Perhaps I dramatized things a bit when I said recently that the emptiness in Paris during the month of August was distressing. You see, I expressed this sentiment at a particularly fragile moment just before someone very important to me arrived in town. Winston’s return to Paris ushered in renewed resolve to spend more time outside and relish the fleeting urban calm. The canicule (heat wave) that blanketed the city over the weekend was further impetus to flee my apartment (which had turned into a furnace) in search of a refreshing salve. I have my preferred haunts but last weekend I wanted to do something different.
My tactic for always having something new to explore is to reserve a handful of museums, cultural activities and even restaurants for the rare moments I find myself playing tour guide to guests (and the more frequent fallow periods of inspiration). And so Winston and I had lunch at the Le Saut du Loup, the comically overpriced restaurant in the Jardin du Carrousel, where the service is uneven but the views of the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower were unobstructed. We paid a premium for the terrace and the sensation of being on vacation. Sometimes it’s worth it.
With temperatures approaching 100°F, it didn’t take much needling on my part to convince him that an ice cream break was obligatory. An ice cream bar at the MiniPalais, which is housed in the Grand Palais, that I recently read about seemed like a worthy choice. Instead of going rigid with impatience when faced with the unceremonious wait staff, we made the most of our stately surroundings and attendant breeziness. I opted for a decadently rich scoop of coconut which perfectly offset the tart scoop of strawberry sorbet. Sated, we crossed the city yet again for a drink on the right bank with friends.
So rarely do I forgo public transportation to jet across town that I tend to forget how fantastic it feels to do everything on foot. My legs feel strong, my summer dresses have finally gotten their moment in the spotlight and my inquisitive side has resurfaced. Good friends and summer in Paris can really do wonders.
MiniPalais Bar à Glace
Grand Palais
Avenue Winston Churchill
75008 Paris
Métro: Champs-Elysées Clemenceau (line 1)
(through September 30)
Le Saut du Loup
107 rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris
Métro: Palais Royal (line 1)
{Terrace accessible through the Musée des Arts Décoratifs}
Café A (pictured above)
148 rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin
75010 Paris
Métro: Gare de l’Est (lines 4,5, or 7)
{former convent; terrace open through September 30}
**Read: Playing Tourist in Paris, Part 1
**Franco File Friday with Winston
