European Diary - 3

In Europe, laptops are everywhere, especially used by businessmen (didn't actually see any business women) on the sleek trains that cross the countryside at ungodly speeds. We travelled back to France the day of the big rail strike, but were blessedly unaffected. In first class the waiter brings coffee or wine and a bit of breakfast or lunch to one's seat. Small helpings of tasty food.

I noticed that there were rather a lot of gentleman aged 45-60 who had a much younger blond in tow. Always a blond. Young and skinny. Obviously a status symbol like the Mercedes or the Philippe Patek watch. The blonde business was prevalent both in France and Germany. So if blondes don't actually have more fun they get the sugar daddy. Interesting phrase, that. Sucre pere? Zucker vater? Sounds better in English.

The French are much more elegant than we are. I didn't see any fatties and the people, expecially the women on the street looked very soignee in black with perhaps just a pink or red scarf to soften the unrelievedly dark color scheme. People walk a lot and at a pretty good clip, too, and maybe that's how they remain slim. And they smoke. And they drink the strongest coffee which maybe revs up the metabolism to burn about 50 calories a minute.

On the flight to Paris, I listened to La Chanson Francaise, and heard a song I really really liked. So much I stayed awake for eons until the tape came round again and I could track which song it was. Finally found, noted, and ripped out of the inflight magazine. Carefully packed it away, so I could order when I got back. Arrrgh! Cannot be found on American Amazon. Only on the French or English Amazon. Consider the postage. I could probably have bought it at the Airport. Seize the day. And seize the CD on the spot.

The icky taupe shoes that started off in Europe, favored by old ladies with their ankles falling down around their feet are gone. This godawful shoe color migrated into the general German population and then leapt over the pond and arrived here. God, they were ugly. I told friends who bought them that they were announcing to the whole world that they were old and had forsaken style forever. Someone even told me that he finally got rid of those shoes I didn't like. And the only taupe shoes seen, except on one old man, were on sale outside at a hopelessly out of date East German dept. store. Even THEY were getting rid of them. Of course the French never wore them.

Never, ever, make a fashion statement in those yucky taupe shoes. You can wear them in the nursing home when your mind and your sense of style are gone and someone has to put them on your feet. Only then.

End of taupe shoe rant.

Alors,

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