Shopping

"In the late ’80s, my husband and I were staying at a gîte (B&B farmhouse) in France, and the hostess asked if we wanted to have table d’hôte.

" 'What’s that?' I asked. She said that they would provide a meal at a reasonable cost. I asked what kind of meal and how much it cost. She said it would be $20 for two, and that day’s menu was ratatouille."

(excerpt from Robin Baron's letter)

This month’s winner is SARNIA GUITON of Nairobi, Kenya:

Some years ago, I was traveling with a group in Egypt. One day, we visited the Khan Al Khalili bazaar in Cairo. This was a rushed visit, so I returned by myself after the day’s guided tour had ended.

There were few people there on my return visit. While I was walking along the alleys between the shops, a man stepped out of his shop and called to me, “Lady, lady, come buy. I have everything in my shop. What you want?”

I replied, with a smile, “Nothing.”

“Oh, lady, I have lots of nothing!”

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite European memories from the streets of Paris — a reminder of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

Located under a 100-year-old elevated train viaduct in Tokyo between Yura kucho and Shimbashi stations, near the Imperial Palace, visitors will find the Hibiya Okuroji (Hidden Alley) shopping center.

The 1,000-foot-long brick viaduct houses 44 stores and restaurants. There are shops selling leather and textiles crafts, gourmet chocolate and jewelry, while restaurants range from classic Japanese to halal. Visit www.jrtk.jp/hibiya-okuroji (in Japanese only).

This month’s winner is DEB KALIKOW of Westford, Massachusetts:

I was on a tour of France when our group visited the Fragonard perfumery in Grasse. After being shown the entire interesting perfume-making process, from flowers to packaging, we ended up at the gift shop, of course.

I hadn’t used perfume in years, but, looking around and testing a few scents, I found one I liked. It smelled luscious, and I thought it would make a fine souvenir of France, so I bought a bottle.

The city of Rome banned souvenir booths and food carts at historic sites, including the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. The ban went into effect on Jan. 1. Some vendors were given the option of permanent locations away from the monuments where they had been set up.