Peonies For You and For Me
The morning we went to the Palais Royal in Paris, as we were walking, Ashley and I passed a flower shop with the prettiest pink peonies outside. I probably would have wanted to stop anyways, but wearing these floral shorts that matched so well I was driven to buy a bouquet. Using what little French I know, I told the little old French man who presumably owned the shop which bouquet I would like and I asked the price, reaching into my purse to get some money. Smiling, he walked back over to the display and picked out a second bouquet, then charged me for just the one. When I looked at him in confusion, he pantomimed that he had given me the extra flowers because they matched my outfit so well. This little anecdote is just one example among many others of things I love about France: even the flower shop owner appreciated fashion and the value of coordination.
