Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but I've decided to dump my coat in Paris. A Floridian accustomed to the unfettered use of my limbs, I've come to loathe that long, thick, heavy sarcophagus of a garment. Even stone dead in his tomb, King Tut had more range of motion than I do in that thing.

My grandson and I rode from the Metro entrance to La Samaritaine department store up to the ninth floor in a slow elevator so jam packed with after-Christmas shoppers that the only way I was able to turn around to watch the floor by floor store displays through the glass walls was by executing an owl-like 360? rotatation of my head, a move that elicited not a flicker of curiousity from my robotic French cellmates.

Continued...
We climbed the spiral metal steps leading to the rooftop terrasse only to have confirmed by two hunks in police uniform that, as all the posted signs had warned, the terrasse is indeed closed for the winter.

Subsequently, it was beneath the white-hot lights in the garret-like Samaritaine souvenir shop that I learned The Coat has Homicidal Intent.Too bulky to remove and carry over one arm like a headwaiter's towel, The Coat insidiously led me, as I dizzily debated silk scarves versus keychains, to the very brink of heatstroke.

Awoke at 4AM, confounded by jet lag, to the sound of cold rain dripping down the two sets of french doors to our hotel room balcony directly across from the glimmering, golden Invalides dome. Oh God, doomed by inclement weather to another day with The Coat!

Oh, but late last night we walked up to the four firmly planted feet of the Eiffel Tower just as the iron latticework soaring above us suddenly burst into an explosion of celebratory flashing lights.

All around us, bedazzled sightseers exhaled a collective "Ahhhhh!" of wonder which, by the way sounds exactly the same in any language.

Very amusing tale. A agree about the coat. Bonne Année.
mimi

Two years ago I bought a long raincoat that actually folds up and fits inside a bag about the size of a manilla folder. It is reversable - side one is black and side two is bronze. No lining. I have found that it is all I have ever needed for winter traveling in Europe. I usually wear slacks and silk long underware and a lightweight sweater. It goes from the flea markets right to dinner at the very best spots. Before I found this great coat I would travel with my short leather jacket for daytime and a dressier long lined raincoat for evening. Oh, yea it even has a hood to block the finest of mist without having to deal with an umbrella. Hopefully you can find something like this for your next trip. I love traveling to Europe in the winter.

Bon soir Madame,
Dump the coat and get a wool wrap. That is what my wife wears Autumn through Spring. If it's very cold put a sweater under it. If it's rainy, put a raincoat over it.

Bonsoir Cher Madame!
You have all my sympathy, there are few things as bad as being trapped in a hot heavy wooley thing with no way out!
Do as I always do in Paris-shop!! Go to Galleries Lafayettes coat dept and get a new lightweight French coat!! You will love it back home when someone asks "Where did you get that coat, I must have one also!" and you can say as smugly as you wish, "Paris"~
Have you noticed a lady with a long black coat dragging her down also? From Florida?
Have fun dear, and do keep writing!
Scarlett

Splitting a story up into parts like this leaves people guessing : is there a part two? (there is - - http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34463241) part three? (not yet).

Good contribution, however you post it here.

Best wishes,

Rex