Paris in the moonlight

This week I was in Paris for work. I was able to grab a couple of personal moments this trip, enabling me to see a little more than just the hotel or office. On Wednesday evening, the team went for dinner by Fontaine de Mars, literally in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. After dinner we went for a walk to the Tower itself. As you can see it was brilliantly lit, literally glowing in the night sky.


At the base of the tower were hundreds of Barcelona Football Club fans celebrating their club's win in this year's European League Football Cup. The final had been played in Paris earlier that evening. This was a game to remember. Barcelona had scored its winning goal against Arsenal in the final ten minutes after trailing for the entire game. Controversially, the referee had also sent Arsenal's goalkeeper off 18 mintues into the first half. Debate will rage over this particular decision for years to come. However, for the crowd at the tower this was all history as they lit brilliant red flares, danced and sung their club's anthem.

It was really was one of those moments when you know you're in Europe. There I was, an Australian, standing under the Effiel Tower with a French man and German woman beside me watching Spainsh football fans celebrate their win over an English football club.

The Arc de Triumphe from the back of a taxi.

I was also able to experience the passion of Arsenal's fans. My Eurostar train from London had been packed with Arsenal supporters on their way to the game. Upon arrival at Gare de Nord in Paris, we were given a wonderful taste of the impending stadium atmosphere. As the fans disembarked they began singing their club song at full volume, each verse echoing through the station. The English love their football.

During my final evening in Paris I caught the train into the La Defense for dinner. Afterwards I took a moment to to wander around the Grande Arche plaza, soaking up the atmosphere and savouring the moment. It's not often that I get time to enjoy the signts when travelling for business so this latest trip to Paris was rather special. I particularly loved the statue located directly underneath the main arch. You can see it below. It's a guy with binoculars looking skyward.