Final Day with the Shorys

Bonjour mes amis,

Last days are emotional…sad that our time together is ending but oh, so glad for the memories.

Yesterday was a slower day which started with an early-morning jog to the Trocadero for Bill. (Most of today’s photographs are his! Merci beaucoup. It doesn’t hurt to have a former news guy on your side.) Then we met up for a nice lunch at a neat spot snuggled on a dead end street in the Jewish quarter called Le Trés Or. It’s cool, shady and most affordable. Sorry, no pics!

I had a commitment at 6pm to attend a reception for the Huntsville/Madison County delegation from the Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Paris Air Show. We’ve done this before, and it’s always enjoyable. I am honored to be on the Chamber’s Industrial Development Board and thus the invitation. However, it meant that we had to stay slightly dressed up for the day. And early on, it was very hot and humid.

One thing we hadn’t done with the Shorys was go to the Champs Elysées. We realized that five years ago when they visited neither the Apple Store nor Les Galeries Lafayette had opened up on the Champs…so those were our destinations. Then we retreated to the air-conditioned lobby of the Marriott for some quiet, cool refreshment and of course, always a clean toilette. You laugh, but I know where all the good bathrooms are in Paris!!

We parted company and the Shorys took on Paris with gusto, going out to La Defense, then the Centre Pompidou and around Le Palais Royale.

We on the other hand, went to the reception and walked in with Mayor Tommy Battle and some rabbits at Les Invalides.

There were 300 people at the gathering including most of our politicians (Tubberville cancelled at the last minute). It came a tsunami of blowing wind and rain which pushed all 300 of us into a small room versus the lovely, spacious portico. Then came some pretty vicious thunder and lightening. We left amid this deluge to meet the Shorys for dinner at Le Bouquet St. Paul. We were completely drenched and not in the best of moods!  We said our goodbyes about 9pm and they were off to one final look at the Eiffel Tower. Perfect ending to the day and the trip.

My query to Izzie about her favorite activity of the week was a quick answer…Giverny! We wish them safe travels and hope to see them again soon back in the USA.

Today is catch-up day for us with tons of laundry, grocery shopping, some apartment cleaning, etc. Tomorrow, we say Bonjour to Bernie’s cousins, Pierre & Laurie Verdier from Alsace for another fabulous week!

L & B