Fine Dining on the Seine

Dinner was very pleasant. We were rushed a bit to get there as the Metro trains were slower than the journey planner had led us to believe, but we made it in time. It was quite a stylish, spacious boat; basically a deck with a glass canopy. The service, the food and drink were all excellent. Everything was included, from the aperitifs to the cognac. There was live music, warming up with Carmen, Air on G String & Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and developing into New York, New York and It’s Raining Men towards the end of the evening.

Basically all the boat did was sail up and down the Seine during dinner. From the Eiffel Tower, we travelled right the way along to the National Library in the East before turning around and swinging back along the other side of the Ile de Cité back to Eiffel and on around past a small Statue of Liberty before turning around again to return to the Tower.

After we disembarked, the rest of the guys headed for the taxi rank back to their hotel. Instead, we walked under the tower and through the Champ de Mars towards the École Militaire. We paused on the lawns of the Champ for a while because the Eiffel Tower was just such a truly impressive sight. It is well floodlit from within at night and is an imposing skyline. I blogged while we were sitting there and you can see that entry below. (Photo here.)

When we finally went on to the station, we discovered another of Paris’ idiosyncrasies: Some of the Metro ticket barriers only lead to one platform, with no access to the one going in the other direction. If this isn’t pointed out to you by signage (as is the case at the Place de L’École Militaire) you end up on the wrong platform, having wasted your ticket. Fortunately the gate supervisor at the other platform was understanding and let us through without it costing us another of our Carnets.

One observation from tonight: Paris is taking its bid to host the 2012 Olympics somewhat more enthusiastically than London. Every bridge we sailed under was either flood-lit, or outlined in neon, in the colours of the Olympic Rings and there is a massive illuminated sign on the Eiffel Tower encourage people to Win The Games.