Do you remember where you were in August 1973???
I was in Paris...My parents decided to show me all of the well-known hallmarks of the city one day, then the Louvre the day after. This was followed by a trip to Versailles and its Palace.
The whirlwind of these events remains in memory to this day. I was a gawky thirteen-year-old who spent much of my time craning my neck at paintings, in awe of towers, arches, speeding cars and growing crowds. While the Hall of Mirrors fascinated, it also repelled, as I could not imagine myself beyond what I thought of as the "ugly duckling phase" or walking in such a place routinely.
The day of my fourteenth birthday found Paris clear, bright and beckoning. I did not learn until then that London awaited yet another trio of tourists. Travel to England was so uneventful that I dozed until our arrival at the flat we stayed in that week.
The flat was near a park, and across the street, a Wimpy's, England's answer to the now ubiquitous McDoos. Never a fan of fast food, I nonetheless made Wimpy's acquaintance when my parents announced one evening that they had plans and I was to remain in with the telly. My dad said my dinner was in a bag in the kitchen, piping hot. I have no idea whether the Wimpy's creations of today bear any resemblance to those, but I do remember them as fresh and better than any burger I had thereafter. My choice to become a vegetarian in adulthood is no reflection upon Wimpy's.
It wasn't long until telly and burgers were supplanted for all time by a trip to the Piccadilly Theatre, featuring a production of Gypsy, with Angela Lansbury. It was my first opportunity to view professional actors on stage and I remained transfixed the entire time.
Sadly, the cherished playbill from that occasion, along with other mementos, have been lost. You can find out more about the theatre here: http://www.london-theatreland.co.uk/theatres/piccadilly-theatre/history.php.
The postcard you may have seen during a previous post. While this entry is of no historic importance to anyone but me, I wish every kid could have the chance to experience the London stage and the sights of Paris.
Until Next Time...
34 comments:
I wish that I was not afraid to fly. I would love to go to Europe. Well, I am not really afraid to fly, now crashing, on the other hand.....
Really nice post!I can't remember where I was..oh yeah!I wasn't!lol
what a cool memory...and one i hope to make one day, no matter my age. oh and august 1973...i was born.
happy tt!
You ask where I was in August 1973. By some strange coincidence I was living in London. And later in the month I got married. And where, I hear you ask, did I go for my honeymoon? Paris of course. Talk about shared history! Happy TT.
In August 1973 I was 3 years old and was probably being chased round my cul-de-sac by a lad chasing me with my own pop gun. My Dad taught me how to punch, and the next time the boy stole my pop gun I hit him square on the nose and then ran inside crying.
But oh! The mere mention of Wimpy! A treat that I did not experience for a couple more years (fond memories of the enormous Knicker-bocker Glory..)
It sounds as though you have some great memories...
August of 1973? I was in Japan! :^)
I used to think Paris, Schmarish. It's just another big city like any other.
Then - as an adult - I went to see a friend. I have no problem admitting I was totally wrong. It's an amazing city, like no other. I never tire of it...
Paris and London: definitely two of the greatest cities on earth (in that order). I would visit either on a moment's notice if given the chance.
I LOVE Paris! So wonderful that you got to see it as a kid. I went at 15 with my school (French exchange). I went to London when I was 21 and living in Dublin. I got to see Sir Alec Guiness and Edward Herrman on stage in the original production of Lee Blessing's A Walk in the Woods. I could go on...your post has stirred up so many great memories, so thanks!
I think it was a wonderful post, Megan. I was in Paris in the Spring of 1977. I so enjoyed hearing about your trip.
August of 1973, I was celebrating my first year wedding anniversary in Massachusetts.
Great memory. I saw "We Will Rock You' in London a couple years ago - what fun!
Well, e, I couldn't agree wit you more! And yes, I do recall where I was in August 1973. In London, near Gloucester Road!
Lovely TT post.
Cool stuff.
