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Shopping in Paris

Paris looked beautiful and unique with bare trees under the cloudy, blustery skies of March.' The skyline is lovely because no buildings are allowed to be taller than the Eiffel Tower. The dominant roofline is the mansard roof, which gives Paris its own distinctive look.

My sister-in-law and traveling companion, Marian, and I took a 10-day trip, March 20-29, '01. The airfare was $640 round trip from Portland, OR, to Paris.

We stayed eight nights at the Hotel Brebant (32 Blvd Poissonniere, Paris; phone 011 [33] 1477 02555) and the room cost was $58 per person per day, double occupancy, including buffet breakfast.

The airport transfer to and from the hotel was $38, and travel insurance was $74. The total cost for our trip, as booked through Northwest Airlines WorldVacations (phone 800/727-1111 or visit www.nwaworldvacations.com), was $1,214 per person.

Normally, I'm not a shopper. The sameness of American stores is extremely boring. A friend told me, "All American products are produced by only five manufacturers," which certainly would explain the lack of variety. However, Paris is a shopper's paradise. There is tremendous variety and a flamboyance to French shopping choices.

I took along a book, "The Paris Shopping Companion," second edition, by Susan S. Winkler (1998, Cumberland House. ISBN 1888952709 -- $12.95, 208, pgs.). It was helpful in identifying shopping areas and streets. Although many of the stores identified in the book were gone, their spaces are now occupied by other hopeful entrepreneurs.

One such was an absolutely superb silk flower store called Emilio Robbia L'Atelier (63 rue du Bac, Paris). The silk flowers in his store were the hand-tied variety of a wonderful quality I have not seen in the U.S. His arrangements are very simple and beautiful. It will be a challenge to emulate his style.

Another interesting store is Diners En Ville (27 rue de Varenne and 89 rue du Bac, Paris -- there are two entrances). What I found so interesting about the merchandise were the very unusual blends of color. If there were two contrasting colors in the tableware and cloth, a complementary color or two would be added to give the whole look "punch." They definitely do not do matchy-matchy!

Rue de Rivoli, the street that runs along the back of the Louvre, is the location of many tourist shops where one can buy inexpensive scarves and watches.

The Louvre's Musee des Arts de la Mode (Museum of Fashion) is found at 107 rue de Rivoli and is well worth an hour or two. I found the displays of couture on dress forms and whole rolls of exquisite fabric wonderful viewing. Sharing the same building was the Musee des Arts Decoratifs (Museum of Decorative Arts), which was a disappointment because only one floor was open, that of the medieval decor. The other two floors of decorative items were barricaded to the public.

Also on rue Rivoli is Angelina at No. 226. This restaurant is famous for its hot chocolate. Marian said it was like drinking a melted chocolate candy bar. Be prepared to pay $9 for a pot of two cups.

We chose not to stand in the long line to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Instead, we viewed the Paris skyline from the top of Gallery Lafayette and La Samaritaine, two of the four large department stores in Paris. The view was stupendous and free! Galeries Lafayette is a wonderful department store for jewelry. I bought a pin that looks like a Bonaparte bee.

Across the street from Gallery Lafayette is a fabulous fabric store called Bouchara. On the main floor it has home decor fabrics and accessories. I bought French chicken made out of a straw-like material. The French seem to feature chickens rather than bunnies for Easter.

Uniquely individual jewelry can be found in Paris' many little boutiques. Marian and I particularly liked the shops found the length of rue St-Louis en L'Isle on Ile St-Louis (St-Louis Island in the Seine River). If one's shopping time is limited in Paris, I would recommend seeing rue St-Louis en L'Isle first because it seems the most interesting and quaint.

Tresors du Tibet (Treasures of Tibet) is located at No. 27. The female proprietor shops twice a year in Tibet and India. I bought a lovely pendant and Marian an outrageous necklace from this shop.

