A little Louis XIV flash

I spent as much time gawking at how Parisians put themselves together as I did at the art and architecture. Either they wear black, a splash of color, say a classic leather jacket in bright blue, and fabulous jewelry (they must all have personal jewelers because I never saw anything in a store like the baubles that adorned les femmes), or they wear black and set it off with a bright shirt and matching flats.

Orange is the new black; not prison or road crew orange but apricot, melon, papaya, tangerine or pumpkin. Clothes are cut such that the same simple style looks chic on everyone, no matter the age or body type.

June is Soldes month

Dates and terms of clearance sales are government regulated and happen twice a year. Quelle chance pour nous!

This is a good time to clear the air on the issue of French snootiness. We encountered none of that in our seven days in Paris. When we tried to use our French, the natives treated us like we were charming, precocious children, suggested the phrases we were struggling to form, and then switched happily into English, all smiles.

Taking the metro is fashionable

Be warned; if you take certain lines during morning rush hour you will get to know the French really well. We were pressed so tightly together we felt like the vacuum-packed olives we saw at Le Grand Epicurie. Popular museums were packed as well, but our guide Elizabeth taught us how to elbow our way into the choice spaces.

Time moves more slowly

Days did not seem to whiz by the way they do in the US. Perhaps it’s because we zip underground to our destinations and have more time to spend in cafes, reflecting on what we’ve seen.