StrollsParis

Stuck in a Parisian Café

It smells good, and the cup is still warm. My café "allongé" (long) is strong enough to keep me awake while I respond to emails and organize my thoughts on how to professionally develop my passion for Paris.

But I've been sitting long enough, and my legs are starting to hurt. I’m also not sure if the waiters appreciate my prolonged presence at this table, but they seem to be in a good mood, and their typical Parisian attitude is amusing enough to make me feel welcome.

I can imagine they understand that in such heavy rain, I can’t just go outside! The café serves as a wonderful shelter for independent workers who use it as a substitute for a co-working space.

Although "co-working spaces" are a relatively new concept, the act of sitting for hours in a Parisian café to write is an old tradition. Many iconic authors have frequented cafés in their neighborhoods, spending entire days inside, finding inspiration or a good place to reflect on their experiences outside, all while enjoying a coffee and sitting on a hard Parisian chair.

The Parisian café is indeed a fantastic workspace: you hear the waiters handling plates and glasses, sometimes breaking one or two; you can overhear conversations from the table next to you (which is usually very close); you hear the laughter of a group sitting further back, and of course, the police sirens outside that come and go like an alarm clock.

All this noise transforms into a kind of Parisian music, a city concert, and once you manage to immerse yourself in it... BOOM! Inspiration arrives!

I know, I know... It’s contradictory. Most people need silence to concentrate. But that’s not an option here in Paris. You either fall in love with this reality and become a Parisian, or you hate it and just visit briefly before departing.

Both options are respectable. But if you manage to blend in with the parisian Café noise, appreciate it, and find it inspiring, you could say you’ve experienced the same feeling that people like Hemingway, Wilde, Sartre, Beauvoir, Malraux, Colette, Proust, Zola, and many others had (even those whose words may never have made it into hardcover books) but who crafted their thoughts in the lively, crowded atmosphere of a Parisian Café.

Pamela

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I have to admit that I love sweets 😋... so living here in France is a blessing because even the most simple crêpe tastes so good!!
On my last visit of Versailles I found and I loved their crepes and service!
What is your favorite French sweet dish and if you have visit France, where did you eat it?