The Weatherman

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Finding a place to eat in a new city can be a tricky thing. With a couple of strong-minded fellow travelers, even more so. Reims may not have gained its fame for the abundance of restaurants, but like every French settlement with a population greater than two, there are a few establishments to choose from. Finally we agree on trying one on what appears to be a rather major and popular square.

The weather has been sunny and dry all day on our way through three countries, so the prospect of sitting outside in the spring in the middle of the square enjoying a tasty French meal is tempting. Plenty of free tables. In fact, very few are occupied. Fine, the more space for us.

We ask the waiter if this is possible. He answers, in a confident bordering arrogant, but yet friendly, tone that “It’s possible, but I wouldn’t do it. It’ll start raining in 30 minutes”. With very few clouds in the sky and plenty of sunshine we are curious what he is basing his prediction on. Nevertheless, we go for the suggested table on the sidewalk under the table instead.

The drinks come in. The food is served. About 30 minutes into our dinner the rain is pouring down. We are astonished over the accuracy of our waiter’s forecast. Should he really be a waiter? Should he not be on television? And how do we get back to our hotel without getting soaked.

Our fear of getting wet to the bone is however washed away just in time the dinner is finished. The rain stops, and the sun comes out again. Walking back to the hotel, looking at the very dry streets, it’s like it was never raining. A rather peculiar phenomenon for people living in the Netherlands and Scotland. But why complain, we made it back safe and dry. And wondering if the guy was really that good, or if the rainfall in Reims is what could possibly be the only thing actually occurring on schedule in France...

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