Beaujolais Nouveau Week

A café near the bottom of Paris.

Is Anything Really True?

Paris:- Monday, 17. November 2003:- We had a similar rainey Sunday a couple of weeks ago, followed by a fairly bright Monday like today's. I am wondering if we are having a weather re-run, somewhat akin to the re-runs of the forecasts that appear here sometimes.

If it were really true I could just put in a 'link-back' to a former weather prediction and call it quits right here. Then readers who don't understand why the 'weather' is the first thing in an issue could simply skip it, and true météo fans could read it again - without it having any effect on the accuracy of the prediction.

For, tomorrow's weather promises to be like last Tuesday's, but without the slim possibility of early freezing fog. There will be other differences too - no morning sunny periods are forecast, just the mostly cloudy periods in the afternoon. The temperature should be close to last Tuesday's though.

For Wednesday we are looking at having a mainly cloudy day with a high of 14 degrees. Thursday is reversed - like last Thursday - with a partly sunny day forecast and 14 degrees. Reverse both days to note the differences, and you'll probably agree that Thursday will be the nicer of the two.

'Time of Year' paragraph - the weather in Paris is completely normal, with its this and that. Many trees have lost all their leaves now, and on certain days the hold-outs are shedding them like golden snowflakes.

Café Life

I don't understand how visitors have the strength to get up real early in the morning and tramp halfway across town, busily sightseeing all the way, in order to visit me, so that I can guide them around the Montparnasse cemetery, across the street.

On top of it, I think I can get away with showing them the old moulin - it is pretty tall so it is easy to find - skipping the rest and going out the north side, and passing by Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre's grave before getting serious by going to Le Select where the terrace is heated.

Oh no. The visitors had a miniscule map of the cemetery, with photos and capsule histories, and they had a pretty definite idea of the 20 famous graves they 'had to see.' Then, on the way, just happen to pass Serge Gainsbourg's current home. This made my whole week because I could see my apartment's windows right behind the headstone. I am lined up with Serge.

We had to leave the rectangular 'part one' of the cemetery and cross to the triangular 'part two' part to look for the 'couple in bed' tomb decoration, look for Bartholdi and other unfindables, and then cross back to 'part one' to visit the simple grave of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre.

By this time the sun was down and I was edging towards the exit closest to Le Select. But we were not finished. We set off to find Man Ray in the near dark. Luckily, a bell tolled and was followed shortly by the guardians blowing their whistles. We got out just before the iron door by the Avenue du Maine exit was to be closed.

This is quite a bit further from Le Select than I would have liked, but no matter because by then the visitors agreed to take a look at the Notre-Dame de Travail church, a fair march in a further direction.

On the way back, everybody's energy was at a low level so we stopped in a café - finally! - and got some resources back. Then we went to my place and had dinner for three hours, and I could swear I heard the guardians still blowing their whistles to chase the laggards out of the cemetery.

Nigel phoned from Athens last night. He said he was calling from a café terrace where he was drinking a wine in 20 degrees of warmth. When he rolled in from a late flight arrival this afternoon he made himself lunch from leftovers he'd picked up on the plane.

He went to Athens a couple of weeks ago. He said he had to take off his warm Paris clothes when he got there. Then he took a three-hour ferry trip to Idhra, where he spent almost two weeks. At first he thought the sea was almost warm enough for swimming.

Then the weather turned cool, but he said the food and drink were good, and not as expensive as Paris. He walked around a lot and read a bit and hung out in the tavernas that were still open, and had a pretty quiet time in a corner of the Mediterranean in the off-season.

It must have done him no good. After lunch he went off to the Forum des Images at Les Halles to see the film, 'Daguerreotypes.' He said he was going to come back while I'm writing this, but he hasn't. He probably went to the Bouquet and ran into some Dagurréotypistas there. If I've spelled 'Idhra' wrong, it is his fault. I couldn't find it on the map either.

There isn't actually a 'Beaujolais Nouveau Week' because it only happens on Thursday. It is impossible to tell what the wine will be like because there won't be any sneak previews until Wednesday, if then.

Beaujolais Nouveau Day starts officially at 00:01 on Thursday in Paris. Semi-officially I think it starts earlier, somewhere west of the date-line in the Pacific Ocean - so Australians get to test it hours before Parisians can get their noses in it.

The idea is to drink it all on Beaujolais Nouveau Day. Even saving it until Thanksgiving a week later in the United States will not make it a better by a week's-worth. Letting it age until Christmas is futile. Give it your best shot next Thursday, and then return to getting on with your life.

This magazine's 'Ed' started on out a shoestring. After seven years the shoestring has had so many repair knots in it that it is useless for lacing shoes or tying around fingers as a 'reminder' device. It has taken a long time to figure out, but it is finally clear to 'Ed' that Metropole has to make some money.

As late in the game as it may seem, there is no better time than now. It is, in fact, a vital necessity. This will explain the reason for the apparent change from being non-commercial to unbridled capitalism. As of this issue, commerce and advertising are no longer unspeakable terms in connection with this magazine.

Before you go into shock, or terminal horror, stay with me a moment. Spaces have been found within the magazine's pages that are absolutely blank today. Without squeezing the editorial content too much, many of these empty spaces can be converted into 'for rent' areas.

As of this issue, none of these 'for rent' spaces have actually attracted tenants. This is just an alert, a warning - that 'Ed' is going to 'go commercial' in order to not 'go under.'

The idea is to not only 'keep Metropole flying,' but to make a living out of it too. 'Ed' with a full tummy and feeling mellow will be primed to put out a better if not bigger Metropole.

Where possible, the commercial announcements will keep readers' interests in mind. Aside from offers concerning Paris - in your interest - there will be no trick stuff - no pop-ups, no animations, no audio messages. Just straight offers of goods and services.

Both readers and club members have expressed an interest in being able to find Paris apartments 'for rent' in Metropole. Club members especially are aware that other club members own apartments in Paris or France. It makes sense that Metropole be the Web site that matches your offers to your demands.

So, within a short time expect to see a 'Rental' page as a permanent feature of the magazine. If you have an apartment here that is vacant most of the year, why not rent it to another club member when it is unoccupied?

Unlike Metropole Paris and Café Metropole Club, listing your property in Metropole is not going to be 'free.' Rates to list yur apartment will be reasonable - especially considering that your announcement will be seen by many people 'just like you' - perhaps other club members who you have already met at club meetings. If you have a Web site for your apartment, your listing in Metropole will link to it.