first impressions of france

When I was about 7 years old I went to Paris with my parents. We were in the Tuilerie Gardens and I wanted to go to the loo (though not very impressed with the stand-astride-a-big-hole 0nes which were common then). We asked a man where the nearest one was and he shrugged (gallicly) and said there were none! I must have looked desperate because he rooted around in his pocket and drew out a cork which he handed over to us with much laughter…