by Ric Erickson

Number 1.29 - Metropole Paris - Monday, 9. September 1996:- After the Rentrée last week, I will try very hard to believe it is nice to be back. I was in the open air for a month and the sun was shining most of the time - but it was shining brilliantly in Paris too last week. It was beautiful, it looked like a tourist brochure or a postcard.

I wish I was out in it because my tan is fading already, but all the same, nothing lasts, even if easily acquired. Must be a cheap tan. If you are coming to this issue of Metropole after your holidays, good to see you.

I am still a little hazy about what is coming in the next issue and I don't feel like getting on a pedestal about anything yet so I am just going to include some random items in this week's column, such as:

Cheaper by Eights

Instead of gliding around Paris on your next visit in a lurid tour bus, why not get seven friends together and rent a chauffeured minibus for a day?

There is an outfit called 'Berlines de Paris' that I happened upon last week in the 15th arrondissement and as I passed it, I thought that could be neat - but who could afford it? But on second thought, it does not cost anything to ask - so I did.

This place has chauffeured Rolls Royces for four passengers and Mercedes 600s for three - only three? - in their 'Deluxe' class, but I found they also have a lowly 'Club' class and it includes either six-passenger Renault Espaces or Minibuses for eight.

The firm has several deals: pickup at airports, around town, or excursions out of Paris - say to Versailles or the Loire - you choose where.

The question I posed to Caroline Brugere was something like this: how much for a six hour ride around Paris in a minibus? The answer is 1650 francs, plus 90 francs for the driver's lunch. When divided by eight it comes to 217.50 francs per person, not including lunch.

You go where you want, stop when you want, eat where you want - and Berlines de Paris supplies a driver who knows Paris well and your language too. Madame Brugere said they had lots of vehicles and if they ran out they could get more - but I'd still recommend making a reservation in case three dentist's associations are meeting in Paris at the same time. If I had seven friends I'd try it next week.

Berlines de Paris - phone 53 68 78 78 or fax (33-1) 45 33 19 19.

Low-Rent Transport
for Going to Camp

On the west side of the Bois de Boulogne, on the bank of the Seine, there is a public campsite, called Camping Paris Ouest.

Any way you look at it, it is a long 3 km hike from it to the nearest bar - but I have just found a RATP brochure for a city bus line that runs near it - almost - from the south-west corner of the Porte Maillot.

The bus number is 244 and the stop for the campsite is called Les Moulins Camping. This is just south of the Polo field and north of the Longchamp racetrack. First buses leave Porte Maillot about six in the morning and the last are about 21:00 in the evening. Buses run every 15 minutes; plus there is the short walk from the bus stop to the campsite.

After 21:00, you have to go to the Grand Arch at Le Défense and look for bus 344 and ride it to Pont de Suresnes and walk across the bridge. There are two 344 buses per hour, until 00:46.

Low-Rent Accommodation
for Backpackers

I intended to mention this before summer, but it slipped my mind. The Camping Paris Ouest campsite is a three-star affair, for the exclusive use of visitors to the Ile-de-France and it is open all year. Maximum stay: one month. No reservations accepted except for groups.

Try to arrive by car early in the day - all pedestrians, er, hikers are accepted anytime. There is a supermarket and snackbar and they are open from April. The campsite also has 60 caravans for rent, some with showers and toilets. Minimum price: 60F for two with tent. For info, phone 45 24 30 00 or fax (33-1) 42 24 42 95.

What's Johnny Eating Today?

This is the last time I'll mention the Rentrée - this year - I promise. When you buy school lunches for your loved ones, you buy them by the month usually - and if you are not as alert as you should be, you only get to read the week's menu, if it is posted on the school's gate as it usually is.

It is quite amusing to see parents reading the daily menu and telling little Pauline what she's going to get. Sort of like teaching six year olds how to eat in France - part of the national education.

So here today's menu for one of my loved ones: five courses, starting with the entrée of 'pastèque,' followed by the main dish of 'sauté de volaille aux olives' with 'chou fleur' or 'persille-pommes de terre' for the vegetable. Cheese is 'fromage blanc' and the dessert is 'crème de marrons' or 'biscuit.'

Since there is no mention of boissons, I guess he has to bring his own wine. No mention if the tip is included either. I wonder what next Friday's main dish of 'Filet de Hoky' is. If I remember, I'll ask him.

Young Geniuses

When you run into these, then you realise that everything 'has a meaning,' including the Rentrée. On leaving school last Tuesday, I almost fell upon these bikes that were carelessly placed outside the exit. Although not feeling alert at all, I noticed that two of them were sporting an accessory I had not seen before.

In the place where the bidon - the water bottle - goes, a walkman was strapped; and there was a mini-speaker placed under the seat and another on that upright part, that the handle-bar attaches to. Et voilà, bike stereo!

The owners of the bikes appeared and seemed pretty pleased with their ingenuity - even stressing that they were using mini-speakers instead of ear-phones for reasons of traffic safety. I can applaud this civic attitude -one that I know they'll desert as soon as they get their first scooters, by taking the mufflers off - but I wondered why they didn't affix their speakers to the handle-bar, to face their ears. Back to the drawing board, guys!

Some Coming Events:

Journées du Patrimoine - National Heritage Days

Saturday and Sunday,14. and 15. September: free entry for the public to public and private monuments, ministries, national palaces, private mansions - throughout France. This is the public's chance to see what it owns and where its employees work, as well as visit other national treasures. This is an annual event and is sort of a prize for having survived the Rentrée. Two themes this year: Heritage and Literature, Heritage and Light. Info at 44 61 21 50.

For the period from Saturday, 14. September to Sunday 20. October the Month of Literary Heritage opens libraries and archives throughout France to the public. For more info about the many expositions and events around this theme, phone 43 57 85 02, in Paris.

Masters CCF International Dressage Competition

Friday, 13. September, Saturday, 14. September and Sunday, 15. September. On the Champ de Mars. The mayor of the 7th is not happy about this one. Phone for info: 44 87 50 50.

Ten-digit Telephone Numbers

On Friday, 18. October, France Telecom is going to shift all its telephone numbers to ten digits. Oh yes! Since most of the numbers mentioned in Metropole are for Paris and the Ile-de-France, the change will not be all that difficult - and if you have a collection of local numbers, you can note the change now.

Taking the Paris phone number above as an example, this is the difference:

Until 18. October, 22:59 CET: local, 43 57 85 02 - from outside France, 33-1 43 57 85 02.

On 18. October, starting at 23:00 CET: local, O1 43 57 85 02 - from outside France, 33-1 43 57 85 02.

So all that is necessary for Paris, is to add a zero-one before the present number. There is supposed to be no change if you are calling from outside the country. (I'm not 100 percent sure about this, but I've read it in two places.)

The tricky part is the suppression of the 16 for dialing from Paris to the French provinces. The 16 will be replaced by four 'zone' numbers: 02 for North-West, 03 for North-East, 04 for South-East and 05 for South-West.

To phone outside France, dial 00 instead of the 19 and it will no longer be necessary to wait for the long-distance dial tone.

18th Bi-annual International Antiques Fair

Friday, 13. September until Sunday, 29 September; at the Carrousel du Louvre - including rare books and jewelry. From 12:00 to 21:00 daily, 12:00 to 23:00 Mondays and Wednesdays. 99, rue de Rivoli, Paris 1. Information at 47 20 31 87.