10th April 2008 A Day with Bernie Minuti

The day started with bread, cheese and orange juice purchased from the local supermarket the night before. It was something that Bernie and I had talked about for so long so to be finally having such a breakfast was a delight.

Bernie and I set off to the Muse D’Orsay by metro but after seeing the throngs of anxious, would be appreciators of fine art all arranging themselves in a queue that resembled a depiction of the serpent from an aboriginal dot painting we both felt that our mental and physical state would be better served by a casual stroll along the Seine towards the Eiffel Tower.


The stroll was in reality quite a respectable walk for a pair of doddering old fools like us but the weather started to smile on us with glorious sunshine and a gentle if cold wind cooperating to not only enhance the majesty of the scenery but to make the environment for the stroll most enjoyable.















I particularly enjoyed looking over the Seine to see the buildings on the various tiers of the horizon slide past one another. It made me feel like I was stationary and the architecture and history of Paris were moving before me.

We had planned to meet Bernie Minuti at the Australian Embassy quite near the Tour d’Eifell, where we were all going to catch up with Ruth Mahon for lunch. Ruth is the daughter of our mutual friends John and Liz Mahon from Wagga. Ruth is a lovely lady with delightful parents. She has been working in the Embassy in Paris for about five or six years in a variety of positions most recently in the consulate area looking after Australian who have problems when in France.










After a very pleasant lunch in the tiny basement of a Parisienne street café we left Ruth at the Embassy and went touring a number of Bernie Minuti’s favourite spots in Paris. Bernie has been a French teacher for many years and has been to and stayed in France many times. Her ability to interact with the locals and her experience in the nooks and crannies of Paris made for an extraordinarily pleasant if not tiring afternoon. I doubt that she appreciates the extent to which her company and her insights into Paris and French people enhance our whole parisenne experience.

We walked down the Champs Elysee from the Arc De’triump to the Gardens of the Tullieries











past the Peugeot store

and the Concord and stopped for desperately needed coffee overlooking the Gardens of the Tullieries .

We experienced a rally of French public servants, a rally that in that environment seemed to and probably did have an element of theatre that is usually absent from such rallies in Australia.

We even saw policemen on in-line skates

We made our way to some of the courtyard gardens of the historic aristocratic enclaves that in those days represented residential retreats for the upper classes that separated them from the poorer and less hygienic environment of early Paris.

We stopped for a “Chocolat” in the immediate environs of the George Pompidou Centre

and ended up at the Notre Dame which is only about 20 minutes walk from our hotel. It is impressive and popular with the tourists. The windows were magnificent.

I was impressed with the consistency of the architecture and obvious pride that the typical parisienne has in their city. Even the Pompidou Centre with it ultra modern theme of exposed structure and utility is tastefully confined in locality and extent to enhance rather than to detract from the atmosphere of Paris.

In most areas they were an almost total absence of graffiti of both the painted and virtual kind. For example there was a consistency even of the way in which people treated their balconies – there were no clothes out to dry nor boxes being to sent to Coventry and even the lower boxes were of a common style. Building alterations to suit a change in occupancy seemed to match the environment in what seemed like a harmony of design philosophy amongst the community. The French certainly do have style.

I have decided there is such a thing as French eyes. Not only do they appreciate style in their architecture but it sets them apart from others of different genetic makeup. When you a French person in a pensive mood they look almost melancholy if not teary. When they are overtly cheerful their eyes still have a hint of moisture about them. I was particularly impressed by the Frenchified North African young women. They were stylish and glamorous.

We were taken by the "bikes for hire" concept of the City of Paris. Dotted around the city are standards of relatviely new and modern bikes. If you subscribe by paying around E30 a year you get the first 30 minutes on a bike for free. of course people then you one bike, ride to another station and change to a new bike. The result is that bikes remain evenly distributed around the city and an individual has access to the bikes for a fixed annual fee. The bikes are also available for tourists and the stations come equiped with maps and a credit card machine to effect the hire.

We arrived home tired and very ready for our cheese, bread and cheap French red wine. .

Another great day.