Another postcard from Lyon
Another fairly mundane week trying to do my French tax return which is well overdue – it was due in May but as I was in Australia, I wasn’t able to lodge it. Actually, it’s not called a tax return here, it’s a déclaration d’impots. There’s no return. The thing about taxes here is that workers don’t pay tax each month but in a single hit at the end of each financial year – ouch! Not a great system if you ask me. Everyone loses: the government, when people default due to having spent all their income, and the workers who are hit with massive tax bills right after Christmas. And we thought we had it tough!
Sarah also arrived in London this week and has been having a lovely time. And when Sarah is happy, I’m happy! She arrives in Paris next week where I will meet up with her. Philip’s mum passed away today, and although I do feel bad for Philip, I’m not going to be hypocritical and say that I am devastated. He didn’t want to tell Sarah for fear of spoiling her trip, but, and I didn’t say this to him, I don’t think she’s going to be terribly upset either. The woman despised her for so many years while she was growing up. I’m only glad that Philip is finally free of her. Did I say it had been a mundane week???
I haven’t started my new job yet, but should start my training in the next few weeks, which I’m looking forward to. I’ll be working for a language schools and going back to doing what I love best: teaching English. Not that I don’t love giving entertaining presentations on Australia to my EMLyon students, but it will be nice to do a bit of actual teaching as well.
Tonight, a friend and I dined at L’Ouest, the only Paul Bocuse Brasserie I hadn’t been to yet. It is one of 4 Paul Bocuse brasseries in Lyon: https://www.nordsudbrasseries.com/ I have been to the other 3, Le Nord, Le Sud, L’Est but hadn’t, until tonight, been to this one. To date my favourite was L’Est, near Les Brotteaux, the old train station. After tonight it remains my favourite. I enjoyed the food at L’Ouest, and I’m sure in summer the terrace is great, but generally, it just looks like a giant cafeteria, or even hangar, with tables crammed much too closely together. To top it off, there are giant televisions screens everywhere, with tonight’s attraction: Soccer -France playing Australia, with Australia losing. If you want to watch the soccer, stay home!
Paul Bocuse has one other restaurant, the upmarket l'Auberge du Pont de Collonges, just outside of Lyon, but this one is way out of my reach. Paul Bocuse, in case you haven’t heard of him, is France’s best known celebrity chef. He was born in Lyon, in 1926, and got his first Michelin star in 1958. By 1965, he had earned 3 – the most you can get! To earn 3 stars is the ultimate dream for chefs and restaurants. Paul Bocuse is one of Lyon’s most famous exports, along with Antoine de Saint Exupery, (author of The Little Prince) and the Lumière Brothers (creators of the first film). If you were living in Melbourne in the 90s you may remember Daimaru at Melbourne Central. Well, Bocuse actually had a restaurant there…remember Mietta’s? Unfortunately, it was unable to survive in the 90s economic climate (and probably Daimaru’s high rents), and closed its doors in 1997. Perhaps it was something to do with the philosophy of charging bucket loads of money for very little food.
Tomorrow night, movies with my Internations movie club. We’re going to see The Drop with Tom Hardy. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/07/the-drop-review-james-gandolfinis-review-film-tom-hardy