, we can reconnect. We'll pick up a baguette and some pate for Sunday brunch.

We had landed in Paris early in the morning, but the tour folks were hard to find. Hubby and I had our first French fight. He read the instructions regarding meeting the tour guide at some landmark right at the airport; I read the same and interpreted them differently, going up and down the elevators trying to find the correct exit.Hubby assumed the French I knew would be sufficient for airport navigation; I suddenly fixated on the wrong words, not aligning signs with instructions. What a mess.

That evening, we had our first view of the city and of course, of the illuminated landmark, the stars in the middle signifying the special time when France presided over the European Union. Hubby took this picture with his phone camera. His real camera needed batteries. For the rest of our vacation in France, we dropped into camera and electronic shops looking for batteries and/or recharge cables, neither of which we could obtain.

While I shopped for soaps, tapenades, nougat, hats and scarfs, Hubby stopped at electronic shops He did a lot of waiting for the right person to assist him. He'd come out frustrated because not enough people could speak English. He should have learned French in high school like the rest of us. If only he'd start with Bonjour.

As I rested at the hotel, Hubby walked down the block, and stopped to do a very French thing: purchase a baguette and some pate.

What to buy in France

Most of us are shoppers, curious people, bargain hunters. The places we visited were full of shops with beautiful products made by local artisans. I kept looking for bargains as well. Since a Euro translated to one-dollar-fifty or thereabout, I was constantly adding 50% of the price of each item to have a full idea of the purchase price. Since France has a value-added-tax of 20% already in the price, it was hard to come up with the bottom line. I must add that in order to collect the value-added-tax at the airport, one must keep good receipts and read the fine print.

This is what I bought: soaps; jars of fleur-de-sel with herbes-de-Provence; jars of jams and tapenade; scarfs and berets; a wool shawl; books; hats; and two paintings. The last two purchases were made by my husband and are still on route. He fell in love with both the artists and the paintings and by the time we left the galleries, he had left his patrimony on the table. I can't wait for these to arrive.

I started by wanting to buy scarfs and porcelains. Frenchmen all wear scarfs with creative touches. It turns out one can spend the cost of a vacation on one Hermes scarf or one beautiful pill box. I gave full attention to these items and appreciated the workmanship and the quality. If any reader has the money and wants to purchase these on line, they will get the most beautiful designs and quality in the world. I just couldn't see wearing a scarf that cost more than an entire outfit I'd wear, including new shoes and new coiffure.

We had to dispose of some things to make room for our purchases, with airlines keeping tabs of all our luggages and charging plenty for going over 50 lbss. Simple, undergarment and ordinary T's. To replace them, it would just be a few dollars in the States. Besides, who wants to bring back dirty laundry?

Those readers who are curious about any of the elements of this post, from products to recipes, can obtain more information, including authentic Provencal recipes by posting a request.

Travel

I've prepared for my upcoming trip to France by following French television on satellite, listening and absorbing, testing myself by translating for my hubby who speaks no other language but his mother tongue, WesterEnglish, English redux, all affirmations, negations and abbreviations.

The Europeans' handling of political discourse, pitting the history of Western Thought against Thought-redux of modern media personalities, utilizes history in all its complexities to understand present dilemmas. The palaces and the castles of yesteryear right outside their windows must help them maintain a sense of proportion every time they come up with a new thought.

"What would Descartes make of this?"

In America, we tend to retreat to the Maverick myth, the lone cowboy on the frozen Rockies, heading for cover.

But, we are no longer lone cowboys. We no longer hunt Moose to survive. Our guns and rifles are not necessary tools. We communicate across the globe; smog and tinted products affect us all equally. To have modern cultural literacy, we cannot pretend the world doesn't exist, don our rifles and disappear in the Rockies or the Cascades for weeks of hunting and camping.

Once, America didn't have to shout, "WE are the Greatest Country on Earth." Its actions and can do spirit were valued and imitated across the Globe. Once, we were the standard bearers for leadership, vigor, and integrity.

What we need is to travel again, see the world, follow other routes to enlightenement, discover the complexities of the world we share and must preserve.

We'll experience museums, palaces and vinyards. We'll stop in libraries, concert halls and restaurants where sights, sounds and tastes will make us appreciate the achievement of civilizations before us.