Thames versus Seine

I had lunch in Paris last week - such a pleasure. An effortless and efficient journey on Eurostar followed by a short stroll around the Ile St Louis before a leisurely lunch at a restaurant on Place Dauphine at the far end of the Ile de la Cite. It was such a lovely day that rather than heading then for one of my pre-selected galleries, we opted to spend the short afternoon on a lazy Seine sightseeing cruise. But I couldn't quite agree with my friend's claim that "the Seine is so much more beautiful than the Thames". And having zipped up the Thames this Sunday, from the 02 at North Greenwich to Embankment, I'm now certain. Admittedly the busy atmosphere of a scheduled Thames Clipper service may not quite compare to the romantic floatiness of a Bateau Mouche cruise, and the Seine does have some fabulously ornate bridges, but the Thames is incomparably bulging with life, both past and present. And it's been years since I'd seen the Tour Eiffel close up - from a distance I love its fretted metalwork but up close from the river it's positively brutal. As opposed to the elegant curves of our London Eye, also seen both from afar and close up this weekend. And I read that the operator Merlin plans to refurbish all of the 32 capsules, removing one at a time, between now and 2012 so that it should require no major maintenance for the next 15-20 years. I wonder if it will last as long as the Eiffel Tower?

Parlez vous francais

I had cause recently to look into the use and teaching of foreign languages. Apparently giving up a language at school remains the biggest regret from adult Britons' schooldays, according to a recent survey of UK adults. Government plans now underway will make language teaching available in every primary school in England by 2010 - starting young has to be an advantage. And although 300 languages are spoken in London alone, many young people who speak another language with their family are unaware of the benefits that their community language skills can bring them - so that's another task on the Government's language learning agenda. Fortunately for me, I was able to study French up to A level and then spent two successive summers working as an au pair in France, determined to improve my language skills - as well as adventure into a foreign country and earn a modest living along the way. Regular trips to France since then, plus a few years working for the very Francophile tour operator, VFB Holidays, just about kept me au courant. But these days I find that je cherche mes mots as, like most things in life, if you don't use it, you lose it. And I'm off to Bergerac in a few weeks' time, to celebrate a friend's birthday and I've spotted a new gadget called the mi-box, a portable, pre-loaded audio-book which apparently will help me "pick up the essentials of my chosen language quickly and easily". The French version is only £13.99 - I worry that it might be a bit basic - but then again, je profiterais surement des lecons en francais.