Friday 13th September 2024

Woke around 0830. Got up and showered. Walked out into the busy Paris morn for petite dejeuner in a nearby brasserie. Got our act together, and descended into the Metropolitain, taking Ligne 7 to Pont-Neuf. Walked across the bridge and back, then on toward Rue de Rivoli to take a gander at the modern curved glass exterior to the extension to the 1930s era Samaritaine department store. Walked north toward Les Halles, then west to the nearby Bourse de Commerce, which has been refurbished for use as an art exhibition space, with a huge internal concrete sleeve by Tadao Ando. 

The current exhibition is dominated by a mirrored floor to the main rotunda, which visitors are allowed to venture onto in soft slip shoe protectors. The exhibition galleries on the upper floors were closed in preparation for October's exhibition opening. Went up to the restaurant on the top floor, but the prices put us off, so we ventured back out to find somewhere to lunch. Walked through The Louvre and out onto the Place de Pyramides, then navigated our way through the Tuileries Gardens to L'Orangie museum, hoping to lunch in their cafe, but there was a very very long queue, so we back-tracked, and found a brasserie to the north of The Louvre...a lot of walking involved, as the exits and entrances to the Gardens were largely cut off due to works clearing up after the Olympiques. Enjoyed croque madame for lunch, then ventured back underground to collect our baggage from the hotel. Took the Metro to Gare de L'Est, where we managed to catch the 1615 train to Meaux. 

Walked from the station, across the bridge over the River Marne, and checked into the Hotel Ibis. Got ourselves settled, then took a slow walk south-east along the banks of the Marne, eventually rocking up at the Meaux Rowing club...we were about 30 minutes early, and they were still setting up in order to welcome the ten rowers from the River Lea club who had come over at the Meaux club's invitiation, having hosted some of them in London early in the year. 

We all gathered outside the clubhouse around 2000, and after introductions, we were ushered into an adjacent marquee where they put on some grub and sat around talking boats. They put on a good spread...it was all admirably organised.