• Home
  • About PubClub.com Nightlife Pubs And Clubs Website
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

PubClub

Where The World Goes To Party!

Paris Travel Blog: Walking The City of Lights, Drinking Wine And Eating In Cafes

July 12, 2013 by kevinwilkerson Leave a Comment

Paris sidewalk cafe
The Paris sidewalk cafes proved to be a salvation for the PubClub blogger. Photo: PubClub.com




By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger

À votre santé!

My first look at Paris upon emerging from the Metro onto the streets of Paris was of a McDonalds. Great, I thought. Here I am in one of the world’s most vibrant and oldest cities and the first thing I see is America’s great contribution to world culture, the fast-food hamburger franchise.

A day later, I was in a cafe, lunching on a French Country Toasted Sandwich – Croque Seguin – with a glass of excellent French wine in the shadows of Notre-Dame. I had found the true Paris.

My feet ached. My shoes had split wide open from all the walking I had been doing and the right foot began a slow retreat to inactivity. It required a limp – and wine – to survive. Still, I walked.

I walked to the Louve. Down the length of Champs Elysees. To the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffer Tower. The length of Rue Saint-Germain. Around Ile St.-Louis, the quaint village in the middle of the Seine. Through the Latin Quarter. To Bastille and its row of small bars and pubs. Massive building after massive building greeted me at every turn with a majestic presence. Guided only by instinct and inspiration rather than a guidebook, I wondered what they all were, though.

The people were friendly. Prepared for the worst, I was pleased with the best. Snooty? Arrogant? Impatient with foreigners? Didn’t see it. Fortunately, the only stereotypes the French lived up to were of being great wine makers and chefs.

For dinner the first night, I wandered around Saint-Germaine looking for an active cafe with a menu I could understand. I settled for a place that was relatively quiet but had one of those waiters that looked as if he were on the French Olympic relay team. Come to thing of it, he should have been on the French Olympic relay team; perhaps his performance could have won the city the 2012 Games.

He dashed around as if on hot coals or was being chased by a jealous husband with a shotgun. Air France didn’t fly that fast. The contrast to the slow-paced dining experience was not lost on me. While I sipped wine, he was hooked up to an oxygen tank, I presumed.

Back out on the streets, one of the first things I learned about Paris was the use of the street crossings.

I went in cautious, to say the least, due to the French and their driving reputation. On the plane to Paris, I was reading Bill Bryson’s entertaining book Neither Here Nor There, which warned that “Paris has the world’s most pathologically aggressive drivers.” It goes on to say “the French have had this reputation for bad driving since long before the invention of the internal combustion engine,” meaning going back to the days of the horse-driven carriage.

Paris pedestrian crosswalk
Poised to pounce? Using crosswalks was important to the hobbled blogger.

So it was with much caution that I approached each street crossing. The drivers didn’t seem that bad – Bryson apparently has never been to Mississippi – but why take chances, right? Some streets do come from all angles and others are multiple lanes.

The crosswalks seemed to offer safe passage. Parisians use them too, though they are bolder than I, walking when it’s red if no car is immediately on top of them. Sometimes, it’s difficult to see whether the rather primitive stickman figure is red or green in bright sunlight and this presented some tricky decisions, especially as the limp became more pronounced and my ability to quickly elude danger diminished.

Paris turned out to be a very pleasant experience. So what if it has the occasional McDonald’s? Surrounded by structures like Notre-Dame and the massive Louvre and absolutely captivated by the lights and sights along the Seine at night, I hardly noticed.

What really stands out about the city is its tremendous buildings, history, cafes and landmarks.

And also, I’m quite happy to report, its people.

You May Also Like:

• Top Luxury Holiday Rentals in Paris, France | Plum Guide



Filed Under: Homepage Lifestyle, Paris Tagged With: Europe, European bars, Paris, Paris blog, party travel, wine

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Unfinished Man

Search

Today On PubClub.com

EVENTS CALENDAR:
• Feb. 12 – Super Bowl LVII, Glendale, AZ

LET’S BE SOCIAL!
 
PubClub.com is a member of the Travel & Tourism Marketing Association, Inc.​, and the Travel Massive chapters in Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County (CA).

