Paris: A Travelogue, Some Beers and A Bit of Rugby

By Saint Adam of Weedon
October 21 2014

When the draw for the first round of European competitions was made, this seemed to be the standout trip in terms of venue and the ultimate outcome of the group. Paris with the Saints at a time of year when the weather might still be ok…what more could you want? Saint Adam of Weedon shares his travel experience with us.

Day 1

For reasons of economy our small entourage decided to fly out from Gatwick to Charles de Gaules, with Eurostar prices having doubled between the first time we looked and when we got round to booking a week later. A swift and uneventful journey was just what we wanted and having left Northamptonshire at 10:30 we were in the French capital by 17:30 local time.

Our hotel was near Crimée metro station, just inside the north-east corner of the Peripherique, and as we climbed the stairs from the station to ground level we were greeted with an unmistakeably Parisian scene; white buildings, a boulangerie and many a bar and brasserie dotted around. Now, this was not the Champs Elysee, this was an area with a diverse population, the odd bric a brac store and a busy yet convivial hubbub as people went around their daily business.

Having checked in we learnt that the “advance party” had helpfully established which local hostelries were not worth bothering with, and found ourselves sat outside a small bar more or less opposite the hotel as more and more of our group arrived. A quick check of the mobile phone established that it was 8pm, it was 18c and yes it was actually mid-October yet here we were enjoying les bieres on a Parisian pavement in complete comfort, happy days!

Group dynamics being what they are, the evening hurried along and nobody had yet mentioned food (though a few had popped into the nearby supermarché to procure Pringles). A few of us decided that a spot of French food was in order, but as we wondered up the avenue a problem arose: it was nearly 10pm and the French eat quite early…everything was closing! I spied a busy-looking side street and after a pizza restaurant was vetoed and everybody quite rightly objected to the very prospect of a kebab we stumbled across an interesting Lebanese joint. Well, why not? Lebanese food, as it turns out, is somewhat logically a mish-mash of eastern Mediterranean cusines. We ordered a plate of mezze to start with which consisted of different hummus and a spicy aubergine dish, as well as some stuffed vine leaves and spiced mince pastries amongst other delicacies. It was all excellent and washed down with a surprisingly good bottle of Lebanese vin rouge. The main course was less spectacular, consisting of some spicy minced meat, some lamb patties and rice, but pleasant all the same.

At the end of the meal confusion reigned as everybody tried to utilise their GCSE (or O Level) French skills to order some liquer coffees. What we ended up with was Pernod and an espresso on the side, but we weren’t complaining, and having settled the bill we wandered back to rejoin our comrades at the same bar where we’d left them earlier. Several drinks later and we were all ready to hit the sack ahead of a day of exploring the centre of Paris.

Day 2

We arose bright and early to make the most of the day. The weather forecast was predicting mid to high 20’s so it was short sleeved black, green and gold all round. A quick pain au chocolat and coffee were taken on our way to Notre Dame where we mingled with other Saints enjoying a beautiful Parisian day in front of the magnificent gothic Cathedral. As it was free of charge we decided to enjoy the interior of the Cathedral as well, which was almost as impressive as the outside, the stain glass windows alone are worth queuing up for.

Once we’d concluded our visit to Notre Dame, we wondered along the Seine in the general direction of the Louvre and the Jardins Tuileries, but had a swift diversion for a spot of lunch at a small brasserie in a side street. A strong local beer made a fine accompaniment to my warm goats cheese salad and beef bourgignon. It wasn’t fine dining but it was good, honest French fare and very enjoyable.

As time was marching on we moved from the Louvre area towards Saint Lazare where the trains to Colombes departed. A reunion with the rest of our travelling contingent took place and we happened upon a bar and enjoyed a few beers before heading out towards the stadium. The train was a sea of Saints shirts, with not a Racing top or flag in sight. Would Colombes end up being a sunny MK? Our home from home away from Northampton? We had heard that Colombes was a dry town devoid of drinking establishments, but that wasn’t quite the case. We enjoyed a couple of beverages on our way towards the ground and on the subject of that particular journey, it was a little different. The walk from Colombes station involves a trek along a slightly uneven pavement which runs parallel to a dual carriageway. It isn’t too pleasant, and there’s very little around the stadium itself.

Speaking of the stadium itself, it is probably one of the worst sporting venues I’ve visited, and by far the worst that plays host to a top flight team. A lot of the seats were caked in pigeon excrement, there were obstructed views and no permanent toilets (at least in our area). Maybe EPRC should formulate some minimum requirements for the stadia being used in their flagship competition, because the Stade Yves du Manoir does not cut the mustard in 2014.

I shall leave the events of the match itself to other scribes. Suffice to say that the way it ended was massively frustrating and we would all have accepted the LBP after the preceding 80 minutes. Once the match had concluded Saints and Racing fans flooded onto the pitch and after greeting a few familiar faces from our area of Franklin’s Gardens we wandered down onto the playing area ourselves. I had a good chat with Woody and a photo or two, he was obviously disappointed at how events had played out, but was very generous with his time to the travelling supporters.

Post mortems were had on the journey back through Colombes with other Saints, some were hugely displeased with Clancy, but I bit my tongue on that front having been the other side of a running track plus a fair portion of pitch compared to the official’s position. We exchanged handshakes and greetings with Racing supporters as well before heading back to Paris city centre. The journey was quite long back to our hotel and as time had run away from us again dinner consisted of liquid provisions and an emergency bar snack!

Day 3

Another early start was enjoyed by everbody on our last day in Paris. We had a morning and afternoon to make the most of before we had to get to CDG for our flight home so decided upon a whistlestop tour of the main sights. After depositing our bags at the Gare du Nord (possibly the worst train station in the world) and enjoying coffee and a pastry, our first port of call was Montmatre and the Sacre Coeur.

Whilst Notre Dame is impressive in terms of its sheer scale and Gothic architecture, the Sacre Coeur is simply stunning inside, and well worth all those steps. Montmatre itself has the feelings of a tourist trap, with packed streets and all manner of people trying to part you from your Euros which really isn’t my scene. Luckily we found some quieter parts of the district which were very charming and had a pleasant coffee before heading down to the Arc de Triomphe.

Not feeling brave enough to rush across the roundabout, we did the more sensible thing of using the underpass to get to the Arch itself, where we paid our respects at the tomb of the unknown soldier and admired the view down the Champs Elysees. Shall we have a drink somewhere? Er, no, it will be rather too expensive anywhere near here, was the general consensus. And so it was that we trekked all the way from l’Arc to the Eiffel Tower…a journey that accounted for a decent portion of the 20 miles or so that we clocked up over the weekend. My legs were killing me on Monday morning!

We all enjoyed an ice cream by the famous tower, bumped into our neighbours from the Gardens, but then had to face the reality of the journey home. Paris had been beautiful, enjoyable and from a rugby sense a little frustrating…but I think we’d all return.

Posted by: ComeOnYouSaints.com (IP Logged)

Date: 21/10/2014 22:06

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