Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email

Holidays in Paris

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email

For the past days, most offices have been closed for the whole week here in Paris. November 11 is Armistice Day commemorating the signing of the armistice between Germany and the Allies that led to a ceasefire and finally put an end to World War 1. Since it fell on a Thursday this year, a lot of Parisians fled the city before the massive throng invaded airports and railroad stations making it almost a week of shuttered workplaces. It also was the birthday of my late spouse Hervé. I took it upon myself to go to church to light a candle for him and pray for the coming birthday of my late father Dr. Eduardo Jayme Garcia exactly a week after. 

I got my flu shot, went window shopping in the outlets because I really need new clothes like a hole in the head and attended a welcome dinner for Ramon Bilbao in the landmark Chinese restaurant of Paris Le President where all European royals would dine, hosted by Melissa Lopez who herself, left for the sunny climes of Miami Beach in Florida the day after. Unfortunately, management has changed since the pandemic and my fav dim sum menu was dropped for pricey Chinese nouvelle cuisine.Jetting in from Monte Carlo was Eduardo “Nene” Lacson who was recently vacationing in Lisbon and Naples and ended up being a house guest of Imperial Manila real estate magnate Nonoy Campos. Before that, we were treated to an advanced birthday celebration of our Tilda doll fashionable Kathy de Guzman with hubby big bucks banker Bing de Guzman at the Avenue Kléber residence of Paris socialite Erwan Legouar. 

ELG at the bus line for home; middle, charcoal latte in Maison Plisson; right, an unusual fountain in rue des Tournelles*
Pål Larsen at the entrance to Place des Vosges; middle, modern sculpture in a private courtyard; right, Pål and Nonoy Campos pose by the gateway to Place des Vosges*
Dinner at Erwan’s Paris pad (l-r) Kathy de G, Erwan Legouar, Nonoy Campos, Pål Larsen, Melissa Lopez and Bing de Guzman*
Erwan cooked everything from the hors d’œuvres to the Boeuf Bourguignon; middle, Tilda Swinton doll Kathy de G in iron grey suit; right, birthday glam Kathy with her bday tarte au citron*

My feet are itching for a holiday in some new places I’ve never been to like Algeria or Zanzibar where our Norwegian house guest Synnøve just came from. Unfortunately, it seems that France is gearing up for a 5th wave of the Covid-19 new variant, so Pål and I decided to stay put in Paris, afraid that travel restrictions could pop up overnight and catch us unaware in some exotic part of a Third World country and not have the safety measures which France offers. The start of winter is obviously here with temperatures falling to 3* at 7:00. So, I’ve put out my electric blanket, aired all my fur and cashmeres and yes, finally got a cashmere pajama set to complete my wardrobe. 

I’m missing my Opera and ballet seasons but I’d feel silly wearing a mask inside the theatre and getting paranoid with no social distancing for events that hold hundreds of spectators. This damn pandemic has completely ruined my Parisian pleasures but I will have to accept the fact that there’s a new normal and I must abide with the protocols if I must survive this decade. C’est la vie! Keep safe, Dahlinks and do it in style, please. 

MY PRAYER. What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? “The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.” Isaiah 14:32, NIV*

ARCHIVES

Read Article by date

March 2024
MTWTFSS
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

Get your copy of the Visayan Daily Star everyday!

Avail of the FREE 30-day trial.