An enormous THANK YOU to Gordon

I decided to post this here since it encompasses many different aspects of the site. If you feel it should be moved, please do so. Anyway, here is my story:

Last week my wife and I went on vacation to Paris. Prior to leaving I started a thread in the European section, in search of "must see/do" -type ideas from any Parisians. Soon after I found myself exchanging messages with "Gordon"--Jean--and after a little chatting we decided to meet up upon our arrival. We arrived in Paris on Saturday morning, and after settling in and doing a little walking around, we contacted Jean, who offered to meet us at the hotel. He arrived that afternoon and took us to a Cafe where we had a drink and got a chance to get to know one another a little better. It was quickly apparent what a great guy he is, and we all enjoyed the talk. We talked politics, Ferraris, Paris, and about his soon-to-be-born son. Jean recommended a few things for us to do while in Paris, as well as extending a couple invitations that really made an impact on us and our trip.

Tuesday night a friend of Jean's who owns a restaurant was hosting a fund-raising dinner to support cancer research. She had sadly lost her husband to cancer recently, and this was very much a special occasion. My wife and I met him at his flat, where we also met his lovely wife, as well as his friend Arnoud (spelling?). After a couple drinks and some conversation we made our way to the restaurant where we were able to meet more of their friends. Unfortunately my wife and I don't speak French, but we greatly appreciated the efforts of all the others to make us feel welcome despite the minor language barrier. It was a beautiful evening that actually ran a little late into the night, but seemed to fly by none the less.

During the first couple days, Jean had also offered to drive us to Versailles on Friday. Tiff and I were eager to take him up on it, but didn't want to put him out. He generously insisted, so on Friday morning, he pulled up to our hotel in his 412, and off we went. This was my first time in a Ferrari 412, and despite its size, it really seemed to move. Jean insisted it was a sound-induced sensation of speed, but either way, it's a great car. Versailles is beautiful, and after a tour of the palace, we decided to return to Paris. Now, Jean had made mention a couple times about the parking garage where he keeps his car. He had told us about some of the other exotics that are parked there, an d hopefully we would be able to see them. We reached the parking garage, which is in the La Defense business district, and began the drive underground. After several levels, we reached another garage door, which he opened, revealing on the other side something that was almost beyond description.

Now, it seems Jean did his part in understating the contents of this parking garage. I felt like I was driving through the Sultan's private collection, with row after row of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Rolls Royces, and the list goes on. There were even several fine examples of American muscle cars--mostly old Vettes and Camaros. After we parked, we strolled around to get a closer look at the automotive art all around us. A bit of irony, since we were underneath the modernist "Cube", which is a continuation of the Paris landmarks that run along the Champs Elysee, on the other end of which is the Louvre housing classic works of art. I think I like this end of the boulevard better While there, we heard a tremendous roar as some engine somewhere was firing up. We soon realized that it was a GT40, not entirely original, but using mostly original parts. Painted in Gulf racing colours, it looked and sound beautiful.

Eventually, our time here had to end, so we headed up to ground level, and sadly had to bid farewell to our new-found friend and most gracious host. We couldn't help but feel sad, since through Jean we were able to meet people and see things that otherwise wouldn't have happened, and things that made our trip many times better than it would have been.

So, on behalf of Tiffany and myself, THANK YOU so much Jean. All of your time and attention are so greatly appreciated. And thank you Natalie, for all the time you let us keep him away from home. We wish you all the best, and for the health of your baby boy. You always have a home in Chicago, and we hope to get the chance to repay all the favors. I'm also thankful for FerrariChat providing such a great forum to meet other people like this.

 

Here are some pictures...

 

I found it interesting, yet not surprising, that the most frequently asked question back at home was in regards to the French people, and how we were treated. I noticed a pattern that those who expected poor treatment were people who either never travelled, or were themselves a**holes. Now, one other thing I couldn't get enough of were the Smart cars. 2 meters long, and they were everywhere.

 

Congratulations Jean! Max is absolutely beautiful! We're very happy for you--all of our best wishes to you and Nathalie. Thanks for the picture.