Eddie

Was he at least black?!? At least you had a good time though.

Wouldn' happen to be here september 11th for a meet up for the game would you? The tuilleries is a garden right next to place de la concorde and during june and august they set up a fair ground. There is always a ferris wheel there that gives you a good view of the city, though be warned, it gets a bit bumpy at the top! The rides are pretty decent at the fair and it makes for a good night. Plus if you walk just down the road and are in the mood for clubbing one of the cheapest clubs around is just down the road. If you want a more detailed guide to the actual nightlife though I could give you tips on any specific bars or clubs if that is the sort of thing you think you'll be doing as well. Depending on whether you want this trip to be visiting famous sites or just having a nice relaxing week in Paris I could say there are some other good places to visit. For another nice day out the parc de saint cloud, which I mentioned in the festival thread, is just outside of the city on heights overlooking it, meaning that if you go to the edge of the park you get a magnificent view. It's fairly easy to get to by train, and would set you back 2.70 from the city centre to get to. The day tour to the sewers are quite interesting, and if you can get in the catacombs they are really a different and interesting thing, though make sure the lady doesnt mind seeing lots of skulls.

That's odd. Well next time you're here, or for anyone else, if the bar tells you that then just move on to another one, it isn't normal.

This test has perfectly highlighted the reasons why England needed Thorpe. I have no doubt that in the first innings when wickets were falling he simply would have shut up shop, meaning that he and Pietersen and Jones could have put on more runs with recognised batsmen in and got closer to the Austrlian total, if not passed it. It cannot be forgotten that in the field he is an excellent catcher, of course the odd drop but on the whole one of the best. While in the second innings, after a good start, runs on the board and going a a good rate him pushing the ball around for singles and not getting out is exactly what England needed. Unfortunately it's too late to go back, but I think England were caught up in this new generation of players and forgot the need for both age and experience as well as one of the players who played such a major role in England's rise to power, albeit without taking any of the glory.

Well looks like we got the rain!

Yeah, if it weren't for the aggressive lot it would be totally safe to drive your car around when you've had too much to drink.

That actually reminds me that when you are there the fair in the tuilleries will still be running. It's a nice way to spend a day as well, especially in nice weather with a pretty girl.

Oh dear god...haha

Certainly possible to spend an entire day. It's all modern art but there will be the main collections as well as exhibitions. On top of that they have possibly the best library in Paris, though I doubt that would interest you. Though if you need internet access or want to watch a bit of tv stop in there and you can.

Usually not, though if you'd like I'll get you the number and you can give them a ring.

Certainly use public transportation. Jim J, what bars did you go to where they charge you to sit down? Got a bit screwed there.

Well you'll be find when it comes to the olympic stuff. They did want it but anyone who talks to you about it will say congratulations through their teeth. Be prepared for hot weather is my first advice. It's been very hot for the past month or so and only going to get hotter, and if it is anything like last August then it's tough to manage. They have a day long bike tour (in english) of the city which is actually nice. You go in a group of about 6 or 7 with a guide for the afternoon. It's a different way to see the city and I quite enjoyed it, though perhaps if it's your first time you might not be interested. Make sure you get to the Pompidou Centre, though that is pretty well known, and if you have a bit of money to spend (about 40-50 euros a person) and want to impress your girlfriend with a very romantic evening eat in "George's", which is at the top of the building, which has just about the best view of the city you can find. For a good night out you can head to the Latin Quarter and simply just walk around and you'll find a good range of bars, pubs and clubs. Also if you walk around there by day you'll see some of the famous sites where the host of famous 20th century American authors wrote during the 1920's, while also seeing some of the oldest parts of the cities (some of the olds walls and buildings still stand). Other than that I'd say at this time of year just walk around the city and get a taste of Parisian life. The sidewalks will be full of life and just taking a walk and stopping in a café that no one will ever talk about in a guide book beats just about anything, and also makes for a good holiday. Edit: If you need any help or specific questions just ask, I'll give some more good places to go after I've thought a bit longer, have a nice trip though.

Not panto season kenny.

That is probably how a lot of the stuff is written in the News of the World.

30 minutes of play and rain the rest of the time would do me just fine at this point. Poor batting and dropped catches have put England in this situation, unless Jones and Pietersen can do something amazing there's no getting out of it. Who's to say they won't both score hundreds though and this will be the sweetest of all victories? Well...I won't be betting on it.

I've got Brian Lara and quite enjoy it. It's tough going, especially the batting I find. Though it's not hard to stay in, it's very tough to score runs. If you try and score runs you get out. Finding out exactly how to take wickets is tough, though slowly getting better, easier in the one day games.

Also have to take into consideration how test cricket has changed over recent years. Teams score more runs generally, and the runs they do score they certainly score faster. Bigger targets are becoming more and more attainable. Now if we could avoid our second innings turning into the McGrath show like the first did I think we'd be alright.

Well done England for dragging that back. That last hour of play put them back in with a good chance.

Oh well, just another couple and we're through the batting.

Very costly drop

Pietersen needs to learn how to catch. Had that chance been taken I think England could ahve gone into the interval happy, instead they need wickets. Three chances dropped in one match is horrible, especially when two were straight forward. Doesn't matter how many runs you make, if you drop catches as well then you are making a mess of your own good work.

Well, Australia will be the happier at lunch with them being effectively being 80-1 and having looked relatively untroubled in the spell before lunch. England need to get more stuck into them and try and cause the same top order collapse that has happened regularly throughout the summer so far.

Im not very happy with the fact that Brian Lara Cricket has no fatigue setting for bowlers, bit unrealistic, hopefully they will come out with a patch or something to fix that, glad to have my copy though it is a good game.

I actually think England should be pleased with the mornings work so far. Despite the fact that it is low scoring 35 is really nothing in a test match. All they need do now is go out and bowl well in conditions that suit them, then it is up to the top order not to be the idiots that they were yesterday.

By the way, the holding the ball up when you get the fifth wicket makes you look a right prat.