Carol Drinkwater’s new novel, The Lost Girl, is out now. It is set mostly in France, including Paris. Carol has shared her top tips for sightseeing in Paris this summer.
Carol Drinkwater by Michel Noll
Paris, the City of Light, never fails to enchant. With its jazz clubs, music in the streets, outdoor restaurants. The clatter of knives and forks at street-side cafés. Chic and trendy students embracing in the streets.
When the weather is hot we escape the crowds and head over to the Left Bank for dinner at L’Entrepot in the 14th, where the dining room is a walled garden overhung with tall chestnut trees. L’Entrepot’s cinema offers an eclectic mix of modern and classic French films or a once-a-month evening of fascinating Chinese documentaries. There is also an area for dancing and music events plus a couple of bars. It’s vibrant and fun. Real Paris is there.
The Canal-Saint Martin district, one of the most sought after places to buy an apartment overlooking the river, has become very buzzy. Still it remains a magnet for locals, particularly students. On warm summer evenings you will see folk perched at the water’s edge dangling their legs, clutching a beer. Music pours out of every window. By day, there are dozens of shady waterside corners to sit with a book. There are also some excellent bookshops. Take your newspaper, Libération, (Libé) and sip an espress along the Quai Valmy. Or hire a bicycle, bump along the cobbles and be amazed by the striking street art.
Another little known watery spot is the boat, Péniche Anako, moored in the bassin de la Villette. It offers dinners, a bar, dancing and very friendly atmosphere. See a film, listen to a talk about some far-flung destination, step aboard for a beer. It is a terrific place to meet people if you are alone in the city and fancy stepping off the Eiffel Tower-tour circuits.
Bon Marché boasts the best shopping in the capital. Everything is here. Its stunningly stocked épicerie, food hall, makes Harrods look like your local corner shop. When you are weary of shopping, there are cafés and restaurants aplenty within the store. I buy all my lingerie, bathing costumes, hosiery, skincare here. This gives me a privilege card and two hours free underground parking directly alongside the store.
Why not catch an exhibition at the Grand Palais, then dine on the terrace at the stylish MiniPalais next door?
After, grab a cab and cross the Seine by lamplight to La Huchette on the Left Bank. Paris has the best jazz clubs in the world. Be-bop and swing were brought here by the GIs directly after WWII. La Huchette offers a different jazz band every night, and that includes many of the greats. Dance till dawn, or watch others jiving to the rhythm. I guarantee you will leave this caveau in the highest of spirits. While you are there take a slow stroll along this narrow street. It is full of history. At number 5, where, today, the jazz club resides, the French Revolution got underway. Danton, Marat, Robespierre were regular visitors.
Paris by day, Paris by night, the most visited city in the world, will never disappoint you, but be sure to get off the beaten tracks.