In August of '73, I was two, recovering from surgeries and learning to walk. Little late, but better than never! :)
August '73? Let's see... I was... well, nowhere. I doubt I was even a thought yet. ;)
Wow, Paris, ey?! :) Let's see...I was an infant..but I want tell you HOW small.
What a fantastic post. I really liked it.
What a wonderful post about Paris, a fabulous city. As a theater buff, my eyes lit up when I read that you got to see Angela Lansbury in Gypsy. Now that's an event to remember. Lucky you!
what a wonderful trip and treat for a curious and smart thirteen year old.
you start your post saying do you remember where you were in august 1973 - I certainly do!! that was the month I started college in texas (miles from the family home in metro dc) chosen solely on the basis of a good financial deal from the college and it was a state I never had been in before (I only applied to schools in states I never had been before - yes a pretty odd criteria, but if you know me it makes perfect sense)
love you personal history take on this weeks theme!!
xxx
What a place to be at that age! I love the postcard.
Thanks for sharing this memory.
Well, hum..I turned 4 in late 73...
It's your history and that is relevent...Reminds me of my trip to France in 1992...Oh, I still think of it and my treasured visit to the Louvre...
I was three, and splashing about in an Adirondack lake...this is such a neat memory, full of the little moments that make other people's memories so real to a reader.
It makes me think we should take my daughter to Paris, as we keep saying we'll do. Helps that my husband is bi-lingual--makes going to France fun for me--I just lurk behind him as he navigates, lol.
An excellent memory and bravo to your parents for giving you this experience. As for Wimpy's...I have often "heard" of it but did NOT know that at one time it was an ACTUAL burger place!
I would love to tred the paths of so much history. Thanks for sharing
you were a lucky kid. We went to Florida that summer--which is still a pretty big deal--sand and Disney World, pretty cool stuff for a 9 year old. Yay!
Paris at 14 is wonderful. I went at 14 with the school. I remember seeing beautiful architecture with gun shot wounds deep in the side left over from the world wars. So much history.
In August 1973 I had just moved into a tiny and shabby bedsit in the famous Abbey Road in London. My parents took me and my sister to Paris sometime in the sixties and we had a similarly enthralled time. My most vivid memory is going up the Eiffel Tower which I thought was amazingly original. We flew across the Channel on a teeny plane with about twenty passengers on it.
I lived in London until 2000, so I've seen plenty of the London stage. The standard of writing and acting is very high. Something I miss now I'm in Belfast.
Oh there you go, rubbing it in again! I want to see Paris. Another blogger is there at the moment and it's snowing, can you imagine! It must look like a huge snow dome! I remember Wimpy too. Weird name for a burger place! August 73? I was actually gearing up for a family holiday in England too. We spent Christmas there with my nana.
wimpys used to be good - haven't had one for years!
lovely memories
i've never really visited Paris properly.
1973.... teenager, poss. Christmas parties?
August 1973...hmmm...I think I was in summer camp at Camp Indian Head in Lutz! Not quite Paris -- ha!
I was turning one year old in northwestern PA. :)
I would have rather been in your shoes!
1973; hmm. now, 1974!
Have a lovely Solstice day, e.
August `1973 -- let's see -- turned 15 on the 2nd of Aug. -- probably doing a lot of playing tennis, swimming, and getting nervous about starting high school......my two experiences of being in London are priceless. Happy Christmas, friend....
I was just 4 years old! I was also lucky enough to first visit Paris and London at the age of 15.. thanks for sharing some of your personal history!
Thanks for stopping by my blog, and leaving good wishes there.
I love this post. Our family did the same trip, in almost all its particulars, a year before you, except I was 14 then, and we did London first, then Paris. We stayed in a flat in London, as you did, and saw all the same sights in Paris that you describe. I, too, was overwhelmed by Versailles (beautiful though it is), but I was so taken by Monmartre, and the sidewalk artists and vendor stalls there. At the time, I imagined I would grow up to be an artist, working at my easel on Paris streetcorners and living in a romantic loft. Thanks for taking me back there.
I'm glad to have discovered your blog and will stop by often. Happy holidays!
Post a Comment