Saturday, June 23, 2012

A Day of Music

This and other posts are part of the "Paris Tour" party on Anita's blog, "Castles, Crowns and Cottages." The links are at the bottom of her lovely post HERE.) 

One of Rick's big dreams for his Parisian vacation was visiting the luthiers and guitar shops, with an eye toward choosing a new guitar for himself.
The district in Paris where there are multitudes of shops is a street called Rue du Rome and some of its sidestreets.
So, on another rainy day, we were off!
The streets in this area are named after the capitol cities of Europe -- it's no surprise that the Metro stop was called Europe.
 
The first shop we visited was one he'd heard of from the luthier we met on our first day, but they were closed for lunch.
So, we moved to the next one, where a lovely shop owner showed Rick many guitars, all of which he played.
Then we asked the shop keeper to play one, which was quite delightful!
After visiting the first shop, we were ready for lunch. The cafe on the corner looked nearby and inviting. 
Called La Lutetia, we were to discover a totally decadent and delicious omelet there! 
 
I love how dogs are present in cafes, restaurants and stores of Paris!
After lunch, we returned to our original destination. The shopkeeper was in the back, playing.
 
He invited Rick to do the same. While he played (and played and played), I made good tracks in my journal, settled into the comfy sofa in the front of the store.
 
Rick left that store with some music, but no guitar. The price ($10,000) and the thought of customs duty was a little bit overwhelming.
 
We window shopped around the area, finding a variety of fascinating shops.
 
A music shop offered some good deals on the sidewalk.
 
Inside, it was simply enormous, packed with sheet music.
 
Max Eschig was a publisher who was noted for his guitar publications. His company had once been at 48 Rue du Rome -- so of course, we had to take a photo!
All in all, our time at Rue du Rome was delightful -- if you are a serious music fan, you could do worse than spending all or part of a day trying out instruments.
And if you're a beginner, another version of the franchise could be found here, along with terrific CDs and sheet music.
After, we walked down toward the opera, where we would go tomorrow and did a bit of window shopping.
The displays were fabulous!
But we opted to spend our money at our favorite department store, BHV, located near Jerry's apartment. It's not inexpensive, but it's less than the others and the merchandise is as lovely.
 
Jerry fixed us a nice dinner and we had to agree that despite the rain, we had a lovely day!

Lessons from Paris

If you are planning a day like this -- interesting to one person, less so to the other, be sure to pack a book or journal. That well could be your only time to write in it -- or postcards, for that matter -- and your time will pass quickly.

Just because you window shop or even go into a grand store, remember, you may be able to get quite similar merchandise less expensively -- be a smart shopper and don't let the fabulous displays or emotion of the moment get in your way!

19 comments:

Becca said...

This would definitely be an appealing day for me..but what a good idea to take a journal along. I usually tuck a book or magazine into my bag for just such occasions, but never thought to write.

Smart lady!

Joanne Huffman said...

I have to admit I like the window display photos more than the others, but it sounds like a lovely day. I think the personal interest tourist activities are always the best.

Jeanie said...

I would have loved spending a day in this area, if only to walk around and look at the window displays. I am not a musician, but the guitars are interesting. We have a neighbor (who is also our dentist) who makes guitars and I have enjoyed seeing his creations.

Sally Wessely said...

I love how you each have different interests yet allow each other the time and space to fully enjoy those interests. Good advice on how to enjoy the day and keep the relationship strong.

Those guitars are beautiful, but wow, they are expensive!

Annie Jeffries said...

Great fun for Rick! Love seeing the dog in the shop. Wish there was more of that here.

Dr. Kathy McCoy said...

It sounds (and looks) like a perfect day, Jeanie! And so nice that you could be content journaling or writing postcards while Rick was enjoying making music. I'm loving hearing about your Parisian adventures!

Anonymous said...

I never knew that about the dogs being so much a part of it all in Paris until more recently. Interesting cultural difference.

Love all the details of your delightful experience, Jeanie. Could never get enough. Keep it coming! :)

Oh, and I hope you'll join us at the shop for our Snow in July party coming up soon. A celebration of light and unity would not be the same without you.
Much love, my friend,
Marcia

Angelsdoor * Penny said...

Hi Jeanie
Oh what a wonderful day! I would like nothing better than to have been there.. Lovely post!
fondly,
Penny

Linda Jo said...

It does look like a wonderful day. I would need a book!

Jennifer Richardson said...

glad for hubby's guitar joy:)
-Jennifer

Arti said...

I must keep this street in mind. A must-visit destination the next time I'm in Paris. I'd love to hear Rick play too bad these are photos and not videos. ;)

Tracy said...

Oh, I must show this to my husband, he plays guitar as well as piano/keyboards and he would just love to see this! Such fun to see Rick playing guitar and dreaming over the goodies in Paris. LOVE your photos, Jeanie! :o) Happy Days ((HUGS))

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

Have we talked about the book, "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank"? If you haven't read it, you really should! It's one of my favorites!

Sounds like a fun day! It's nice that Rick got a day to do what he really wanted to - it's always nice for each half of a couple to get a day that is all about them. And I am sure you had plenty to fill your journal with.

Ah, these posts just make me ache for Paris. Even just hearing you talk about the delicious omelet brings me back!

Sandy K. said...

I love your travelogues, Jeanie, and advice. It looks as if you really did this trip "right" - leaving time to really enjoy the experience and not run from one place to another just to say you'd been there. You came away with warm memories, as well as sore feet, I'm sure:). Thank you for sharing your adventures.

Marilyn Miller said...

Good advice and what a lovely day. That is something I would love to do if I go back to Paris, not the music stores, but other fun stores.

Toriz said...

My brother would have been in guitar heaven!

A few places here in England allow dogs too; my favourite cafe (a few streets away from us) is one of them.

Bella Rum said...

Looks like you didn't let the rain prevent you from enjoying yourselves. Wandering down streets and into shops on a rainy day in Paris sounds romantic.

shoreacres said...

Oh! I'm working my way backward, and the music shop sign would have been perfect for Rick!

There's nothing better than a hand-made instrument, and very little better than an afternoon of music with someone whose relationship with the instrument is so intimate. It's wonderful that this was part of the trip, too - I can nearly hear the music now!

Anonymous said...

Really cool pictures! I suggest you link your French posts to my weekly French meme: I love France. I review French books, or also posts pictures of my latest trip to France, not as nice as yours, though. here is the latest meme post: http://wordsandpeace.com/2012/06/14/i-love-france-22-pere-lachaise-cemetery/

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