Instagram

Follow on Instagram

Destinations

  • 72 Hours (3)
  • Destinations (2,108)
    • Asia (17)
      • Japan (5)
        • Tokyo (3)
      • Taiwan (1)
      • Thailand (7)
    • Australia (19)
      • Surfer's Paradise (3)
      • Sydney (5)
    • Brazil (7)
      • Rio (2)
    • Camping (1)
    • Canada (21)
      • Montreal (2)
      • Niagara Falls (5)
      • Toronto (2)
    • Caribbean (56)
      • Cuba (1)
      • San Juan (5)
      • Virgin Islands (20)
    • Central America (1)
      • Costa Rica (1)
    • Europe (102)
      • Amsterdam (15)
      • France (3)
      • Germany (5)
      • Ibiza (2)
      • Kiev (1)
      • London (6)
      • Malta (1)
      • Moscow (1)
      • Munich (5)
      • Paris (5)
      • Poland (3)
        • Krakow (2)
      • Prague (6)
      • Switzerland (35)
        • Basel (5)
        • Bern (3)
        • Swiss Alps (1)
        • Zermatt (3)
        • Zurich (4)
    • Greek Islands (25)
      • Corfu (3)
      • Ios (2)
      • Mykonos (5)
      • Santorini (5)
    • Mexico (10)
      • Cabo San Lucas (1)
      • Puerto Vallarta (1)
      • Tijuana (1)
    • Michigan (1)
      • Traverse City (1)
    • Ski Resorts (70)
      • Aspen (1)
      • Austria (5)
      • Big Bear (13)
      • Big Sky (6)
      • Mammoth (17)
      • Squaw Valley (4)
      • Whistler (3)
    • Tokyo (1)
    • USA (1,768)
      • Alabama (3)
      • Alaska (1)
      • Arizona (7)
        • Lake Havasu (1)
        • Scottsdale (3)
        • Sedona (1)
      • Boston (5)
      • California (1,321)
        • Carmel (24)
        • Central Coast (9)
        • Lancaster (16)
        • Los Angeles (809)
          • Catalina Island (12)
          • Culver City (1)
          • El Segundo (4)
          • Hermosa Beach (174)
            • Fourth Of July (12)
            • Smackfest Events (22)
          • Hollywood (16)
          • Huntington Beach (1)
          • Lake Arrowhead (2)
          • Long Beach (41)
            • Grand Prix (11)
          • Manhattan Beach (77)
          • Marina del Rey (6)
          • Newport Beach (44)
          • Orange County (27)
          • Party Report (15)
          • Redondo Beach (83)
          • Santa Monica (4)
          • South Bay (93)
          • Sunset Strip (4)
          • Temecula (12)
          • Venice Beach (5)
        • Mendocino (12)
        • Monterey (30)
          • Restaurant Reviews (10)
        • Napa (5)
        • Oakland (7)
        • Palm Springs (8)
        • Paso Robles (7)
        • San Clemente (1)
        • San Diego (279)
          • Balboa Park (1)
          • Del Mar (11)
          • Events (72)
          • Gaslamp (46)
          • Imperial Beach (5)
          • Lifestyle (4)
          • Music (1)
          • Ocean Beach (5)
          • Oceanside (1)
          • Pacific Beach (4)
        • San Francisco (70)
          • Events (12)
        • Santa Barbara (1)
      • Chicago (10)
      • College Towns (1)
      • Colorado (4)
        • Denver (4)
      • Florida (84)
        • Daytona Beach (1)
        • Ft. Lauderdale (3)
        • Jacksonville (1)
        • Key West (25)
        • Keys (8)
        • Miami (10)
        • Panama City Beach (3)
      • Hawaii (25)
        • Waikiki Beach (15)
      • Indianapolis (3)
      • Las Vegas (165)
      • New Jersey (1)
      • New Orleans (40)
      • New York City (14)
      • Newport, R.I. (1)
      • North Carolina (1)
      • Oregon (9)
        • Portland (8)
      • Seattle (2)
      • South Carolina (3)
        • Charleston (3)
      • St. Louis (1)
      • Tennessee (46)
        • Franklin (4)
        • Gatlinburg (5)
        • Knoxville (10)
        • Nashville (5)
        • Smoky Mountains (3)
      • Texas (6)
        • Austin (6)
      • Utah (2)
      • Virginia (1)
  • Homepage Fun Stuff (6)
  • Homepage Lifestyle (3)
  • Hong Kong (1)
  • Men's Stuff (4)
  • Party Report (3)
  • Virtual Happy Hour (8)

