I’ve returned back to Paris from my holiday travels back home to Florida, and though I already miss the sunny 75 degree weather, I’m also happy to be in my explorative element. I begin a short showroom internship tomorrow, and my next semester of classes begin Monday. It’s the perfect time to get back into adventure mode for a day. My theme of the day suddenly became a quest to find some of the “oldest” around. There is something so unique about the café culture in Paris. It can be a morning cup of tea outside with a book. A midday espresso. Dinner with friends. Evening drinks. It’s one of the backbones of French culture – so why not really get into it?
I recently attended an intimate ghost tour around central Paris (found on Airbnb), and the tour guide pointed out an incredibly old building dating back to 1512 – one of the oldest in the city, it’s now a café known as Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole. My interest was immediately piqued. I went for a light lunch there today to finally scope it out. Upon doing some further research, I learned that this building was constructed around the same time as the Notre Dame, which makes sense considering the two are within minutes from each other. A canon (priest) of the cathedral once lived there.
By the 18th century, this building was purchased by a private citizen and transformed into a wine bar. Now during recent days, this café is a lesser known marvel to the city. They boast a beautiful Christmas display that has far outdone the displays of any other cafes I’ve seen. And I’ve read that their spring/summertime decor is also quite gorgeous. Locals love it, and there are very few tourists. It never seems too packed. It’s a nice retreat for a small group seeking a quiet meal, or if you’re looking for some alone time in a place packed with history.
My next stop on today’s solo adventure was Café de Flore. Just a 20 minute walk from the Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole, this café was established around 1885, making it one of the oldest established cafés in the city. It lies in the well known Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood. Unlike the previous spot, this is a busy area and loaded with tourists. It’s a big shopping and dining destination. Café de Flore is unique because of its rich history in the literature and intellectual sphere. It eventually became a destination for writers to sit and hammer out their work.
Its beginnings are quite political in nature, as it is located across the street from a massive cathedral: the Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Nationalist groups of the 20th century often gathered at this nearby café, planning their next coup. After WWI, the café began to attract artists such as Guillaume Apollinaire, André Breton, and Paul Réverdy. It was there, in that very spot, where the surrealist movement began.
Later in the early 1940’s, Simone de Beauvoir and her husband Jean-Paul Sartre would frequent Café de Flore for writing and social gatherings. They became “pillars” of the establishment – adored regulars. Albert Camus and Raymond Aron were among them. It seems the existentialists were now the resident artists occupying this space.
Currently, the café is not as much of an intellectual and artistic gathering as it used to be. But one may find plenty of A-list guests dining or enjoying an afternoon cappuccino. With plenty of outdoor, ground floor, and upstairs seating, it became my afternoon reading nook. I wanted to read a book in a place where so many others had been created. It’s amazing that there are so many places like this in Paris! One can easily find such unique history on every corner, if their eyes are open to it.
Travels And (espresso) Shots 