SUMMING UP THE COST
The informed motorist does not arrive at the gates of Paris with a
tankful of gasoline. We were not informed, and when the _octroi_
officials had measured our tank they charged us something like four
dollars on its contents. The price of gasoline is higher inside, but not
that much higher, I think. I did not inquire, for our tankful lasted us
the week of our stay.
To tell the truth, we did but little motoring in Paris. For one thing,
the streets are just a continuation of the pave, and then the traffic
regulations are defective. I mean there are no regulations. It's just a
go-as-you-please, each one for himself. Push, crowd, get ahead of the
fellow in front of you--that is the rule. Here and there a _gendarme_
stands waving his arms and shouting, "_Sacre bleu!_" but nobody pays the
least attention to him. The well-trained American motorist finds his
hair getting gray after an hour or two of that kind of thing.
But we enjoyed Paris, though I am not going to tell about it. No one
attempts to tell of Paris any more--it has all been told so often. But I
may hint to the conservative motorist that below the Seine, in the
neighborhood of the Luxembourg Gardens, about where the rue de Vaugirard
crosses the Boulevard St. Michel, he will find choice little hotels,
with rooms very moderate indeed.
And perhaps here is a good place to speak of the cost of our travel. We
had stinted ourselves in nothing except style. We had traveled
leisurely, happily, enjoying everything to the full, and our average
expense was a trifle less than forty francs a day--that is, eight
dollars for four persons and the car. Our bill each day at the little
hotels for dinner, lodging, and _petit dejeuner_ (rolls, coffee, and
jam) averaged about twenty-two francs, garage free.[14] That, of course,
is absurdly cheap.
The matter of gasoline is different. "_Essence_" or benzine, as they
call it, is high in Europe, and you would think it was some fine
liqueur, the way they handle it. They put it up in sealed five-liter
cans, and I have seen motorists, native motorists, buy one can--a trifle
more than a gallon--probably fearing evaporation, or that somebody would
rob the tank. One of those cans cost us about fifty cents, and, being of
extra refined quality, it would carry us on French roads between
eighteen and twenty miles. Sixty miles a day was about our average,
which is aplenty for sight-seeing, even for an American. Our gasoline
and oil expense came to about eight francs a day. The remainder of our
eight dollars went for luncheon by the roadside and for tips. The picnic
luncheon--bread and butter (delicious unsalted butter), jam, eggs,
tinned meats, cheese, sausage, etc.--rarely cost to exceed four francs,
and was usually cheaper. Our hotel tips were about 10 per cent of the
bill, which is the correct amount, and was always satisfactory. When one
gives more he gains nothing but servility, and makes it difficult for
those who follow him. On the other hand an American cannot give less and
keep his self-respect. There were usually but two servants at little
inns, a waitress and a chambermaid. They were entitled to a franc each,
and the boy at the garage to another. Two or three francs a day was
quite enough for incidental tips at churches, ruined castles, and the
like, unless there should be a fee, which would naturally be reckoned
outside the regular budget. In any case, such fees were small and
infrequent. I think I will add a brief summary of the foregoing figures
which I seem to have strung along in a rather loose, confusing way.
SUMMARY
AVERAGE DAILY COST OF MOTORING TOR FOUR PERSONS, 1914
Average daily cost of dinner, lodging, and breakfast 22 francs ($4.40)
Average daily cost of gasoline and oil 8 francs ( 1.60)
Average daily cost of roadside luncheon 4 francs ( .80)
Average daily cost of tips at hotel 3 francs ( .60)
Average daily cost for sight-seeing 3 francs ( .60)
-----------------
Total 40 francs ($8.00)
That was reasonable motor travel, and our eight dollars bought as much
daily happiness as any party of four is likely to find in this old
world.[15]
Another thing I wish to record in this chapter is the absolute
squareness we found everywhere. At no hotel was there the slightest
attempt to misrepresent, to ring in extras, to encourage side-adventures
in the matter of wines or anything of the sort. We had been led to
believe that the motorist was regarded as fair game for the continental
innkeeper. Possibly there were localities where this was true, but I am
doubtful. Neither did the attendants gather hungrily around at parting.
More than once I was obliged to hunt up our waitress, or to leave her
tip with the girl or man who brought the bags. The conclusion grew that
if the motorist is robbed and crucified in Europe, as in the beginning a
friend had prophesied we should be, it is mainly because he robs and
crucifies himself.
FOOTNOTES:
[14] It was oftener from sixteen to eighteen francs, but the time when
we stopped at larger towns, like Le Puy, Lyons, and Valence, brought up
the average. These are antewar prices. I am told there is about a
50-per-cent increase (on the dollar basis) to-day. The value of the
French franc is no longer a fixed quantity.
[15] The reader must continue to bear in mind that this was in a golden
age. The cost would probably be nearer 150 francs to-day (1921), or $12
American money. Even so, it would be cheaper than staying at home, in
America.