Tati - Thursday, 3 December

Virginia went off to do some Christmas shopping this morning and I went to Tati. For those who don't know this Paris institution, it is like an oversize combination of Tasmania's "Chicken Feed" and South Australia's "Cunningham's Warehouse;" a sort of department store spread over two city blocks with lots of cheap goods. There are those who would say that the name describes the place, and perhaps it does, but I have to confess that wandering around it I saw a great many bargains. Many of their products were identical to those at Monoprix and at even better shops but at a considerably lower price.

Tati is a bit like a street market, spilling out of doors and with bins of cheap goods on the street. There are dozens of men in the area peddling cheap jewelry and, at the moment, what appear to be knock-offs of Chanel perfume. The area around Tati is not one of the "better" areas of Paris, but it certainly is not an area that one feels needs to be avoided - at least during daylight hours.

Meanwhile, Virginia made her way to W. H. Smith and Sons on the rue de Rivoli where she discovered a small grocery department which sells such English delights as Bird's Custard, Tate and Lyle's Golden Syrup, Bovril, Marmite and - are you ready for this - Vegemite. Why Vegemite? We've no idea. But if you feel that you couldn't possibly come to Paris because of its lack of that fundamental of Australian sustenance, think again. You can find it on the first floor of W. H. Smith and Sons.

View of the Louvre

Oddly enough, not knowing where Virginia had gone, I decided to stroll along the rue de Rivoli and even wandered into Smith's. Most of my time was taken walking from the Louvre to Concorde where I picked up the Metro line which took me back to Montmartre. After a bit of lunch I set out again but by then the rain had become too heavy and I quickly turned around and went back to the flat.

When I arrived back, Virginia had returned and was giggling over something she was reading. It was a brochure she had picked up from Paris Vision, a tour bus company and one of the two major players in this field. The English language brochure boasts that a "commentary is available in fifteen languages," but we do hope that their translations into other languages is better than the one into English. With commendable regard for the handicapped, the general information tells us, "Our motor coaches are not approachable to the persons handicapped in 100% and which move in wheelchair." We are also told that with regard to children, "under 3 years free lunch payable locally by parent if any." Undoubtedly their English is better by far than my French, but, considering that they are a major tour organization, catering to the thousands of American, British and Australian travellers in Paris, you would think they would have gotten a better translator. On cannot help but wonder what amazing descriptions might be on the commentary!

After a mild morning it had turned wet in the afternoon and we dealt with basic household things like grocery shopping and laundry.