We are standing in Le Bon Marche, possibly the world’s first department store designed by Gustave Eiffel, when there is another Morgan Freeman sighting. This time it is made by a store security guard. My sister has approached the guard to ask for directions to the escalator, but before she … Continue reading
We’ve gotten up pretty early to get to Versailles, exchanging the Metro for the double-decked RER. We aren’t alone, as everyone on the train appears to be headed to Versailles and we unceremoniously pour out of the train on a mass pilgrimage to see if the stories of the over-the-top opulence during … Continue reading
I am standing betwen my parents with my head pressed next to my father’s as I listen to an audio tour selection at Musee d’Orsay. We are standing in front of a bust of the Negre du Sudan by Charles Cordier, a Frenchman who became fascinated by the cultures of … Continue reading
We were standing at the fountain in Saint Michel, trying to make out the violent, yet strangely romantic scene of an angel that we took for Saint Michel slaying a horned demon, when Ealy Mays of Walking the Spirit Tours walked up. Ealy looks the way I would imagine a black ex-pat … Continue reading
My father is looking at me quizzically. “This beef melts in your mouth,” he says to me, in disbelief. He really couldn’t understand how a piece of meat could perform such a feat. But I could and I had experienced it before, which is why I recommended Chez Fernand for … Continue reading
“I like this little city!” My mother declares as she stands on the balcony of our suite at Hotel Aiglon in Paris. I am happy to hear it. She’s taking in a lovely view of our temporary neighborhood in Montparnasse not far from Saint-Germain-de-Pres. We’ve just returned from a whirlwind tour of … Continue reading
My dad has been packed for the last three days and has devised a minute-by-minute schedule of our activities. My mother and I have had daily conversations about what she should wear. “What bag should I bring? What should I wear on the plane? Should I take those shoes?” It’s … Continue reading