The Michael Gandy Hat Tour of France

Right now, I am between exams at my last day of French foreign exchange.  I have taken 3 of them, with one to go.  Mergers and aquisitions is next and I only need to pass to get credit, but I am kind of questioning it.  Part of me wants to just walk out and say I dropped the class.  But no, I have come this far...

However, I am going to take a few minutes to take you on the official Michael Gandy hat tour of France.  I have said that if (when) we move to France, Mike should go into the tour guide business.  He could start a freelance touring group that does really bizarre and specific tours... "my favorite places to eat onion soup", "everything you ever wanted to know about the lower righthand side of the Orsay", "really weird stuff in the Louvre".  You know - basic stuff.

I have decided that today would be dedicated to that.  Mike has purchased a collection of hats from around the world - literally.  Italy, Spain, you name it.  He uses them for his mythology class - teaching Egyptian mythology?  Wear a pharoh hat.  Norse?  Dress like Thor.  It's a real thing.

Without further adeiu -


Let us start with pirates.  Pirates are French, Right?  Sort of.  Pirates did come from France throughout the 1600s and 1700s.  When we went to Disneyland Paris, we thought it was actually a lot more accurate for the pirates on Pirates of the Carribean to be screaming at us in French than in English.  Also, no Johnny Depp, which I kind of liked.


The classic beret.  We almost did not buy one of these, but then realized it was dumb not to.  Berets are the stereotypical French hat.  No one here seems to wear them, though.  Mike says it is because it is a winter hat.  I say because it is a stupid stereotype.  Either way, he has it in case he has to do any miming - as indicated by the photo.



This is actually very difficult to see - but it is another Disneyland hat - a top hat with Uncle Scrooge pearched on top, holding a cane and Euro notes.  It is a wonderful hat with no legitimate purpose, other than wearing in Disneyland (in the winter).  But, Mike loves Uncle Scrooge and all things Scrooge McDuck.  So, he had to have it.  The fact that he is holding a Euro makes is especially cute.  

And finally... 


Yup, cowboy hat.  (2E at Disneyland from the Lone Ranger collection).  How is this part of the hat tour of France?  This is how the French see America... or how they romanticize America rather.  The same way we think of France and see romantic strolls through the moonlight (the sun never goes down, fyi) and people wearing berets, they see America as the land of Cowboys and Indians.  It is a huge deal.  In the Small World ride, America is designated by cowboys.  There were museum exhibits in Paris dealing with the Great Plains indians. All very weird.

He is hoping to pick up a French chef hat sometime today or tomorrow before we leave France.  If so, I will update.  In the meantime, I hope you have enjoyed the tour.  :)

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