Since I started picking y’alls brains about Charlotte, I’m going to continue by asking opinions on what would be a quintessentially French gift to bring back via air.
Background: My husband is a teacher and he and another teacher are taking a group of kids to England and France. They did a similar thing last year, but went to England and Scotland instead, and he brought me back some gifts from those places. This year, he offered to bring me something from France, and I cannot think of a thing that would be a) practical to bring back in a suitcase, and b) something that would be available there that isn’t here for an equal or better price.
Food like cheese or sausage is obviously out due to restrictions, and other things I can think of would be too expensive to take a chance on, or too difficult to transport.
Years ago my mother brought me back some perfume from Paris, but I’m thinking against asking the same thing of him now – any French perfumes I know I’d like are readily available here, and I don’t think he’d be able to get them any cheaper there than I can here (though if I am wrong, please say so – if I give him the name of a perfume, he could buy that – it’s asking him to pick something that would be a problem – he’d have no confidence he could choose something I’d like. Same thing with items like Hermes scarves or other fashion-y stuff).
He’ll be visiting St. Malo in Brittany, with a brief side trip to the American Cemetery in Normandy with a last stop in France, if that helps.
What I got from Scotland last year was a small wooden box (which I collect) made out of wood that’s readily available in the area, made by a local artisan. From England I got a dish towel with a map of the Tube on it and poster from the greyhound track in London (which he actually had shipped to our house - that’s a possibility too, though we’d like to avoid excessive shipping costs). This might give you an idea of the kind of stuff I’d like/am thinking about.
I need to give him an answer in the next couple days. Halp?
Some good, local wine is what I’d ask for. Nothing that would be so crazy it was unlike any wine you ever had before, but it would be something you couldn’t get here. Then, there’s always Toblerone.
I’d thought about that - but wine is heavy, could break, and there’s very little you can get there that you can’t already get here. And since he’ll be going with middle school kids, booze consuming (and most likely shopping as well) won’t be happening.
I am wondering, though, if there’s any kind of chocolate that might be available there that isn’t here. Don’t think there’d be any import restrictions on that …
A kitchen towel from every trip would be a fun tradition - useful, cheerful, doesn’t take up space.
My own tradition - a Christmas ornament from every trip. Doesn’t clutter up the house, but comes out every year as a nice memory. Runs the gamut from local artisan to cheesy tourist trap.
Nice French soap. French toiletries in general, even mass market.
Would candy, packaged cookies, etc. be okay to travel?
Mustard, fleur de sel
Any local craft, painting, photograph to frame
Some fun, simple ideas:
Coffee table books, cookbooks, history book of the area
One thing I’ve seen all over Europe but not so much in the US are tapestry pillow covers. They are not overly expensive, and as they’re just covers, not actual pillows, you can fit them in a suitcase very easily. They’re a little touristy, but I like 'em, and you can generally pick them up in villages and such relatively inexpensively (but not dirt cheap or anything).
I’ve brought them home as gifts and people seem to like them. I also have a few around the house - a city scene of Brugges, a medieval-looking one - and they look pretty good with a pillow in them.
I also like Tara57’s suggestion of Christmas ornaments. We have a few of those in our ornament box as well. They bring back good memories every year - “Oh, remember this, we bought it in the Eiffel Tower gift shop!”
I like the idea of a Christmas ornament. Other ideas: a small replica of the Eiffel Tower, a souvenir snowglobe or a keychain. (I have a cousin who collects keychains, so whenever one of us goes to a new city, we buy one for him.) Or you could get a refrigerator magnet; I’ve seen large collections of them in some kitchens. I worked with a guy once who bought souvenir shot glasses in each new city to which he traveled; small, easy to pack and makes for a compact collection.
“He’ll be visiting St. Malo in Brittany, with a brief side trip to the American Cemetery in Normandy with a last stop in PARIS, if that helps.” :smack:
I’ll also go with shot glass or some other kind of drinking vessel.
Not necessarily something he could use for alcohol, but even to bring to the classroom to hold his coffee/tea/soda/water/blood of misbehaving children. A tumbler? Coffee mug?
About 55 years ago, my father was returning from studying overseas and had a layover of a day or two in Paris. He wanted to buy perfumes as gifts for his mother and sisters. But he had no clue what to buy. So he literally asked a woman walking by to come into the store with him and help him to select perfumes for each of them.
You all do know that American vendors are not the only ones who sell Chinese-made crap in souvenir stores, right? If you want something French, he’s going to have to spend more money on something like a Hermes scarf.
My gf brought back a little bowl that is unique/pretty. It sits on our kitchen counter and gets noticed all the time. If cheese were a possibility, I had an amazing French brie I hope to find again one day. Every other brie I’ve ever had tastes pretty much the same. This one was different.
A nice box of chocolates from Paris would make a nice gift, and is something can be brought back into the country. A nice scarf is a quintessentially French thing, though. They love their scarves.
This is a real long shot, but if your travelers are going to Nancy they can bring back something that will blow the socks off visitors to their abode.
Have them visit a printing company called Berger-Levrault (not quite sure of the spelling). The plant occupies a huge city block and is surrounded by a 4-meter high wall of what we printers call “litho stones.” Naturally you would have to ask permission. If you get it extract one of these stones with a recognizable printing surface. It will weigh about 20 pounds. Yes, I know, not a trivial item. But if you get it home you can brag about having an ancient printing relic.
I have one of these stones. For those in the know, which is most of my peers, they are envious of my stone. It’s also a great conversation starter.
When he’s in Paris, he might want to walk along the north bank of the Seine just downstream from the Ile de la Cite (where Notre Dame is) and look at the little kiosks where people sell old (but not necessarily antique) matted prints taken from magazines and old books. Usually they aren’t very spendy, and nothing says ‘France’ like an old Perrier, Orangina or Michelin ad.
Speaking of which, Michelin has a shop on the Boulevard d’Opera. Maps of everywhere you can think of and Bibendum (the M guy) souvenirs galore.
