Paris

“This hotel is a dump!”  Thirteen year-old Nancy wrote these words in her “Letter to Nancy” (c/o American Embassy.)  We had come to Paris because my Mother, a lawyer, had a client there.  We were staying at a small hotel on rue des Saints-Pères near St. Germain in Paris.  Hotel des Saints-Pères, which I described as “old, dirty and dingy.” At breakfast the hot rolls were delicious, but my hot chocolate was luke-warm, watery and full of boiled strings. I was especially disgusted by the clean white paper covering stains on the much-used tablecloth.  I wrote sarcastically in my diary that the French don’t like water, soap nor butter.  “When I asked for a bath, their eyes popped out!” I did not like Paris.  I think my sarcasm was due to the fact that I had been spoiled by frequent visits to NYC, where my Uncle Jack was a radio celebrity and everything was top notch.  The Gamblings’ apartment was on Riverside Drive, overlooking Grant’s Tomb, George Washington Bridge, and the broad Hudson River flowing out to the sea.  My uncle had a blue Cadillac convertible, with white-walled tires, there were fancy restaurants which they frequented, and good seats for the operetta matineés my Aunt and I used to love.  I was simply a “spoiled brat.” 

Many decades later, I visited Paris again, that time with André, my 2nd husband.  We stayed at the Hotel des Saints-Pères, which had been beautifully remodeled and upgraded.  I couldn’t believe my eyes!  We stayed there on several visits to Paris, enjoying the good location,  beautiful shops, and good restaurants nearby.  Hotel des Saints-Pères is no longer a dump!

Mother and I saw all the sights that tourists are supposed to see.  The Louve, Notre Dame, Luxenborg Gardens, the Tuilleries.  Being a lawyer, she wanted to visit a courtroom.  The lawyers and judge all wore robes and wigs. (?)  The lawyers were yelling at the judge and jury!

I especially remember the magnificent stained glass windows at St. Chappelle Cathedral: the reds, yellows and blues, flooded with light.  I wanted to work with stained glass, and did eventually make a lamp, which I have in my SF apartment.  I remember that the King of England was visiting Paris at that time.  The Champs Elysee was decorated. There was a big parade.  I noticed the Tunisian soldiers wearing baggy red pants. I remember seeing “Blanche Nèige” (Snow White) in French at a beautiful enormous movie theater on that magnificent boulevard.

I think what I enjoyed most of all were the leisurely outdoor dinners at cafés and restaurants.  I like French cooking and the way the waiters cared about satisfying our needs.  When we returned to Pittsburgh I remember saying to Mother, “Let’s dilly-dally as the Parisians do!”

In 2009, when we were both 84 years old, we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in Paris.  We rented an apartment in Montmartre, with a view of the cathedral.  We had our Anniversary Dinner (the first of many!) with our children and friends at Le Grand Colbert, my favorite restaurant.  I wish we could fly to Paris in October and celebrate our 60th anniversary.  But we can’t because he is gone.