So, for Christmas, I bought Sylvain the book: 1000 Places to See Before You Die. I wasn’t too sure if he’d like it, but I bought it anyway since it looked like a fun book to have around. Well, I’m glad I did give it to him…today, while walking through Paris, we stopped and had afternoon tea at the Hotel de Crillon near Place de la Concorde, across from the Jardin de Tuileries. The assortment of pastries alone is enough to bring you back for more – we may go again tomorrow with his mom. ;o)
Today, I woke up late (which was nice), had breakfast and got ready for the day. We *had* a nice day planned: shopping in the 5th, then tea in the 8th, ice skating at the Tour Eiffel, and dinner on the bateau mouche. Well, we accomplished the first two, but since it was chilly and Sylvain was tired, we walked the Champs-Elysees and shopped at Sephora for makeup and products and Petit Bateau for tank tops (yes, in Winter).
Yesterday, we visited his uncle, aunt, and cousins for lunch out in the farther suburbs (near Roissy). It was there that we learned that Sylvain’s great-uncle (the brother of his grandmother), who was a secret service agent for the British during WW2, published his memoires of his service during the war. It told stories of espionage…a behind the scenes of D-day, if you will. I found it extremely fascinating to read this first hand account of D-day. Also, fascinating that Frank, his great-uncle who is probably in his late 80s, could accurately remember so much and add a bit of humor to it. Sylvain was telling me earlier today, that his grandfather was also part of the Resistance in Paris. He was working at a telephone company and was in charge of connecting the calls between occupied France and Germany. Part of his task simply included not connecting the calls or disconnecting them. At some point, the Gestapo came looking for him, but he was able to escape to the South of France, leaving his wife and 3 sons in Paris. (He wasn’t able to reunite with them until after the war was over.) I wish I could sum it all for you, but it would take some time. But, it is a pretty cool story.
Tomorrow, the meteo predicted snow! Keep your fingers crossed!