matt's 101 in 1001

Where else but in Paris could you be stung €13 (just over $21AU) for a one-litre bottle of Pepsi? Glass of milk? That'll be €4.50 (about $7.50AU). I was a cheapskate and settled on a €6.60 sorbet (a mere $11AU). Fortunately, it was the best sorbet in the world. I know I said that about Harrods, but, well, I'm fickle. Sue me!

Funny, then, that a day in France turned out so ridiculously cheap; aside from a handful of tolls and the trip through the Eurotunnel, the rest (including petrol and plenty of Coke, which was kindly covered by our mate, (Coca-Cola sales rep) Keith!) of the costs were a pittance!

The day kicked off, unlike most Sundays, at the ungodly hour of 4:00am, and within an hour and a bit, we were on our way to France! The trip to the British border is quite short, whilst the Eurotunnel is one of the more unusual sections of the trip. For the uninitiated, as I was, the Eurotunnel is a massive tunnel (duh) under the seabed, through which a train containing everyone's cars travels... best not to think of the ol' claustrophobia. Soon enough, we popped out the other side and made our way through the French countryside to the capital.

After meandering through the streets, observing a lengthy procession of sponsorship floats and experiencing the aforementioned Parisian bargain cuisine, we made our way down to the Seine and tapped our toes impatiently as we waited for the Tour de France competitors to cycle their way past us.

And in the blink of an eye, they came... and went. A blur of brightly-coloured lycra, which, based solely on their speed and attire, may well have been a group of superheroes on their way to work (the obvious lack of capes made me conclude otherwise), whisked past us at an incredible rate.

And so it was to the Champs-Élysées, the 2km stretch of road directly in front of the Arc de Triomphe, where we witnessed the cyclists ride approximately six laps, before ultimately concluding the fifth and final stage of the race (Aussie Robbie McEwen was overtaken in the final seconds of the day's stage!).

Then, it was back to London (in bed, believe it or not, by midnight). Paris is a lovely city, where I'll definitely be heading back to. It was great to give my French another run (which went flawlessly until the moment I asked for a glass of milk and was given a single plum floating in perfume served in a man's hat), but I obviously was there for the race and not sightseeing. I did get to have the token photograph-with-the-Eiffel-Tower-in-the-background (albeit taken from a distance), however the Musée du Louvre (with the exception of its surprisingly classy Metro station) and the Arc de Triomphe were left unexplored. However, as Arnie, recently seen schmoozing with my boss, Mr Blair, once said, I'll be back.

In the meantime, it's off to Amsterdam for a long weekend! Windmills, clogs and cheese, here I come!