Lafayette we are here. The German experience is behind us and the French adventure begins. We boarded a train for France around 0900 this morning and arrived at 1300. William (French for Billy), our driver was waiting for us when we disembarked from the train. He took us straight away to our apartment and then we settled in. Later we walked a couple of blocks to the La Grande Epicerie de Paris. The ladies that read this chronicle should know that modern shopping, as we know it, began right here. In 1852 Aristide Boucicaut and his wife, Marguerite, created the world's first department store, Le Bon Marche'. One stop shopping. The precursor to Walmarts. Fixed prices, lower margins, home delivery, mail order, a lounge for the husbands, and a lunch counter. You get the idea. This commercial model was copied world wide.
The lunch counter evolved in to La Grande Epicerie. One of the leading food stores in Paris, it expanded across the street from Le Bon Marche and the buildings are joined by an elevated walkway to enable you to move from store to store and not worry about traffic. The groceries, the produce, the wine cellar, the kitchen, it is a leading light in the world of Parisian gastronomy. Very impressive, come see for yourself.
Speaking of impressive...have you ever been on a really fast train. We did today...314 knots. We tried to take pictures of the countryside, but everything was blurred. Tomorrow we tour Paris. It should be a fun day.
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| 316 kilometers per hour equals 196 MPH |
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| Paris version of Publix |
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| Pastry shop |
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| Produce area, Winn Dixie eat your heart out |
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| kind of reminds you of Joe Patti's |
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| Larry at rest |
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| Paris street scene |
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| France at 196 mph |
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| Latin Quarter, Paris |
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| near our apartment |
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