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iCON
2003 IN PARIS... AN EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME
A
Diary Report by Billy Wong
Above
photo: Friends Across the Seas - iCON 2003 group photo
with people representing over 20 cities in 4 continents
WEDNESDAY:
MAY 21, 2024
My
partner David and I flew from Edinburgh, Scotland, to
Paris. On the train ride from Charles de Gaulle Airport
to Paris city centre, we were entertained by a brilliant
busker who boarded our carriage and played typical French
accordion music. What a wonderful start to our trip!
As
we reached our hotel (Republique les Halles), we were
delighted to meet up again with Dan and Chris from Washington
D.C., whom we had met at iCON 2002 in Montreal. It was
amazing that a year had passed so quickly.
The
hotel management was gay friendly: we found complimentary
gay magazines and Paris gay guides as well as a package
containing condoms and lubricants all neatly laid out
by the bedside table. I wonder what the management expected
us to get up to in this romantic city (Wink!)
Top:
In 'Pigz' restaurant..."Honey, when you told me we
were going to a French bistro, I did not expect it to
be in Paris, France!"
Although the official iCON 2003 program did not begin
until the following day, an 'early bird' dinner had been
arranged at a nearby gay restaurant "Les Trois Petits
Cochons" (The Three Little Pigs). My partner and
I decided to walk to the restaurant. It was further than
we had thought and we were intercepted on the way by Bernard
Willette, one of the chief organizers of iCON 2003 from
LYC Paris. He told us that the venue had been changed
to a sister restaurant called 'Pig-Z' only a block away.
The
restaurant was already almost filled with early iCON 2003
registrants. We heard a roar of greeting from friends
we knew. The food was delicious: smoked salmon, chicken
with special herbs, and a parfait. Everyone had a great
time and the official programme had not even started!
THURSDAY:
MAY 22, 2024
The
home-base hotel for iCON 2003 was the Holiday Inn Republique
located in the charming tree-clad Place de la Republique.
The other recommended hotels were close by, so after breakfast
we walked to the Holiday Inn to register.
Registrants
were supplied with the iCON 2003 program, directory of
registrants, name badges, maps, LYC Paris' special edition
magazine called 'Le Long Courier' (in French and in English),
special iCON pens and we were even provided with a specially
designed shoulder bag with the iCON 2003 Long Yang Club
Paris logo on it.
From
(L to R)Friends from Toronto, Ottawa and London UK "warming
up" to iCON 2003; A"Yummy" Welcome Buffet.....about
2 trillion calories ; Marc and Bernard (chief organizer
of iCON 2003).
From
L to R: Boarding coach for Paris City Tour ;Notre Dame
Cathedral
There
were 165 registrants from over 20 cities from the USA
and Canada, the UK and Europe, Asia and Australia. I believe
even more names were added after the registration list
was made.
The
organizers also laid out a delicious 'Welcome Buffet'.
Although it was supposed to be 'just a snack', there were
sumptuous salads and meats, plus about a dozen different
French desserts , all of them so mouth-watering I did
not know which ones to choose ! Some of us took our platefuls
of food and enjoyed them at the tables in the outside
Terrace Garden.
This
was a great opportunity to say 'hello' to the registrants.
Some were people we had met at other iCON events in the
past, some were new faces. Everyone was looking forward
to the events of the next few days.
Soon,
it was time for us to go on the Paris city tour. There
were two double decked coaches laid on for us. Our tour
guide spoke in French and in English. We were driven
through the streets of Paris, passing by famous sights
like Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum, Champs
Elysees boulevarde, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel
Tower, etc. En route, we stopped at the Trocadero where
we got off for a group photo. This was a superb location
as it was on high ground and it provided a backdrop
scene of the Eiffel tower. We also discovered later
that the Trocadero was a gay cruising area at night.....some
naughty guys thought it was an appropriate 'introductory'
stopover to plan their future noturnal visit (but their
boyfriends wouldn't let them!)
In
the evening, our iCON 2003 opening dinner was at the
elegant Etoile restaurant on the Champs Elysees, just
a few steps from the Arc de Triomphe. The journey there
gave many of us our first experience of the Paris Metro
(the underground system).
We
started with some complimentary cocktails and 'tit bits'
on the patio before we were invited to our dinner at the
candle-lit tables indoors. The entire restaurant had been
reserved for iCON 2003. The most photographed 'person'
that evening was a life-sized, very well endowed statue
(maybe Hercules?) which stood outside the Patio!
The
evening was hosted with charm and entertaining good humour
by Franck Hedin, Thao Nguyen, Bernard Willette , who made
announcements in English and in French.
After
more great French food, the organizers of iCON 2002 from
Montreal and Ottawa, Canada, were thanked for last year's
event.
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