Souvenir City
Years ago, when I was a Rush Limbaugh fan, I used to laugh right out loud at his “Spatula City” spoofs. He would play a little jingle that was first made popular by Weird Al Yankovich.
Spatula City
There’s just one place to go for all of your spatula needs
Spatula City
Spatula City
A giant warehouse of spatulas for every occasion.
Thousands to choose from in every shape, size, and color.
And because we eliminate the middle man, we can sell all our spatulas factory direct to you.
Where do you go if you want to buy name brand spatulas at a fraction of retail cost?
Spatula City
Spatula City
And this weekend only, take advantage of our special liquidation sale.
Buy nine spatulas, get the tenth one for just one penny.
Don’t forget, they make great Christmas presents.
And what better way to say “I love you.” than with the gift of a spatula?
Spatula City
Spatula City
Hello, this is Sy Greenblum, president of Spatula City.
I liked their spatulas so much, I bought the company.
Spatula City – seven locations; we’re in the yellow pages under “spatulas”.
[Neighbor:] My, where did you get that lovely spatula?
[Singers:] Spatula City: We sell spatulas, and that’s all.
There’s also a place located on Tourism Avenue all across the country. It’s called…
Souvenir City
You’ll find t-shirts, coffee mugs, beach towels and all sorts of little plastic souvenirs. Things like back scratchers with the name of the town your visiting baked right onto the handle. We still have most of the coffee mugs and Christmas ornaments that we’ve collected over the years.
During our recent cruise on the Mediterranean, we decided to buy fewer things and only things made locally in the region. The result was less trinkets that get donated in a few years, and lots of art that we truly love. There were also fruit stands, book stores and musicians; all things we’ll never forget. We have interesting conversation pieces. The pieces help us remember the city or village where we found them.
First Stop – Aix en Provence
Fountains are everywhere. Beautiful architecture.
Aix Cathedral
Aix Cathedral
Cathedral Dome. Amazing detail. Sweet carvings dedicated to our LORD and His saints.
Cool interiors were planned with gorgeous naves. Worshipers sit in heavenly places.
Modern baptistry
Cathedral Portal
I fell in love with this bench or pew sitting outside the cathedral. I would love to find something similar for my booths. I think they make a beautiful addition to foyers, sunrooms, screened porches or a smaller piece in a master closet.
Bastide du Cours
At a bookstore on this street, we purchased a small coffee table book with beautiful photos of Aix en Provence. We also found a spoon rest here with the popular Le Chat Noir.
Our lunch included locally made wine. A little closer to home, New Orleans offers a land cruise of great cuisine.
Local Sites to Buy a Souvenir
We felt like locals when we had opportunities to purchase from fruit stands on the street.
Bell towers from centuries ago.
Side streets give a glimpse into local life.
Sidewalk cafe.
Courtyard fountains from the 5th century. Still working!
We purchased fresh lavender sachets that add a lovely fragrance to the shelves in our master closet.
Window sills were filled with flowers.
Flying colors of the French flag.
City fountain with lovely topiary.
Shop windows give a glimpse into the fashion world.
Local fashion
The beautiful music of French songs played by a local accordion player. I’m not sure how locals feel about them. It was an honor for us to donate to these street players. I hear the songs in my mind when I think about this day.
Back on the ship, we reminisced about our day and congratulated ourselves. We missed Spatula City and Souvenir City.
But, sharing a cocktail on the deck of the ship is a memory that needs no souvenir.