Paris in the Springtime

Golf gives friends several hours of conversation time in beautiful, pastoral locations, with the good times only occasionally interrupted by the frustrations of the game itself. When my buddy Bob, who recently passed away, and I would get out on the course, we would tell each other stories and jokes like little girls at a sleepover. We both loved to travel, so that frequently was a topic of conversation. I remember Bob talking extensively about his favorite trip, a river cruise in China, and I told Bob about bed and breakfast vacations Julie and I had taken in the United Kingdom and France. I always told him that it was cheaper than most people thought. Admittedly, that's because most people prefer to travel during prime travel times like summer or Christmas vacation, stay in nice hotels in big cities, experience deluxe restaurants and top notch entertainment, and pay for the tours. Still, Julie and I enjoyed our cheap European sojourns featuring some nice rural B & B's, usually a lunch of a loaf of French bread and Diet Coke, dinner in a modest pub or bistro, and paying for admission to only some of the sites we visited. We actually spent a lot of time just driving around to see what we could see. Most importantly, we basically took our trips when airfare would be cheap, since that tends to take a large chunk of vacation dollars.

About ten years ago, Bob and his wife Billie decided to join Julie and me on a driving vacation through Germany, which is where Julie and I wanted to go on our next "trip of a lifetime." Bob wanted to see how we could do a European vacation so inexpensively, and perhaps I should have shared more details of our thrifty approach. Actually, it is Billie to whom I owed the explanation, as she definitely would be someone less inclined to rough it than Bob, who had soldiered through the muck in Vietnam and knew what bad sleeping arrangements really were. We found some cheap flights to Paris in April, and off we went. Yes, I know Paris isn't in Germany, but like most people, I was happy to return to Paris in the springtime and stroll past the beautiful flowers on the wide Champs Elysees. Besides, the combined flight plus car was a couple of hundred bucks cheaper to Paris than anywhere in Germany.

The long redeye flight included the free wine French airlines find natural, and we managed to get a little sleep before arriving at Orly Airport, where we were pleased to have our car upgraded from a compact to a Mercedes. Actually, I don't know what we would have done had we been given a smaller car, because most people don't pack as lightly as Julie and I, who limit ourselves to one rolling suitcase each so we never need to check bags.

We drove into Paris and headed to the Eiffel Tower just as the sun was setting. It truly is one of the most romantic spots of all, just as all those romantic comedies portray it.

After riding the elevator up to the viewing area and taking in the views, we walked around, eventually ending up at Chez Clement, an attractive cafe on the Champs Elysees where we had eaten on our previous visit to Paris. The food hadn't been particularly good the first time, and it wasn't much better this time, but it was quite reasonably priced for a place with such great atmosphere. Billie used to be a waitress, and at this restaurant, as well as most on the trip, she was less than overwhelmed by the quality of the food. We enjoyed a pleasant introduction to Europe nonetheless.