by : Boyd Lemon. http://www.BoydLemon-Writer.com and Http://www.boomertravelblog.com.
I am an American senior citizen living in Paris. Last week I was taking a walk in a neighborhood I had not visited before, my favorite thing to do in Paris, and happened upon the Ritz Hotel on Place Vendome. I figured they would have some beautiful stuff in there, and it would be pleasant to walk through, so I did, and I was right. it is a gorgeous place. During my stroll down the hallways, I saw the Hemingway Bar, so I went in. I figured they might have Martinis. Back in the United States I enjoy a Martini every now and then. There are few places in Europe that have them, mainly American Bars, and I have had only one since I came to Paris eight months ago. In case you don’t know, a Martini as is drunk in the U.K. and U.S., is gin with or without a little dry white vermouth, strained through Ice and poured into a Martini glass garnished with an olive or a lemon peel.
Martinis have nostalgic value for me. I taught my oldest daughter to drink and enjoy them, probably before she could legally drink, and she and I have enjoyed them together ever since, most recently, just before I left for Paris while she was preparing dinner for her two children. So there’s lovely history there.
Anyway, back to the Hemingway Bar. It was packed, but there was one seat left at the bar, which I took. I looked around at the fascinating photographs of Hemingway when and before he used to hang out at this bar (of course, it wasn’t called the Hemingway Bar then). Apparently, he hung out here after he became rich and famous. There were also artifacts of his around the room, including an old Underwood typewriter that he used. The people there, including a man in full Arab garb and with more facial hair than I had ever seen, all looked interesting and very rich.
The bartender gave me a menu, and I looked through the long list of drinks. Sure enough, there was a classic Martini. I smiled to myself. But then I looked at the price–30 euro. That’s for one drink. I almost fell off the stool. In the U.S. the nice bars (and this, most assuredly, is a nice bar), they usually charge between $9 and $12 for them. That would be 7 to 9 euro. I hemmed and hawed to myself, saying, I can’t pay 30 euro for a drink. You can get a nice meal for that. That is a week’s food budget for some people.
Do you think I had one?
I did, and thoroughly enjoyed it, as well as the people watching in this amazing place. I savored it for about an hour, then went out and had a falafel at the nearest stand for 4 euro for dinner and took the Metro home. I bet nobody in that bar has ever been on the Metro. Aren’t people strange?
Boyd Lemon. http://www.BoydLemon-Writer.com and Http://www.boomertravelblog.com.