I Love This City

The air feels like the high forties in Fahrenheit as the remaining sunlight fades and the lights of the city start to glow. The streets are filled with pedestrians of all ages, university students chatting amiably, people walking their dogs, elderly couples wearing thick furs and shuffling along arm in arm, and parents towing laughing children by the hand. Crêpe stands are steaming, their proprietors circling the light batter with their spatulas and calling out to their customers crowding the counters. Newspaper kiosks that nearly obscure their sellers by the papers spill out racks and stands for more magazines and post cards, and are standing on nearly every corner. Outdoor seating at the cafés is starting to fill in their semi-enclosed quarters, mostly containing middle-aged men and women, sipping small aperitifs and flicking their cigarettes into the tabletop ashtrays.

Heading down Blvd Saint-Germain towards Blvd Saint-Michel is always a delight for me, but especially on nights such as this. It’s a Saturday evening, not yet late enough for dinner, and everyone is about, but few people are in a rush. Passing la Fontaine Saint-Michel, I hear a speaker protesting something through a megaphone, something about liberty in Iran. Several people have stopped to listen, but most walk on without much notice. I take a turn off Saint-Michel towards one of my favorite haunts: the Latin Quarter in the 5^th arrondissement. Specifically, the gyro stands. Sandwiches Grecs. 

Respect them. RESPECT.

I moseyed about in this part of the city for a while, eating my gyro with frites, and contemplating the establishments. These are narrow, cobblestoned streets, with few cars, some not accessible by car at all, and filled with people perusing about in a similar fashion as myself. There are not only gyro stands, but also pizza and other Italian food, touristy shops brightly lit with t-shirts, magnets, postcards and key chains, balanced with more upscale-looking restaurants, cozy and not over-priced. It is busy and bright, with flashing lights inviting pedestrians to come in. Without motor-traffic, people take their time as they consider where to spend their dinner this evening.   

I finish my gyro as I head back towards home, picking up a small bag of bonbons on the way, and consider myself lucky to be staying in this multi-faceted city, and can’t wait to explore the rest of it.

(I did not take the pictures of the gryos. I always eat mine too quickly and forget to take a picture. Please know I don't take credit for these.)

(Display of the candy I bought. Just figured out how to add photos, so I will continue to do so in the future)

À Bientôt!