I have recently spent a few days in Paris to deal with personal matters. I found some time in-between to walk around Paris. I created a few walking videos to keep the record of my memories. I have been to Paris many time before and I have already done all usual sightseeing. On my every return to Paris I usually walk along my favourite routes from the right to left bank of the Seine. I popped into some bookshops as well.
I created this kind of videos to keep the record of my memories. So there are many repeated views but I like how I can then refer to those walks and views.
I hope you will enjoy these videos and they will bring you some small piece of Paris into your life.
London to Paris by Eurostar
One Thursday after spending day at work I took an Eurostar train to Gare du Nord in Paris from St Pancras International in London. I arrived in the evening and did not record much on this day. I hope this little video of this journey will give you a glimpse into how Eurostar trip looks like. In Paris I stayed in a lovely flat which felt as if I were in the blissful countryside.
One Morning in Paris.
Next day after my arrival in Paris I had a morning walk from Opera Garnier along Av. de l’Opera then to Place Colette and the Palais Royal Gardens where I had a short silent break on a bench followed by a short visit to Librairie Delamain located 1 Place Colette.
Afterwards I went towards the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens. I have been to Paris before so these days I skip visits to the museums most of the time but if it’s your first time in Paris I always recommend the visit to the Louvre. On this occasion I just had some breakfast at the fountain in the Tuileries Gardens.
One Afternoon in Paris
My afternoon started in Rue de Rivoli across the Tuileries Gardens. I visited the English language bookstore, Librairie Galignani located at 224 Rue de Rivoli which is apparently the oldest English language bookstore in the continental Europe. Right next to it at 226 Rue de Rivoli there is a great place serving the best hot chocolate ever called Angelina. It can take some time to get a table there but you can always opt for a quick take-away cup of hot chocolate. Afterwards I crossed the Seine river via the Concorde Square and Bridge to the Left Bank which is the southern bank of the Seine river and I went west towards the Eiffel Tower. I had my break in the Eiffel Gardens followed by a visit to the Luxembourg Gardens.
I hope that this short video will bring you a little piece of Paris especially if you live far from Europe and unable to visit France.
One Evening in Paris
“I created this bookstore like a man would write a novel, building each room like a chapter, and I like people to open the door the way they open a book, a book that leads into a magic world in their imaginations.”
— George Whitman, a founder of Shakespeare and Company
A few words about Rue Racine. At Rue Racine 2 there is the Hôtel Belloy Saint-Germain, previously known as the Hôtel des Étrangers, which used to be the meeting point of the poets such as Verlaine, Rimbaud, Richepin. In 1871 Rimbaud lived in a room there for a few months. George Sand lived on the second and then fourth floor of Rue Racine 3 between 1851 and 1864. At Rue Racine 26 the famous publisher Éditions Flammarion had their historic headquarters since 1875 until their move to Quai Panhard-et-Levassor in 2005. In 1941 Emil Cioran moved to Rue Racine and during this time he met his life long companion Simone Boue.
In the evening I started at the Medici Fountain in the Luxembourg Gardens and from there I went to Rue Racine.
I then went to the Abbey Bookshop located on Rue de la Parcheminerie 29, the English language bookstore founded by the Canadian bibliophile Brian Spence on 1 July 1989.
Afterwards I went to probably one of the most famous bookstores in the world Shakespeare and Company which is an English-language bookshop in the heart of Paris, situated just opposite Notre-Dame. It was founded the American bibliophile George Whitman in 1951. Since then it has become a literary meeting place for the writers and readers. Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Anaïs Nin, Richard Wright, William Styron, Julio Cortázar, Henry Miller, William Saroyan, and James Baldwin used to be the frequent visitors to the bookshop. I highly recommend the older documentary about George Whitman and Shakespeare and Company called ‘Portrait of a Bookstore as an Old Man’.
I then went to the right bank of the river Seine to have some restful break before heading back home.
I hope you enjoyed this little tour of Paris on a balmy summer day. I should still have two little videos from my short walk around Montmartre and Le Marais followed by some posts from my visit to Prague.
Wishing you a hopeful and peaceful weekend.
