Following the Sunday evening festivities, Evi and Michael Stadler kindly invited us to spend the night in their home and, in the morning, she fixed what amounted to a German power breakfast. On her table were various breads, cold cut meats, local cheeses, fruit juices, home-made condiments and freshly brewed coffee. What made it a power breakfast was all the scraps of paper on the table that constituted our deal. Aside from the title of ownership, there was a bill of lading, a government stamped acknowledgement of arrival in France, vehicle history and checklist of items contained in the vehicle. In addition, Michael needed our Swift Code to transfer the Euro amount into our Dollar account in the U.S.
By now I’m sure you’re all thirsting to know how much the car sold for and I’m afraid you won’t find that information here. Our CPA (who used to work for the IRS) advised us, “That’s nobody’s business but yours and the new owners.” Since I pay him for advice when he talks to me on the phone, this time I’m going to listen. Let’s leave it at this; He didn’t steal it and we didn’t give it away. I guess that’s what they call a real deal.
We paid one last visit to the MG on our way to catch a train in Frankfurt. The Stadler’s were respectful of our desire to say goodbye properly. In effect, the MG was our first-born and we were doing what all parents do…seeing her off to a new life with hopes that it will be half as good as the time she spent with us. If I said we walked away with our cheeks dry, it would be a lie.
We were chauffeured to the Frankfurt airport bahnhof by Michael Stadler in his new 7 Series BMW complete with heads-up windshield display and all the safety options that keep you from plowing into the rear of the slower Mercedes sedans. Feeling flush, we chose to go 1st class on the TGV to Paris and said goodbye to Michael with a warm hug. Riding on the TGV is a real kick when you realize you’re traveling at 173.5 MPH (so says the brochure) and the wine in your glass is barely rippling. Just to make sure I tried this test with several glasses and the results were the same each time. Because of on board WiFi, I was able to put together a blog and send it all from my comfortable seat. After blogging and doing wine tests, I had little interest in lifting our bags when we arrived in Paris.
You might be lulled into thinking, with the sale of the car, this blog’s mission is complete but that was only part of our original plan. The other goal was to re-do the honeymoon and now we are back in Paris where it all started. Since our daughter and grandson have returned to California so he could start school, our friend, Herve Laurent booked us into Le Relais Montemarte, a recently renovated hotel right in the middle of the famed bohemian district.
Since we had two whole days to spend in Paris we decided to do what we did fifty three years ago…just bum around. For starters we had croissants and café au lait at a little sidewalk cafe on Place Blanche, just opposite the world famous Moulin Rouge nightclub. It looks a little tawdry in the daytime so we made a note to come back at night to see if it improves.
We hadn’t been to the touristy top of Montemarte for decades so decided
to see what changes there were, if any. Although this area has always
been popular we weren’t prepared for the human tide that flooded
the streets. Yes, we know during August in Paris it’s difficult to find a
Frenchman on the streets and these crowds would bear that out.
I had to wait for the crowds to clear to take this picture.
It only got worse as we approached the basilica of Sacre
Coeur. I couldn’t figure out where the people were going.
Maybe inside the church? Never found out and lost
interest rapidly when I realized this crowd situation
is pickpocket heaven. There are signs everywhere that
make you check your wallet. Of course, that shows the
pickpocket exactly where you keep it.
Louise did find a friendly face that became unfrozen at the sight of a couple of Euros.
She said she hoped he’d use the money for much needed dental work.
Window shopping is another distraction in the Montemarte area,
but it gives the shopkeeper time for a cigarette break at the curb while Louise is making up her mind not to buy.
With nowhere to be and not much to do, there was plenty of time for a wine break to watch the passing crowd.
Since I had control of the camera, I found women to be far more interesting subjects than the men walkers.
This one almost bumped into the camera but, of course, she was walking for two. Maybe three.
Before we knew it, it was time for lunch and we already had a
table. There was no problem striking up conversations with our
tablemates, all of whom spoke English without a French accent.
For sure, it is August in Paris.
It was a quick ride by metro to the Louvre where
they were featuring l’art de l’auto
Mobile …masterpieces from the Ralph Lauren
collection of…of all things…cars.
It featured 17 masterpieces of automotive design and distinction that came from Lauren’s fascination with things beautiful.
We were pleased to recognize cars that we first saw when they were new and we were young. The frustration is that we
still can’t afford them. Cameras not allowed so I borrowed this elegant layout from the July issue of Road and Track.
No visit to Paris is complete without a stop at l’Avant Comptoir, the crêpe and wine bar on the street Carrefour de l’Odeon. Our special mission was to purchase their trademark wine glass to replace one that had broken at home. Of course we had to have a crêpe and some red wine to test the new glass.
During this visit we had a chance to renew our acquaintance over dinner with Philippe Aubry, President of the MG Club de France. We swapped stories about car rallies and our experiences in driving 5,000 miles in a 57-year old car. I think he was more impressed with Louise’s resilience than that of the car.
We met long time friend Herve Laurent for drinks at Fouquet’s on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
It is a huge tourist magnet and we remember having drinks here in 1958 and 1959.
When the check came we remembered why we stopped coming here. A tall glass of beer cost 18 Euros (over $25).
We sat there nursing it for over an hour just to make sure we got our money’s worth of time in the booth.
We also used the rest rooms twice.
I joined the daredevils in the center of the Champs to get the classic photo of the Arc de Triomphe at sunset. You can see by
the lack of traffic that half of Paris is on vacation and the other is in some wine bar so it wasn’t as dangerous as it could be.
We were fooled, once again, by the distances on the
small maps and decided to hoof it to the Trocadero
to view the Eiffel Tower at night. We even passed up a
gaudy Metro entrance that is part of a Paris
beautification project. At first we thought it was a
casino.
Just as we were about to run out of steam on Avenue
Kléber I saw the showroom for Tesla, the all electric
sports car made in California.
A friend and Bible buddy, Franz Von Holzhausen, is
the head designer for Tesla so I couldn’t pass up the
opportunity to show him how an electric car is
showcased in the City of Light.
We finally reached the Café Trocadero, the same place we had breakfast on the first day of our honeymoon 53 years ago.
The evening light display was about to begin so it was super crowded but we did manage a celebratory glass of wine before
we joined the crowd to watch the ten-minute illumination of the Paris landmark, the Eiffel Tower. When the lights went
out it marked the completion of a 2 ½ month adventuresome journey through our past. It was an extremely quiet metro
ride back to our stop at Place Blanche.
But, when we emerged from underground, we found that Paris was still very much alive.
The lights of the Moulin Rouge were now ablaze; people were wandering the streets and something
in the air said, “You can’t be done yet. What about a third honeymoon? Come on. Think it over.”
This is the appropriate time to introduce the video version of our last day in Paris. Yes, Ray was not only busy with the still
camera, but he had a video camera right alongside. What else would you expect from someone who spent fifty years in the
business. Just click on the link below and you’re on your way.
Louise and Ray…thinking it over.
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