Stories of France.... no.1

Eric's Christmas dog on Paris Daily Photo reminded me of a time I was travelling in France, in the summer, and I had stopped in Grenoble.

Now, I am the human equivalent of the truffle pig when it comes to sniffing out restaurants, and I don't often have difficulties in France (although, more these days than used to be the case) but Grenoble had me beat. Serried ranks of mediocre brasseries lined the main street, none looked appealing. I carried on walking. Just as I was about to despair, I turned into a little street behind the station and saw a little cafe which I thought I might check out. Only, outside on the pavement was this socking great alsatian dog. As I approach he got up, hackles rose and started barking.

Ay sensible person might have turned away. As it was, I looked at him more closely. I am a doggy kind of person,and I just didn't think that he meant it - not really - so I walked in, unsavaged.

It turned out, I'd found the cafe where large numbers of locals came - the owner's wife's homemade pasta was excellent, and by three in the morning I was sworn brothers with each man there. So I turned to the owner and asked him, "what's with the dog?". "Ah," he said, "poor thing is getting old, can't see so barks at everyone... at least he keeps the tourists away"