Meeting someone at a café and then going for a walk has become a very common past time for me. Last week I did just that when a friend of mine offered to treat me to coffee. Now, you might be thinking, couldn’t you buy your own coffee? Not if the café we were going was Café de la Paix (http://www.cafedelapaix.fr/ ). One of the fanciest and luxurious cafés of Paris, conveniently sitting on a corner across the street from the beautiful Opera….
Just like most amazing buildings and venues in Paris it has grand history, being build in 1862. It was designed by the same architect, Charles Garnier, who created one of the most beautiful structures of Paris-the Paris Opera. It is no surprise then, that the inside décor resembles the Opera distinctively. Particularly, it looks like the golden room itself, with classic art and even sculptures for you to enjoy while you sip your latte. It is known to have famous artists and those alike visit for a glass of wine or a taste of the day’s specials. Unfortunately, I am yet to get familiarized with the French elite so I did not recognize anyone. But they did all seem to be very sophisticated. I tried to blend in as much as I could and not look like a major nerd by taking pictures. After all, I must be a regular here, coming frequently and the beauty of this place couldn’t possibly phase me! We couldn’t resist and along with our cafes we also ordered the dessert of the day, a tasty nepoleon cake. We sat and chatted for a couple of hours until we noticed the long line waiting to be seated and felt guilty for taking our time. It might be the fact that in 1975, this Café was declared a historic site by the French government or simply because they make you feel like royalty, but people are willing to wait for hours just to say they “ate at Café de la Paix tonight”. Next up- Paris Opera.
