And now its time for ‘Adieu, Paris’ as well.
I’ve crammed a lot of social life into my last few days: a Parisian reunion with Barry and Rosemary from Sydney and Brian from Couptrain ... apéritif à la fourchette chez Jean-Baptiste and dinner, of course, at the Bistrot Sainte-Marthe.., an evening chez Alexis, who cooked the most magnificent salmon for us, and an evening out with Christophe and Pierre on the left bank – pastis at the Café Buci, a very nice dinner at No35 in the Rue Jacob (just along from a plaque saying ‘Richard Wagner Lived Here’ even if briefly), and – in a splash of euros – digestifs and coffee at the Pub Saint-Germain (charming atmosphere and disappointingly tarty waitresses). Plus, in between the courses, a wander round the Latin Quarter which Pierre knows intimately and historically, and which in the month of August is almost as thronged with tourists as Barcelona. Finally, a thoroughly exaggerated farewell evening a la maison (how many bottles of wine? .. not possible!), and then heigh ho for Orly once more…
Well, Paris in the last three seasons has certainly given me some good times and grand memories. I’m sure I shall come back again: later, at least, if not sooner.
The final stop on the 2009 leg of my Grand Tour is Berlin. Just for ten days, really to find out if I do want to come back and do an extended stay here in the future. Once again, I’m being looked after by the Clarke family, and today (Tuesday) I sallied forth with Kevin for my first little adventure, luncheon at the lovely old village of Lütbars, very close to the ancient divide between East and West. We ate at the one table outside a little delicatessen on the corner of the Alt-Lütbar … Eisbein mit sauerkraut and a pint of light may not be an adventurous meal for a German (the local equivalent of corned beef and cabbage), but I loved it, and went away with a little Polish sausage for my tea in a paper bag. After lunch we walked along the fields behind the village … a lovely taste of old countryside Berlin where the haymaking and the horses had me feeling half home-sick…
Garçons and their jouets!!
Christophe snapped (on his iphone), Pierre demonstrating to me the utter necessity of possessing an iphone...
and how he can 'put me on the wall' with his machine... 
Technology is just moving too fast for me!
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