European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 9, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Focus s f Xia Poi you Loo con stripes photo Beverly bund by Beverly Bundy stripes Magazine editor lately Ive been Reading a Book titled the body at author doctor Doreen Gluckin claims the 30s is one of the prime decades for the female Gluckin has obviously never been on an itt weekend you know the Tours in talking see Paris for see the Eiffel concorde arc de lie de la the Flea Market and much always a sucker for a i paid my to the Darmstadt this particular Jaunt was with but several other companies also offer trips through the the pickup Point for the tour was the pm parking lot in Darmstadt at Friday passengers filed onto the which took us to where people were shuffled onto the buses that were to take them on to their various it was obvious who the tour veterans they were armed with pillows and Igloo these folks had been held hostage on a bus before and knew what it would take to withstand the seven hour these were also the Only people who went to sleep As soon As the bus pulled out of the parking everyone else was squirming around in their smoking or nonsmoking looking for a comfortable Way to sleep sitting Here i Learned the first lesson of the there is no comfortable position in which to sleep on a so make a commitment to your body and decide if you want a sore neck or a sore another suggestion travel with a person with whom you Are very have that person sit by the this puts them next to the bothersome Heater fans and gives you a shoulder on which to rest your apologize profusely and make general clucking noises to let them know How special they there Are seven Tollbooth Between the German Border and All these suckers Are lit up like Christmas Trees and every Stop wakes up the sleeping by the time the bus pulls into Paris at 7 youre Lucky to have gotten four hours of resign yourself this is the worst part of the breakfast and lunch were in self service restaurants that appear designed for tour there were the typical French offerings of Ham and cheese with bread and these Are the Best the Fried eggs and a Concession to american looked like something out of an Andy Warhol silk these two meals we rent included in the tour Price and Cost about for at 8 the tour was ready to a French guide joined the group and it was off to several of the people in this group of 40 were parents visiting their children stationed in these folks were to Europe is a they gasped when the bus pulled away from the place de la concorde and headed up the champs Elysee toward the arc de they oozed and ached when we drove by the Eiffel they were uninhibited enough to smile and wave at the guards outside the Elysee the official residence of the presidents of they giggled when the guide pointed out the Tuil series and explained that the gardens Are now a hangout for the 2vihour tour ended at notre Dame with a Short trip inside to see the by this Point everyone was getting a Little bleary the caffeine High from the breakfast Coffee had worn off and Heads were starting to but did that deter this group i no the next Stop was a visit to a perfume museum off the opera with an Opportunity to buy Fragonard perfume at a the guide told the group several times that we were not obligated to buy Here come lesson 2 telling americans not to buy is like telling Tina Turner not to thrust her american tourists will buy were talking China plates with a decal of notre Eiffel Tower spoons embossed with the arc Detriomphe and tapestries printed with All of the loaded Down with perfume the group headed off for lunch and then to the the hotel was on the Edge of town and very near a metro it was clean and everyone was checked in by 3 and the first thing we checked out was the the dinner crowd was to leave at 6 and most people seemed to feel the Only Way to make it through the rest of the weekend was with an immediate dinner followed by a boat ride on the Seine was not included in the Dollar tour the two Cost about dinner was at nos a Cetres Les Galois our ancestors the this rustic Little restaurant on the he As one tour goer is More fun than but the five course meal was original and the salad was a Basket full of whole vegetables set on every and diners made up their own the next course was a Buffet of sausages and the main course offerings were Lamb or beef grilled Over an open Hearth in the Center of the stripes Magazine May