Paris as a Native!
I've never known houses to have AC in France. Or hotels. A very few restaurants may have. June isn't too hot, the evenings are beautiful sitting out in cafes. Old French buildings have thick walls which keep the rooms cool in the summer and warm in winter. You need to look for the *Acclimitise*(?) if you want to eat in a cool restaurant. Most people leave Paris in August/September for their holidays as it is hot in the City. Other than that, find a leafy shady parc to sit in where you can watch the old men playing petanque and have your picnic.
A romantic evening walk down by the Seine is quite beautiful. We lived in a very small studio appartement off Rue de Tolbiac. On Sundays we used to go to a restaurant around the corner and have a Paysan lunch of cassoulet, salad, dessert and a carafe of wine, cost then was 50 francs. About £5 each.
I miss walking into the Alimentation shop on the corner to pick up some wine and groceries, chat with Le Patron, wander down the leafy street to the appartement and prepare a simple supper of salad, bread, pate or cheese and wine. We dined on the very small balcony from which we could see Montparnasse and quite a few buildings lit up like Star Wars.
I deeply miss walking along Rue Moutard. Lots of market stalls late in the evening, selling superb food and meats. No traffic, relaxed warm evening, picking out what we would have for breakfast and lunch the next day. Perhaps an icecream to tide us over.
I enjoyed walking as far as I could throughout the Cite until my legs were weary, then taking the bus home. The buses and Metro share the same ticket system, you could buy a Carte Orange for a month and travel anywhere on both as many times as you liked, a really brilliant public transport system.
The Sacre Coeur in the north of Paris is truly remarkable. Quite a feat to get to, lots of steps or you could take a train to the top. Entering, you feel the cool tranquility of this massive space. I once was lucky enough to hear a Requiem sung by a nun with a truly angelic voice. The inside of the church is beautiful with gildings and carvings, the organ recitals are well worth hearing.


Marvelous italian starter with veggies and burata.
Seen through place Fürstenberg, Nov 10
Champs Elysees
Cité de Sciences et de l'Industrie
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