Le Sarrasin et le Froment Creperie (484 rue St-Louis, Ile St-Louis,) is a wonderful restaurant serving crepes that are either salty or sugary. The salty ones are entrees and the sweet crepes are desserts.

Le Grain de Sable (79 rue St-Louis, en L'Isle) is a wonderful little boutique which makes most of its own hats and handbags. Many of the spring hats looked like they belonged at an "Alice in Wonderland" tea party or opening day at the Ascot Races. I bought an outrageous summer handbag and a shocking red straw visor.

One rue St-Louis en L'Isle boutique that I particularly admired featured one-of-a-kind puppets. The young man tending the shop was completing a lovely pencil drawing of a Parisian scene.

Il Campiello (88 rue St-Louis, en L'Isle) stocks beautiful millefleur paperweights and ceramic masks from Venice, Italy.

Parisians come in all colors and ethnic groups, but there is one thing they all have in common: they are thin. Their physical size is due partly to heredity and partly to good eating habits. The only fast-food restaurants I saw were the American franchises Burger King and McDonald's. For fast food the Parisians eat a crepe that they buy from a "to go" crepe vendor.

Of the various food halls I investigated, I liked the one at Bon Marche the best! It rivals Harrods in London and seemed larger and friendlier! What really intrigued me was the personal service. If someone wanted asparagus, the clerk at the vegetable display would weigh and wrap it, writing the price on the wrapper. Each selection would be treated in this manner, complete with conversation between the buyer and clerk. Finally, all purchases would be taken to the checkout counter. Bon Marche food hall is so popular, it is treated as the local grocery store by the people of the neighborhood.

Rue de Paradis is home to many shops that discount Limoge, Baccarat, etc. Baccarat's Musee de Cristal (30, rue de Paradis, Paris) museum is well worth 'a visit. Beautiful crystal is displayed from many expositions dating from 1822. The variety is remarkable. There is a large showroom, where you can purchase contemporary Baccarat crystal.

A wonderful Sunday activity is to attend the 10 a.m. mass at Notre Dame. On my visit the pageantry was amazing. The incense rose in huge clouds to the ceiling. The sound of "the boys' choir was beautiful. The priest's message was in French and Latin (neither of which I understand). The mass lasted 90 minutes. If you 'like organ music, there is a 5:45 p.m. concert.

Two days after we arrived, the museum workers struck, so museums were closed except for Versailles. We took an 8-hour organized' tour of Versailles which included' the palace and' gardens; the two chateaux of Trianon and the Queen's Hamlet. It was very rainy and windy at Versailles but well worth the effort.

If you enjoy beautiful historic houses, Musee Nissim de Camondo, the lovely home of a Sephardic Jewish family who founded the largest bank in the Ottoman Empire, is a must. The architecture was based on the Petit Trianon at Versailles and is filled with 18th-century furniture and objets d'art.

Paris' is such a beautiful, exciting city. This is the sixth time I have visited, and' hopefully I will visit' it many more times.

MARY FELLER

Portland, OR

Unauthorized credit card use We saw the letters regarding safety in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the September '01 issue. We visited Rio during Carnaval in 2000 and our experience was great. There was no actual or perceived physical threat, and we walked all around several major sections of the city at all hours of the day and/or night.

"However, when I received my July MasterCard billing, I noted over $2,000 worth of unauthorized charges to my credit card. Since all of my purchases by card were for the months of February and March, and the new ones originated in June in Rio, it was obvious that these were fraudulent charges.

When I called the bank that issued my credit card, the lady who filed my complaint observed, "That's funny, just earlier today I had several similar complaints from others in Brazil. at the same time."

Apparently, at one of the many restaurants at which we ate, someone took a copy of our account. number and then waited several months before charging unauthorized items to my account.

After I filled out a routine claim, the bank eliminated the false charges. Without any hesitation or delay.

Upon reflection, there ,was no way we could have accompanied our credit card to the point where each cashier processed it (as is frequently recommended by travel advisories) because the crowds and the locations of the cashiers prevented this precaution.