Wednesday, 1 June 1955
Enjoyed a good breakfast at Glen Court before leaving for the Newhaven train at 10:05. While waiting at Left Luggage to pick up our bag, I observed a very impatient Brit acting like one of us. The porter and I had a good laugh about that. I'm finding now that only a little bit of self-deprecating humor goes a long way with everyone except pompous toffs–and cops. Our train turns out to be half-empty. Got on board the Newhaven-Dieppe s.s. Lisieux ferry after British customs inspection. Passengers had most seats taken with coats and umbrellas, but we had the good fortune to sit next to architect Reginald Bull and his equally charming wife. After a chat about my admiration for the British cartoonist Carl Giles, we dined with them later in the salon. It was a very good meal with two beers and tip for Fr. 800, or just over $2.00.
Major Bull kindly mailed me a current compilation of Giles cartoons.This is the cover from a later year.
We left the chalk cliffs of Newhaven for the same cliffs but with different buildings in Dieppe, the scene of a World War II commando raid where almost 1,000 Canadian soldiers were killed and almost 2,000 captured. We moved our baggage to the Paris boat train with some anxious moments because of unreserved seats. We shared a compartment with two English girls on a ten-day trip to Mallorca; two Scots women from Glasgow and a Swiss girl who had been in England for a year. All very friendly, which made for a very pleasant entry into Paris.
The weather is warm and the skies beautiful. We are truly happy to be in France. Paris came as a complete surprise and the Hotel Saint-Romain is delightful, clean and comfortable. A smiling young woman carries up our four bags. Our hotel couldn't be better situated. It's in the 1er arrondissement, near the Tuileries and the Rue de Rivoli.
Ruth was ecstatic: "What Heaven!" she wrote to my parents. I added, "Please thank Viola J. for us—really it was a godsend. It's hard to find a good place on foot. Thomas Cook and American Express are almost as bad as taxi drivers for sending you to scurvy places." Today, it's a 4-star hotel that we could not even consider. Our bill for seven nights, including wonderful breakfasts of crisp rolls and croissants with homemade jams and coffee or chocolate, cost us $6 per night. Now it's a four-star hotel and would cost over $200.
Alas, I must stop here. There are many weeks to go and the drawings eventually get better. I'll post some of them as we travel along. The summer has finally arrived, and with it seemingly endless garden chores we've put off while recovering from poorly timed coughs and cold infections that had made their way up the east coast.
Thanks for listening and the generous comments.