Beth Blalock from Hilton Head, South Carolina, contacted me a few months ago, inquiring about a tour with her and her family in the end of May. We emailed each other back and forth about various details and I got a sense she was a warm person. In one of our communications the subject of the HBO series “In Treatment” came up, mainly because I had written on one of my blog posts that I was quoted in a N.Y. Times article about the show. Beth said it was her absolute favorite TV show and was obsessive about viewing it every night. I told her I felt the same way and we had a heated discussion of our favorite episodes and characters. I realized we had totally bonded over the show and was even more eager to finally meet her.
The first day of our tours, I met her husband Phillip, a true southern genteel gentleman with an authentic southern drawl and their son Jon, a big guy with a big heart, in the lobby of the Hotel de Louvre while waiting for the girls to finish dressing. After a few minutes, Beth and daughter Ashley came down to meet us and we hugged like old friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while. Beth is a very attractive, elegant woman with fine features and delicate, porcelain white skin, and Ashley, tall and beautiful, was a total fashion plate. Of course we got on like a house on fire, and for the next four days we had a ball seeing Paris.
We toured the rue St. Honore with its luxurious fashion boutiques, the lavish Palais Royal, and the glorious food shops on the Madeleine. In the afternoon, we went to the Ile St. Louis and after we did an historic tour of the Marais. I could already see Beth and Ashley were champion thoroughbred shoppers, because the few shops we went into, they bought something. They were also was my favorite kind of shoppers: the decisive ones who buy without hesitation. However, they were holding back that day, as they didn’t want to bore the men who were history buffs and had booked a special shopping day on Friday.
Beth & Ashley
On Thursday night we were scheduled to go to a jazz club and had dinner before. When I arrived, Beth said she had some small gifts for me and hauled out a rather large canvas tote bag. I was touched by her thoughtfulness, and started to open what seemed like an endless array of the most beautifully wrapped gifts with lime green polka dotted and black and white striped ribbon I had ever seen. They ranged from local sea shell themed souvenirs to the little book of foreign swear words. But most special of all was the little gold wire crown decorated with red rosettes that Beth had specially made for me, and a pewter frame with a crown on top, and the insert saying:
Sir Richard Nahem
King of Tours
Awarded Best Tour Guide in Paris 2008
Not only was I touched, but now I was emotionally floored. I couldn’t believe someone would be so generous to give such extravagant and thoughtful gifts to someone they never met before.
I'm the King of Tours-my crown and certification to prove it
Our shopping tour on Friday was postponed till late afternoon, as the family was recovering from hangovers due to our night of going to jazz clubs and pubs. On Saturday morning we went to the Clingancourt flea market and later had a fabulous lunch outside at Fauchon, where we were met my New York friend and fashion expert Sharon Haver and her web designer Tinko, an authentic prince. Beth and Ashley had done enough shopping in those two days to give the local economy a much needed American spending boost. I said goodbye to them in front of Galeries Lafayette before their last spending spree and again we hugged and kissed each other as true friends. Beth said I was officially one of the family and insisted I come visit them in Hilton Head anytime. I won’t forget the crazy, fun and very special Blalocks and honored to be one of the family.
I forgot to mention that Jon is a very talented musician with a successful band that plays 70’s style rock music, with a sound reminiscent of the great John Fogarty and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Check out his Myspace page.
Phillip & Jon
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Hmm.Thanks you for news and site.Very good.
Posted by: | July 23, 2008 at 12:24 PM