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Cruising along the Seine
Paris is known as the city of love — the place where couples vow to love one another for the rest of their lives.
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Cruising along: The Eiffel Tower is seen towering over the Seine River in Paris, France. (Smath Linh/File)
I
t was around 7 p.m. in Paris, France. The sky was partly cloudy, but the sun still shone brightly in the west sky. A group of nicely dressed people gathered on the deck of a luxury cruise boat named the River Palace, anchored in the Port of Javel Haut in the Seine riverbank.
It was a wedding celebration of Siska — an Indonesian originally from Magelang, Central Java, who was living and working in Shanghai, China. She met Rémi, her Chinese-Parisian husband, while studying in China eight years ago. The couple got married at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris before taking off in an antique white limousine around the city to the cheers of children running alongside the car. It’s not an everyday scene to see a long and shiny antique limo driving around the streets of Paris.
On the River Palace, an exciting Barongsai dragon show on the upper deck marked the start of the wedding party. The performers danced and tossed oranges out for the guests.
As the sun set, the yacht’s engine hummed and it started to sail smoothly along the Seine River. A statue of Lady Liberty standing on Île aux Cygnes near the Grenelle Bridge towered over the departing boat.
The cloudy sky slowly dimmed, and the city night lights of Paris started to show off. The Eiffel Tower came magnificently into view with its stunning lights. Everybody excitedly took selfies with the famous tower that stood in the distance.
Despite shivering chills brought by the breeze, the air was warm as people chatted and laughed. Siska, the bride, and Rémi, the groom, lingered and chatted leisurely with the guests.
The atmosphere was different compared to most formal Indonesian weddings back home, where the bride and groom stay locked on a stage standing, receiving congratulations from guests filed in a line. Here, the newlyweds, as well as the guests, mingled freely while cruising along the Seine River.
“I feel so blessed to be here right now. This is so great. A great night to remember. You meet old friends and get to know new ones,” said Nini Wang of Germany, who first met the couple in Shanghai a couple of years ago.
The boat kept sailing along the river. At every bridge they passed under, while beaming excitedly like children, they shouted n’importe quoi (anything, whatever) to hear their echoes.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, we’re passing Le Musée du Louvre on the left side,” announced Siska, who had already changed into an elegant gold kebaya and batik skirt.
All guests immediately took pictures, even though there was only a small portion of the roof of the famous museum that was visible.
In the ballroom downstairs, two Indonesian dancers performed Golek Tirto Kencono, a classical Javanese dance, as guests gathered to watch and take pictures.
“Now I get what Siska meant when she said she wanted to have an international Chinese-Indonesian-themed wedding,” a guest said.
Appetizers were served in beautifully arranged plates and waiters and waitresses moved around, making sure every guest was served.
An hour later Siska and Rémi showed up in the ballroom for their first dance to the song of Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years”.
All smiled. This night of celebration would certainly be remembered not just by the happy couple but also the guests, even long after the cruise reached the final destination at the Seine River.