Events

  • 72 Hours (3)
  • Events (516)
    • BVI Interline Regatta (5)
    • Carnival (5)
    • Cinco de Mayo (2)
    • Exercise and Socalize (2)
    • Fourth of July (8)
    • Halloween (9)
    • Holidays (19)
      • Thanksgiving (7)
    • Indy 500 (10)
    • Kentucky Derby (12)
    • Memorial Day Weekend (5)
    • New Year's Eve (43)
    • Oktoberfest (11)
    • Party Report (46)
    • Running Of The Bulls (5)
    • Spring Break (6)
    • St. Patricks Day (8)
    • Sundance Film Festival (8)
    • Super Bowl (16)
    • Valentine's Day (10)
  • Homepage Fun Stuff (6)
  • Homepage Lifestyle (3)
  • Men's Stuff (4)
  • Party Report (3)
  • Virtual Happy Hour (8)

Sports

  • 72 Hours (3)
  • Homepage Fun Stuff (6)
  • Homepage Lifestyle (3)
  • Men's Stuff (4)
  • Party Report (3)
  • Sports (504)
    • Baseball (8)
    • Beach Volleyball (3)
    • College Football (290)
    • Golf (11)
    • NFL (44)
    • Olympics (13)
    • Racing (25)
    • Soccer (8)
  • Virtual Happy Hour (8)

Lifestyle

  • 72 Hours (3)
  • Homepage Fun Stuff (6)
  • Homepage Lifestyle (3)
  • Lifestyle (1,585)
    • Beach Reads (1)
    • Cannabis (4)
    • Celebrity Sightings (6)
    • Entertainment (22)
    • Mr. Sorehead (3)
    • Music (276)
      • Festivals (58)
      • Jimmy Buffett (38)
      • Trop Rock (13)
    • Party Stories (2)
    • People Profiles (10)
    • Singles Life (7)
      • Men Vs Women (2)
      • Relationships (2)
    • Social Media (2)
    • Spirits (26)
    • Travel (651)
      • Airlines (30)
      • Airports (1)
      • Blogger (366)
      • Cruise Ships (23)
      • Hotels (15)
      • Product Reviews (3)
      • Singles Travelers (1)
      • Solo Travel (2)
      • Touring Blog (12)
      • Weather (17)
  • Men's Stuff (4)
  • Party Report (3)
  • Virtual Happy Hour (8)

From the Bar Stool

  • 72 Hours (3)
  • From The Bar Stool (311)
  • Homepage Fun Stuff (6)
  • Homepage Lifestyle (3)
  • Men's Stuff (4)
  • Party Report (3)
  • Virtual Happy Hour (8)

Bars

  • 72 Hours (3)
  • Bars (260)
    • Bars & Food (24)
    • Bars & Nightlife (196)
  • Homepage Fun Stuff (6)
  • Homepage Lifestyle (3)
  • Men's Stuff (4)
  • Party Report (3)
  • Virtual Happy Hour (8)

News

  • 72 Hours (3)
  • Business News (4,137)
  • Homepage Fun Stuff (6)
  • Homepage Lifestyle (3)
  • Men's Stuff (4)
  • News (53)
  • Party Report (3)
  • Virtual Happy Hour (8)

Colleges

  • 72 Hours (3)
  • Colleges (29)
  • Homepage Fun Stuff (6)
  • Homepage Lifestyle (3)
  • Men's Stuff (4)
  • Party Report (3)
  • Virtual Happy Hour (8)

Food and Drinks

  • 72 Hours (3)
  • Food and Drinks (387)
    • Beer (98)
    • Cocktails (45)
    • Foddie Blog (27)
    • Rum (7)
    • Singles Cooking (1)
    • spirits (8)
    • Spirits & Beer Industry (79)
    • Tequila (16)
    • Vodka (1)
    • Wine (78)
  • Homepage Fun Stuff (6)
  • Homepage Lifestyle (3)
  • Men's Stuff (4)
  • Party Report (3)
  • Virtual Happy Hour (8)

Subscribe To The Party Report

About PubClub.com

PubClub.com is a content-oriented nightlife tourist guide dedicated to social-minded travelers with articles on worldwide destinations such as Amsterdam, the Greek Islands, Prague, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Canada, and more. Top keywords for search are pubclub, pub club, party pubs, club pub, travel pub, pub club night, pubs and clubs and the pub club.
Read More...
Our Terms | Privacy

Legal

Ads

Powered by imFORZA