David's Diary: Tuesday, August 14, 2001

Paris At Night

Chez Flottes

Paris at night in the summer was a sight we couldn't miss. Despite an hour drive from the countryside, we decided that today was time for an evening in Paris. To make it more interesting we decided to drive instead of taking the train. With much of Paris on holiday in August we decided that navigating into Paris would be manageable for two West Coast Canadians.

We arrived uneventfully at Place de la Concorde after successfully navigating the Arc de Triomphe. Our route took us along the Champs-Élysées crowded with people in the hot August afternoon. We even managed to find a parking spot.

Our first stop was WH Smith for more books. By the time we finished shopping and had a drink it was time for dinner. We wanted a nice French dinner, but since we were in one of the tourist centers of Paris we thought this might be hard to find. Once again our luck held out as right around the corner from WH Smith we found a lovely little cafe. It did have lots of tourists, but most of them spoke fluent French and were obvious long-time residents of Paris. The front of the restaurant was filled with Parisians (all smoking which is why we joined the other tourists at the air-conditioned back of the cafe). We all had an excellent meal and our night in Paris was off to a great start.

Eiffel Tower

After dinner we walked the Champs-Élysées enjoying the crowds that had swelled since we drove by in the afternoon. Most stores were open late and people were taking advantage to shop. We walked to the Arc de Triomphe, which was much less crowded than our previous afternoon visit.

We walked along one of the avenues from Arc de Triomphe to the Eiffel Tower. We were surprised at how quickly the crowds disappeared. It was hard to believe that at eleven o'clock in one of the largest cities in the world there was not another person about -- not even a Parisian walking their dog.

We arrived at the Eiffel Tower where once again there were people, but nothing like the crowds along the Champs-Élysées. We sat in Trocodaro enjoying the experience of the warm Paris evening with the lights of the Eiffel Tower as our background. What a way to end our evening in Paris.