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Published: August 29th 2007
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Lou and Mark
Outside the restaurant where we celebrated Mark's birthday Well the original version of this seems to have disappeared to the land of internet heaven. Not sure what the story is, but will try and remember what I wrote previously :-)
We set off early on the Friday morning via the Eurostar from Waterloo to Paris. On this particular train was myself, Lou and Mark, Peta and Duncan, and half of the rest of the london-kiwi community. My mates and I were on separate carriages but my carriage was chocker-block with kiwis. This was established early in the trip and it was a fun trip chatting to everyone about the up-and-coming game. We arrived about lunch time and I met Lou and Mark for lunch before booking in to our hotel - Hotel du Cygne. It was a really quaint hotel located centrally in Paris. From there it was an easy walk to the Notre Dam and the Louvre, and there were a number of pubs :-) and cafes close by.
That day was Mark's birthday so he had booked dinner for a large group of us at a restaurant called Le Louchebem - a meat-lovers paradise. It is in the district of Les Halles and is infamous
for its meat. The menu even had a picture of a cow on it so you could work out what cow part you wanted to eat. Not a place for vegetarians!! I settled for a more traditional dish of Beef Bourguignon. It was very rich and I'd definitely recommend it! We had a fantastic night involving a great deal of wine and some great food.
The next morning I went for brunch with Peta and Duncan to a place called Le Pain Quotidien. I've since seen these cafes in London and they are great. You sit at communal tables with other customers and it has a really good atmosphere. Their speciality is their bread along with their spreads - which you place on your plate which is actually a wooden board like paint on a palette. The spreads included milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate with hazel nuts, you get the gist.. We had a relaxing breakfast with our bowls of tea and the nicest bread I've tasted in a long time. We then went for a wander around the shops and markets, picking up supplies for a picnic which we had later in the day in front
of the Notre Dame. The weather while definitely getting cooler was still good and the crowds were full of kiwis in All Black shirts and hats. I think we took over Paris that weekend.
Later in the day I caught up with Lou and Mark and their mates to have a few drinks before heading to Stade de France. We managed to get there just in time to grab a beer (turned out to be alcohol free!!) and our seats before the anthems. As you entered the stadium, everyone was given a pamphlet written in both French and English welcoming the kiwis. It was a wicked gesture and the respect during the haka was tear-invoking. I think all the NZers at the stadium really appreciated the thought.
Shame for the French that the ABs didn't have the same respect for their national team ;-) It wasn't quite the same result as the previous game in Lyon but it was still a nice 23-11 win for us. Followed by a very big night. We headed back to a pub near our hotel, where we stayed for a good few hours. The French were very welcoming and excellent sports, and
bought me drinks all night :-) Viva la France!!
The next morning was a little shady. Managed to get myself out of bed for brunch with Lou. I didn't feel too imaginative, so took her back to the cafe I'd been introduced to by P&D the previous day. I then went off to spend the day wondering the streets of Paris enjoying the beautiful sunshine and the great sites. It was a lovely day wondering by the river. It's a shame I had to spoil it by missing my train :-( What a plonker, especially when all those London-based kiwis where trying to get back the same day. No worries. I managed to get a 1ST CLASS ticket for around £200. Lucky I was starting my new job the next day. And luckier still they give me dinner and wine on the trip, or else I might have starved. Didn't really dampen the weekend though :-)
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Scott
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Very cool but...
Very cool but where is the "Northern Christmas 2006" entry ???