A funny, lovable cabbie

Taxi Driver, the romantic comedy! Herte's the trailer:

(no subject)

"Bon soir!" I said to the passenger. There may have been a flicker of "WTF?" but they didn't say anything, not even when I responded to their directions with "Tres bien."

I've been dreaming of Paris. Last night's shift was all Paris, and the wide, empty freeways of Canberra turned into narrow cluttered lanes, alive with people. The tall pyramid of the Parliament House flagpole became the Eiffel Tower, and at random moments I'd burst out into "La Marseillaise".

I took a trip into town yesterday before my shift, did my banking, got my hair cut, and drifted into the remainders bookshop, as one does. In the travel section was a 2001 edition of "Great Sleeps Paris", a guidebook on innercity Paris hotels, focussing on the sort that aren't the Ritz or the Hyatt.

I had no idea there were so many. Even my awful little auberge got a review, with no mention of my single worst shower experience, though it did mention the five hour cleaning break.

I thumbed through them, mentally converting the rates in Euros (at that stage very much a notional currency) to Aussie dollars and occasionally whimpering. I wanted something central, close to the Latin Quarter, not hugely luxurious, but somewhere quiet and comfortable, without busting the bank, left or otherwise.

Well, I think I've found somewhere. Cheap, quiet, clean, airconditioned, including WiFi and in an unbeatable location. Every review I've found is a rave. After checking with Kerri, I've sent in a request for five days in April, and I'm crossing my fingers.

Yet to book Guernsey, St Malo or Bayeux, though I'll be happy with the Hotel de la Gare I staid in last time. St Malo could be a bit tricky, especially if I want somewhere near (or actually within) the Intramuros. No guidebooks to help me there.

It's early morning in Paris at the moment, so I'm not expecting a reply for a few hours. But oh, I hope I get this hotel. It would be perfect.

A bientot!

The bells, the bells!

There must be something about me and old cathedrals. In London, my hostel is a stone's throw from St Pauls. In Istanbul, Ayasofya, the ancient Byzantine cathedral (later a mosque) was just a block away from my seedy hotel in Sultanahmet (and the huge Blue Mosque not much further).

And now I've found this incredible hotel in the shadow of Notre Dame in Paris. Right slap bang in the middle of Paris. In the middle of the Seine. Shakespeare's bookshop is just across the river in one direction, and the Boulevarde St Michel starts at our doorstep.

The hotel is apparently one of Paris's best secrets. It's in an attic of the Hotel Dieu, the old Paris hospital, and it consists of 14 small but quiet and clean rooms. No windows, just skylights.

And what a location! We'll be able to walk everywhere.

The hotel just wrote back and confirmed availablity, so I am over the moon.