Random Memory #2

In 1979 I was strolling along the banks of the Saône in Lyon, shopping in the fruit and vegetable market, when I suddenly heard the ear-splitting sound of an air-raid warning. I asked a passing Frenchman, unconcerned by the noise, what exactly was happening. He explained that it was the 4-minute warning for a nuclear attack, which was tested at noon on the first Wednesday of every month. "It's part of the Réseau National d'Alerte," he added, helpfully. "Where are the nuclear bunkers?" I asked. The Frenchman stared at me for a few seconds and then broke into helpless laughter.