So it's time for that rare treat, a blog entry from Erik. We had a pretty amazing saturday yesterday, spent watching the France - Argentina test rugby match. Argentina had collected a couple of scalps on their trip through europe the last few weeks, so both they and Torie were bristling with optimism about the day's prospects.
So here's a shot of Torie enjoying a little elbow room, the last time she would experience that little luxury for the next few hours.
We voyaged out to the stadium on the RER, just like every single other person in Paris apparently. The crowd on the train was quite impressive, as was the crowd getting off the train, the crown going towards the stadium, the crowd for beer, etc, etc.
That building in the far background getting outshone by Torie's dazzling smile is the Stade de France. It's a short but thirsty walk from the RER to the stadium, so some refreshments were in order. A surprisingly affordable beer and some interesting characters, always nice surprises. The crowds, although well-lubricated, are always very calm and convivial at rugby games, unlike soccer games, but we won't get into that.... We had just eaten lunch, so we didn't have room for that classic rugby snack, foie gras (!!!) but it was quite a popular booth.
It was a pretty good game, with France not showing any type of the dominance they should have, given that they are ranked number 2 in the world right now. France went up by a few tries in the first half, but Argentina came back within a point in the last 5 minutes. A last minute 50/50 kick would have put them in for the win, but France got lucky, received the kick a little too sloppily, but cleared away for a safe win.
But the adventure never ends there.... Naturally the crowd getting back to Paris was equally huge. A short delay to let the largest masses rush for the first trains (that shot on the left is what a crowd looks like from below) didn't really do much. However, everyone was nice enough to stand still for the picture below. Very polite of them really. You can see the gap on the left where the police had formed a human wall to prevent everyone from rushing the gates. Really, when you consider the number of people leaving the event all at the same time, it was a surprisingly quick journey back to Paris.
But of course no rugby day is finished without a meal of chipolata-leek risotto and champagne. An outstanding combination, the champagne really cleanses the palate and makes each bite of risotto as rich as the first. Not exactly a polish sausage beside the parking lot at Eglinton Flats, but not too shabby in a pinch.
So that was a great day. Again!
It seems that Japan will be in Canada's pool in the rugby world cup next summer, so they will play each other somewhere here in France. I think we will be there.
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