The big talk this week has been gas prices, which have hit and risen above the $4 mark in my corner of the world.This saddens me more than anything, because I know it means curtailed travel for many of us. And that means fewer people will have the chance to taste another culture and sample another culture's food and customs and buildings.
What will that mean for tolerance and understanding?
At the local mall, I passed a table of students collecting for next year's trip to France. I gave them the contents of my wallet (alas, it was not much) and told them I hoped they would love France as much as I do.
I fear that next fall's trip is folly, and may be our last for a while, what with high fuel prices and the diminished dollar. So we have promised ourselves to make the most of it. We will have three nights in Paris and 14 at Chez Bateau.
Will we ever return?
The photo above is the hulking yet elegant St. Eustache near site of the old Les Halles. Surely this spot must be my spiritual home in Paris? I cannot describe what I felt there, just a year ago today.
In looking over my photos from that day, I found this one best illustrated the uplift I felt as we lingered in the garden where the old food stalls once stood. Can you feel the color of the day and the lightness of the air?
It was a perfect moment. So sweet, almost holy.
27 comments:
Ooooh, yes! We LOVED St. Eustache this time around - so huge and light and full of air compared to Notre Dame! I posted about St. Eustache, even though mine is mostly a food blog.
Gas/Petrol here in France is $10 a gallon. Really, it is.
St Eustache is great, but have you been to Sainte Chapelle? Now, that's a Parisien church...
Certainly curtailed travel this summer -- but it means that we will learn to appreciate what we have at home, perhaps to meet or spend more time with neighbors or working for the betterment of our own communities -- and pining for the places we can go when our economy allows. And, as Rick said to Ilsa, you'll always have Paris.
Zommie: I will be over to see your post! I am coming off a two-week period of intense work, and have had no time for blogging. But now I must...
TBNIL, I will do that next trip, if I can.
That's true, Lydia, we can appreciate what we have. But I worry about the future...
I've sure seen the prices slip up over the years. When I first moved here, round trip tickets to Seattle were around 700-800 dollars in the summer. This year we paid about 1400 euros round trip per person. Ouch!
Obviously the low dollar makes travel in Europe expensive too. But don't be so glum! These things go back and forth. When I was a student in France in 1980, the exchange rate was something like 4 francs to the dollar. A few years later when I went back as a teacher on a summer program -- 1985? -- it was 10 francs to the dollar.
That does cheer me a bit, BC. When we bought $1000 worth of euros in 2005, we got 728. In 2007, it took $1200 to get $835 euros. We will have to spend a lot more this year. We'll be driving a Mini Cooper instead of a BMW, so that will help some. Still, I think we will be driving less than we planned a year ago when we started planning the trip.
Gorn was so excited to take me in St Eustache! Crazy but we almost got locked in overnight! It is a magical church. And knowing the history of the surrond is magical in a different way.
Yes, at this point I don't know when our next trip will be.
Locked in over night! I want to hear more Tanna! I think you mentioned this once before but I do not know the story.
Life changes; we adjust.
The way mon mari and I travel now, we wouldn't have even considered 15 years ago, yet we are enjoying it more, getting more pleasure and meeting more people.
Mimi, you'll always find a way to get to France... and you'll always have a wonderful time... It's just meant to be!
I suppose you are right, Katie, and I am just being too pessimistic. I do think there will be longer periods of time between trips, though.
The post about St.Eustache is 'way back in March so here's the link:
http://zoomiestation.blogspot.com/2008/03/serious-cooking.html
The dollar was very weak when we went, too, but it was worth every penny!
I recall that post, Zoomie! Any friend of Kim's is a friend of mine. I have found that lots of people have posted online about his charm.
St. Eustache is a beautiful building. Its nice to have a spiritual home away from home.
The price of gas is around $2 for a litre now.
As far as future travel goes - where there is a will there is always a way :)
I suppose you are right, Fiona. I'm just a bit glum this weekend, finally noticing how much everything has risen in price.
I leave in less than two weeks for Provence and I feel it may be my last visit for a while, unless things change, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. I will allow myself to purchase food items to bring home but that's about it. I'm planning to take many, many photos.
Eileen (passions to pastry)
www.livingtastefully.com
The effect high gas prices have had on airline tickets is certainly one of the reasons we will not be able to get to Tuscany this year. And that, in turn, will push off our future travels to other places. I was depresessed when I finally accepted we could not go this year - I was really looking forward to showing my love how beautiful it is there.
Eileen, I was hoping to get to Provence in 2010, perhaps in the spring. But that may not happen. We plan our trips well in advance.
Annette, I am sorry to hear that! I found a larger increase between 2005 and 2007 than between 2007 and 2008.
But Mimi, it's embarrassing to tell you we didn't understand what was happening and being announced when the monk went through to close up for the night. We were just sitting quietly and then the door to exit was locked! oops!
Ooh, Tanna, how scary! How did you get out?
What a beautiful picture, Mimi. It is really difficult to say what will happen to those of us who wish to continue to travel......with the fuel, the price of plane tickets was bound to soar! Give it a bit of time, and things will settle down. I have to tell you I was in Florence last Sunday and I paid 24 euros for two coffees(caps) and two pieces of pastry. It has completely turned me off-the prices are horrible with our dollar. I could not wait to return home! Thank goodness you have many, many fond memories to keep you going!
Good heavens, Jann! We expect to eat out rarely, except maybe in Paris once. We'll go to LeClerc once we're settled in out little house in the village and cook most of our meals Chez Bateau.
You probably know that Mozart's mother died while with him in Paris and her funeral was at Saint-Eustache.
I do seem to recall that, Louis, but thanks for jogging my memory. It often needs a push these days...
Gas has gotten out of control... and I don't see an end in sight anywhere. We are still traveling some this year, but because of that we've had to curtail what we do when we get to our destinations. It really is sad, especially when you have family that you travel to see. The bigger picture - it is really hurting more than just the wallets of Americans! It is hurting their lives.
We Americans have gotten so accustomed to cheap gas, its hard t adjust to real-world prices. I remember, back in 1992, my college professor used to say over & over that $1 per gallon gas (which it was at the time) was so ridiculously underpriced and unreasonable....I guess he was right...now that the price is more in-line with the rest of the world (and with demand) what is it for us to do? our whole society & economy is based upon cheap oil. Now what? Well we move on, but the Frech are enviable with their public transit and all.
Kristen and Bruised Orange, thank you for your comments.
I am pretty disgusted with gas prices right now. It cost me $100 to fill my gas tank recently.
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