...Continued from page 1

You can count on the secretary's presence for the meeting on Thursday, 15. August, which is a holiday in France known as Assumption rather than mid-August, which is what it really is.

Café Metropole Club 'Updates'

With what little that's going on in the world these days, I can understand why you might have been a bit indifferent to news of last Thursday's club meeting 'report.' Should this be the case, you can catch up with your club's 'news' by hitting this link to the 'Two Real Members Really' report and get super up-to-date.

The coming meeting of the Café Metropole Club will be on Thursday, 1. August. The club's 'Saint's Day of the Week' next Thursday is Saint- Alphonse for a change.

Readers who want to become real club members can scan the few minor details concerning this free club in four seconds by reading the large-sized fine-print on the 'About the Club' page and maybe scraping the virtual membership card off the screen.

A cruise boat loiters offshore for the dance music.

Joining is no more than easily simple. Do it by being here! Being here on a Thursday is the best bet. Keeping up with club 'news' is no great hassle either, because the reports about it go online right after the meetings, right after I finish writing them slowly. You can read them in this magazine, which is online too.

Save 'Metropole Paris' as one of your favorite bookmarks to avoid mistyping its overly-long name every time you feel like reading a club report, or a regular edition like this one.

Metropole's Affiliates

The following product or service providers have chosen Metropole because their offers may be of value to you and I agree with them.

'Bookings' has extended their reservation service for a wide selection of Paris hotels. Check out their wider offers and make your choice long before your arrival in France. Try this one. Other Metropole readers have.

And then, when it is dark, all the lights go on.

'HighwayToHealth' provides a 'city health profile' for Paris as well as travel insurance. If you have signed up for these services before you need them suddenly, you will benefit from them. I hope won't be the case, but 'Things Happen.'

'Petanque America' exports quality Obut boules from France and will ship them to you anywhere in the Americas - which will save you the effort of carrying them all the way from Paris. Be the first on your block to introduce the game of pétanque - or boules. Everybody can play this game, nearly anywhere - such as on any vacant lot covered with suitable dirt.

This Was Metropole One Year Ago:

Issue 6.31 - 30. July 2001 - This issue began with the Café Metropole column's breathless 'Hot' Weather Looms!' The 'Au Bistro' column raved about a 'Lawyer To Sue for 'Right To Drive.' This issue one feature titled 'Real Low Budget Visit - Strictly Kid Stuff.' The update for the Café Metropole Club meeting on 2. August was called the 'Major New 'City of the Week' report. The week's 'Scene' column was short and sweet with 'Paris In August!' There were four new 'Posters of the Week' and Ric's Cartoon of the Week was captioned, "Two Glasses of Water"

This Was Metropole Two Years Ago

Issue 5.31 - 31. July 2000 - This week's Café Metropole column was titled 'Roller 'Rando' Resumes.' There 'Au Bistro' column's headline was 'Concorde Disaster Due To Multiple Causes.' This issue's feature was called 'Blue Skies Over Tango, Sunday Reggae at La Villette.' The Café Metropole Club update for this issue on 3. August, was called the "Watching Rich People Shop In the Place Vendôme" report. The PR-hype club page had the title, 'Still Unanswered 'Why?' Is Boring.' Darn right too! The 'Scene' column's headline was 'Snoozy August Program.' The usual but different four 'Posters of the Week' were on view too and Ric's Cartoon of the Week had the caption of 'You Can Hitchhike!'

Countdown To the Recent Past

This feature would have been elected as the most boring in the magazine if anybody bothered to vote for it. But it was suspended two weeks ago and it thus missed out on losing the election. Losing? Winning?

Last week, as luck would have it, this feature's only reader, Jim Auman, wrote to remind me and you that on Wednesday, 24. July, Alexandre Dumas had his 200th anniversary, and this was a whole five days ago. This was certainly mentioned in France and I intend to read all about as soon as I can.

Thursday, 8. August is expected to be the date of arrival in New York via Route 66, by way of Chicago from LA, of 28 or 30 teams piloting pre-war Citroën 'Tractions.' On Friday, the surviving 'Tractions' are scheduled to show off in a parade on 5th Avenue. The first date is roughly 10 days from now.

The reason for re-running this stuff is that I have to start part one of my holiday very early tomorrow, and I am too keyed up to think of anything else useful to add here even though there never is anything 'useful' with the 'count-up' or down business. Not since the fake '2000' thing anyway which began about 700 days early.

So without much more fooling around all I'd like to say is thank you for reading this magazine, thanks for sending me your comments, and thanks for turning up at the weekly club meetings. Enjoy your stay in Paris. Bonne vacances! A bientôt,