30 Years Ago

Before I go any further, I need to back up a day.  On our first full day in Paris I checked in with TripAdvisor (again, thinking I was going to do a trip report while there, funny guy) and I had a private message from an expat living in Paris.  He offered advice and extended a friendly welcome.  I mention him now because we met him and his wife for café creme later in the week.  More about that in a few days.

Thirty years ago on July 2nd I married a beautiful country woman living in East Texas.  She has given me the privilege of fathering two sons with her and sharing her life for the last 30 years.  During this time she discovered I'm not much of a romantic, I don't say "I love you" often enough and I don't open up emotionally very easily.  But, I have my moments.

July 2nd 2013 was all about my wife.

We began the day by picking up croissants at our neighbor bakery, then headed out to Salon David Mallet.  If you have never had your hair cut and styled in Paris, you should.  The experience alone is worth the cost of session.

If you have not heard of David Mallet, he is a well known stylist who quietly works his trade cutting and styling the hair of such well knowns as Natalie Portman, Sharon Stone, Diane Kruger, Kate Winslet and many, many more.  Check out his website here.

Arriving at the salon we were greeted and offered something to drink, water, wine or soda.  We both opted for water since it was 10:00am and neither of us were in the mood for sodas.  We were invited to sit in the reception area until the time for Betty's appointment.  Within a few minutes Barbara, one of David's senior stylists and Betty's stylist for today, appeared and escorted Betty to the shampoo room while I was left alone in the reception area.

I was not left long, Barbara appeared again and invited me to sit next to Betty in an empty station next to her.  Of course, I accepted.  Barbara then spoke with me about what she thought would work for Betty's hairstyle.  My wife had long hair, maybe to the middle of her back and Barbara and I both agreed that while it would look better shorter, it wasn't going to be short.  Barbara stated she didn't think a real short style would flatter my wife, we both agreed shoulder length was where it should be.  Once Betty returned from the shampoo room (which I'm told is more like a massage room for your head and shoulders) Barbara consulted with Betty and again, it was agreed to go shoulder length.  Trusting her expertise, Betty left the actual style up to Barbara.

Once she began cutting, it was actually a pleasure to watch.  Barbara's approach was not as any stylist I have ever watched or personally experienced.  Her approach was more akin to an artist creating a flowing sculpture meant to capture the breeze, channel it through the strands to make the hair flow fluidly with just a touch of bounce as you walked.  Barbara would finish one section, move on to the next, decide she could improve the previous and come back to work it further.

During the course of Betty's pampering, a young lady came around offering to freshen up our drinks and later, she came around with assorted chocolates.  I don't know where the chocolates were from but, the one I chose was heavenly.

Once Barbara was satisfied she asked us what we thought, truthfully, we were almost giddy.  The style was perfect for her, it actually took years off her appearance.  I later joked that people would look at us and wonder how the old dude was able to score such a hot looking young chick.  I do believe my wife is beautiful but what Barbara did brought out that beauty for all to see.

Next, we headed back to the studio to start getting ready for our anniversary dinner.  We were able to get an early reservation at le Café Marly.  We had our dinner on the terrace overlooking the courtyard of the Louvre.

The meal was delicious, Betty started with a lobster salad while I had an avocado and crab salad.  We both opted for sea bass as our main course and we shared a lemon raspberry tart for dessert.  Everything was perfect.  Although, at one point we did have to convince a pigeon he was getting too close to our bread.  A glass of wine, a wonderful dinner, great ambiance and a cup of coffee afterward.  I now understand the French custom of a relaxing meal.

Walking back to the studio the sun had began its downward path and bathed the city in golden evening sunlight.  It was the perfect end to the day.

This was my romantic moment and gift to my wife who seriously, puts up with more from me than I ever would.

As it turned out, the next day was raining, the only day it rained the entire time we were there.  So we decided to just stay in the studio and be domestic.  You know, do the dishes, laundry, ironing and just chill out.

The dishes were easy to do, a quick sweep of the floor and gathering clothes to wash and the studio was done.  Laundry was all that was left.  A selling point for me when I rented the studio was the fact it came with a washer and dryer, I didn't know at that time that in Europe most washers and dryers were combination units.  Meaning the machine you put your clothes in to wash is also the dryer.  It is small, it would only handle about 4 kilos of clothes at a time and it is slow.  We only had three small loads and it took 8 hours to wash and dry them.  We learned, start a load when we leave in the morning or when we go to bed at night, there would not be another "domestic day", it just eats up way too much sightseeing/shopping/museum/people watching time.

Sorry there are now pictures this time but, this was our anniversary and I didn't want to spend it looking through a camera lens.

Until next time, take care everyone.