Cruising around Paris

We have not been to the Eiffel Tower in the days we cruise Paris, but we're on a boat cruise along the River Seine tonight and will surely get a look at it. 

We have seen these cruise boats going up and back a lot; the more expensive have people seated at tables with glasses of Pinot Noir while the cheaper have patrons packed on rows of plastic chairs on deck.  
If you're a pedestrian on the banks of the river as these boats go by, their dozen spotlights will light you up so their guests can get a good look at you.  For a few moments it will feel like you're looking into the sun.

We take a cruise on the cheaper boat because it's at a more convenient hour.  Seated in front of us are a few Mothers and behind us are their collection of kids – about two rows of four.  The Mothers may have sat there strategically to get some peace and used us as a buffer.   They turn frequently to respond to requests, snap photos or check that the kids are still there.   

The river has a lot of bridges and the boat goes up and down for an hour - which is a lot of bridges. 

As we go under each bridge every couple of minutes - and into some semi-darkness - the kids do a collective Mexican wave and “woooooooo,"  as though the boogeyman might be near.  The first one or two are fine.  I join them for the third.  Mother even turns to capture the moment on her camera.  What happens next is to be predicted though.  The wave continues, even though it is becoming tired.  As Mother starts to focus on it less and less the kids work harder and harder for the attention until the "woooooooo" becomes a high-pitched scream right in my ear.  Fortunately, as a response to a few glares they receive, the mothers say something to the kids and the wave and all the ballyhoo stops. 

We go past a quieter looking part of town.   On the bank groups of young Parisians drink drinks and enjoy the night.  Every group seems to have one guy strumming on a guitar.  It's hard to tell whether the rest are singing with him or ignoring him.  Our guide is recommending that we wander along these banks one evening to enjoy the music and the flavor of Paris.  Then a guy from one group - not the guitar player - splits, comes to the edge of the bank, undoes his zipper and relieves himself in the river.  The dozen spotlights light him up like a stage actor and make sure nothing is left to the imagination.  Our guide does not know what to say and goes silent.  The Mothers turn to their kids but they are much too far away to shield their eyes which, as they see the man in his completeness, are very wide indeed.  Eventually, after valuable seconds and innocences have been lost, and for the only time I have seen, the spotlights of the boat go off.