Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover

I must confess.I have not been out of the house....so going to Paris is always a good idea...or it is for me.

Back in Sept of 2011 I was headed  to Paris with four girl friends...on the 14th to be exact.We had been planning this exciting trip for a whole year. We had monthly meetings, which were always fun....and certainly fueled our excitement. If you were paying attention to the date...You will know why we didn't leave on the 14th of Sept. 2011. That's right. No planes were going anywhere in the U.S.A. A subject that probably needs no further discussion.(no disrespect).... But, back to the trip.....We did finally get to go on our trip that next Spring.

We had so many fun things on our itinerary, but we decided that in addition to our daily activity, each girl (yes I use that term loosely), could choose something she wanted to do that day, and we would all cheerfully go along.

That was until Brenda said she wanted to have lunch at Gare De Lyon Train Station. What? Trying not to sound like the Paris snob...I informed her that the train station was full the homeless pick pockets and all around undesirables. Brenda, who would be right at home at the George V, insisted and someone reminded me of our promise..... so I grudgingly went along. Okay...was I ever wrong!!!!.

This, my folks is the restaurant at the train station! Le Train Bleu

The restaurant or Buffet opened with the train station when it made it's grand debut around 1900 (World Exposition) .Sitting there you can only image who else had dined there...Co Co Chanel, Jean Cocteau, Colette, etc, etc Someone said Hemingway, but I beg to differ. Since he was known to have a pigeon from the Luxembourg Gardens for dinner, I don't think he could afford this place. Unless of course Fitzgerald was paying the bill.. The elegant salon designed by Marius Toudoire,was named after a grand train, by the same name,

That train ran from the northern coast of France all the way to The French Rivera. The English called it the Blue Train. Not to be confused with the one in Africa. It was a night train...a way  for the very wealthy to travel in luxury all the way from Calais to Nice.on the Mediterranean Sea.

These were certainly luxurious accommodations in 1889 when it all began.

So, if you are ever in Paris, you may just want to have lunch, or dinner at Le Train Bleu and tell them Janey sent you. Oh, be sure and take a lot of Euros.....or a functioning credit card. Yes, an older Hemingway could have afforded to eat there...but I am not sure that I can again!

Okay..this train has arrived back in Texas.