An evening in Paris

A wonderful evening with Jane in Paris this evening, while Liz sat the kids back at the hotel. Since 2003, every August, Paris has set up a beach environment on the right bank of the Seine, called Paris Plage. It’s a wonderful idea, particularly for this city, which half depopulates on 1 August, and Jane and I had a good beer in a beach cafe overlooking the Île de la Cité, before wandering on to the Pont des Arts. It was full of picnicking couples and families – not sure whether they’d been drawn there by Paris Plage – and we bought a couple of cold beers from a passing beer seller, and enjoyed the view down the river.

Finally, we headed for a glass of extraordinarily expensive, but wonderful, wine in the brasserie Le Pré aux Clercs at 30 Rue Bonaparte in the 6e, and the evening was rounded off with a crêpe complet at the stand outside the St. Germain des Prés metro stop.