Somehow I missed pictures of breakfast - how did that happen?
But we did a little wandering today - walked to the St Germain des Pres and Left Bank area. We had a couple of destinations in mind - some famous restaurants and an English bookstore, once frequented by many English speaking writers.
Wandering...
We then took a bus most of the way to St Germain area
As we rode by the Louvre, it struck me how many people ride by on the bus and probably no longer even notice....
Bill and his special glasses....
Judy using two iPhones to find the way - Kevin consulting
Looks like they decided on different ways...
But on we went down the long Boulevard Saint Germain
One possible choice for lunch - but everything was crowded and we decided to go to the second choice. Café de Flore opened in 1885 and here is a little history of it and its rival where we ended up.
The Café de Flore, at the corner of Boulevard Saint-Germain and Rue St. Benoit, in the 6th arrondissement, is one of the oldest and the most prestigious coffeehouses in Paris, celebrated for its famous clientele.
The classic Art Deco interior of all red seating, mahogany and mirrors has changed little since World War II. Like its main rival, Les Deux Magots, it has hosted most of the French intellectuals during the post-war years.
In his essay "A Tale of Two Cafes" and his book Paris to the Moon, American writer Adam Gopnik mused over the possible explanations of why the Flore had become, by the late 1990s, much more fashionable and popular than its rival, Les Deux Magots, despite the fact that the latter cafe was associated with Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, and other famous thinkers of the 1940s and 1950s. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai was known to be a frequent patron of Café de Flore during his years in France in the 1920s
And this one was no less crowded - we were told that if we wanted to eat it would be a long wait. We waited awhile and then seeing a small table open up we asked if we could have that - they said it was too small for four to eat but if we wanted to have just drinks we could take it until a larger one opened.
Les Deux Magots (the two figurines) is a famous café in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area of Paris, France. It once had a reputation as the rendezvous of the literary and intellectual élite of the city. It is now a popular tourist destination. Its historical reputation is derived from the patronage of Surrealist artists, intellectuals such as Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, and young writers, such as Ernest Hemingway. Other patrons included Albert Camus, Pablo Picasso, James Joyce,Bertolt Brecht and the American writer Charles Sutherland. It began as a silk lingerie shop in the early 1870's and was named after a play "Les Deux Magots de la Chine (two figurines from China). In 1884 it became a cafe.
So we started with drinks
We read that it has the best hot chocolate anywhere - and we voted that this is true. Even on a very warm day sitting in the sun!
Then we talked the waiter into serving us food at this tiny table...
Our waiter
And dessert - we shared this and it was SO good!
People watching was wonderful here - wish the sun had not been right behind our view - it was hard to get pictures. Lots of HIGH heels
And I wish you could see this guys outfit better - the one in the bowler hat. He had on boots, leggings/pants that were some crazy print, a skirt (kilt?), dress jacket and the hat.
the view down the boulevard - across from us were stores like Cartier...
And this man was standing around, not talking to anyone, not really looking for a place at the restaurant, just kind of loitering. We wondered what he was doing when a car pulled up and he jumped in and drove away. A few minutes later he was back. Turned out it was a valet service...
the church right across from us - did not find out what it is though
So, next entry is finding the book store and a museum...
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