Focus
Rolling on the river
The sun was setting behind the Eiffel Tower as we entered the boat. A receptionist met us by the door, asked for our boarding passes and brought us to our table near the window. When we were seated, a waiter asked for our drinks while a violinist played classical music on a platform a few feet away from us.Around us, formally dressed people complete with coats and expensive jewelry, chatted with their companions, ready to have a good time.
We were on board L’Onyx, the first of the glass-covered boats of the Bateaux Parisiens, one of the companies in Paris that offer cruises on the River Seine.
I was with eight other Filipinos and we were taking a two-and-a-half hour dinner cruise that would allow us to see the renowned monuments of Paris in the comfort of a well-ventilated, fiberglass-covered, classy boat.
That day was actually the second time we were there — four days earlier, we were turned away, despite having had a reservation because we were "inappropriately dressed."
The receptionist told us, as we were catching our breath after racing to catch the boat, that "there eez a dress code" and that sportswear, including jeans and sneakers — which were what most of us wore — was not allowed.
When we asked if our outfits could be overlooked, the receptionist sniffed and told us, "no," but added that we could reschedule our trip.
As I looked around now, I understood why I couldn’t have joined the cruise that first time — the ambiance in the ferry was absolutely formal — the table setting, the lighting, the music, even the waiters in their black tuxedos, gave the boat a ceremonious air. Had we been allowed to join the cruise the first time, I would have looked like untended kuhol on a plate of prettily prepared escargots.
The ticket said we had to be there by seven, but the cruise did not start immediately. We whiled away our time by taking pictures of each other, the river, and the buildings that we could see from where we were seated. Waiters, meanwhile, took our orders for the main course and dessert.
But the wait was not long, and soon the canvas that covered the fiberglass windows of the boat were rolled up and the announcement — first in French, then in English — that the tour was about to start came.
The starting point of the tour was the Port Bourdonnais at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and the nearby Les Invalides, the military hospital built during the time of Louis XIV and final resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte.
On the opposite bank was the Grand Palais, beside it the Place de la Concorde, where a gigantic ferris wheel and the obelisk made famous by The Da Vinci Code stand.
One after another, we passed the the old, famous buildings of Paris — the Musee D’Orsay, known for its impressionist paintings, and across it the Louvre; l’Institut de France, the home of the guardians of the French language; La Conciergerie, the grand prison where France’s most infamous queen, Marie Antoinette, was incarcerated during the French Revolution; the Bibliotheque Nationale or the National Library, composed of buildings that are shaped like open books; and the replica of the Statue of Liberty, given to France by the American community in Paris to thank the French for having given the famous New York Harbour landmark to the US.
The boat also passed under the old bridges of Paris, the most lavish of which is Pont Alexandre III, with its sculptures of cherubs and nymphs, statues, and gold trimmings. And when the ferry passed under Pont Marie — said to be the bridge of lovers — we were told to close our eyes and make a wish.
At the river’s junction, marked by the Cathedrale Notre Dame, a soprano aboard the ferry started singing "Ave Maria," and it made the church, already awe-inspiring in itself, more resplendent as we passed.
While the cruise offers passengers a glimpse of the beautiful facades of Paris, this was not the best
part of my boat ride. The buildings were often partly obscured by trees or by the concrete structures erected at the banks of the river. It was also next to impossible to take good photos of the structures as the fiberglass that covered L’Onyx reflected the lights from inside the boat. I believe the Paris buildings would be better appreciated when they are seen on land and when one can enter them, because their interiors are as magnificent — if not more so — as their exteriors.
The river and the food
The river cruise, however, made me appreciate the Seine.
While looking down at it earlier from the road, I didn’t see anything special about the bluish-black water or its gentle ripples. But from the boat, the river glistened in the darkness reminding me, for many reasons, of Les Miserables.
There was also one part of the cruise that we passed what looked like a ferry station, and the trees on top of it had flickering lights. We wondered whether the lights came from technology or from thousands of fireflies.
The cruise also offered good food, and choices were extensive. For hors d’oeuvres, there was a choice of foie gras with rhubarb in orange syrup and toasted gingerbread; Caucasian-style smoked salmon with lemon and carrot cream; pastry of pan-fried snails with basil and garlic, creamy pumpkin soup served with Comte cheese and roast smoked duck strips, or garden vegetable and truffle filo bonbons.
For the main dish, we chose from the griddled Arctic char with saffron butter, risotto and nori leaves; pan-fried scallops in walnut breadcrumbs, vanilla sauce and braised fennel; chicken and mushroom supreme, truffle-scented potato puree; knuckle of roast lamb, artichoke and prune flan; pan-fried fillet of beef in red wine sauce; veal steak in herb sauce; and medley of vegetables in parmesan tuile. I don’t know how the others tasted, but my scallops were good.
Dessert was a choice of the following: warm half-baked chocolate and Get 27 sorbet; ice cream Cannele with brown sugar wafer pencil; creamy praline and hazelnut dessert; soft almond biscuit with violet cream and apricot; warm baked apple, served with chocolate ice cream lightly spiced with espelette pepper.
For wine, our table had three bottles of Chardonnay (one bottle for every three people). We were also allowed to order non-alcoholic drinks during the early part of the trip and coffee shortly before the end of it.
It was a nice surprise to find out that after everything we ordered, we didn’t have to pay for anything as these were apparently all covered by the entrance fee.
Bateaux Parisiens’ Web site shows the following rates for the dinner cruise: €95 per person for tables that are not particularly close to the window, €120 per person for those seated near the window, and €150 for those seated in front of the boat with a hostess available throughout the cruise.
During dinner, a photographer took photos of the passengers. Before the tour ended, a lady went to our table to sell us our photos. Most of us ended up not buying. I wonder what they did with them.
As we neared the end of the tour, the music became livelier, and a song about Champs-Elysee, the most famous street in Paris, was sung. It was getting so lively in the boat that I almost missed the Statue of Liberty, which, unlike the other monuments, was not well-lit.
When we alighted from the ferry, most of Paris was already in bed. But the City of Lights continued to sparkle.
While it is considered a tourist trap, I think taking a river cruise on the Seine is something that all first timers in Paris ought to do. Not only does the cruise allow one to see Paris from the river, it also gives tourists a taste of French culture — in the décor of the ferry, in the food that is served, in the live entertainment.
Just a word of caution, though. Beware the wine. It might look and taste innocuous, but it’s the work of the devil. While on the boat, it does not have much influence. But set foot on land and it feels like you’ve been hit on the head by a ton of bricks. Bateaux Parisiens’ menu issues this warning: "consume with moderation. The abuse of alcohol is dangerous for health." It would do well to heed it.
Aside from dinner cruise, Bateaux Parisiens also offers a sightseeing cruise, a school cruise, a lunch cruise and private charters. More information on the company website, http://www.bateauxparisiens.com/. Other companies, such as the Bateau-mouches, also offer river cruises.
No comments:
Post a Comment