A Sunday in Paris…
We arrived at our rented flat near the Canal St. Martin in the 10th Arrondissement on a Saturday afternoon, making our first morning in Paris a Sunday.
We had woken up early because we had fallen asleep early. A delay in access to our Airbnb after two lengthy flights had done us in after dinner and a few drinks. The both of us woke up a little groggy and the Nespresso pods in the apartment weren’t cutting it. We grabbed our clothes that were strewn across the couch from the night before and threw them on before setting out into our little neighborhood for the next few days. The goal was to find a cup of the good stuff and maybe a croissant. Any café would do.
We quickly learned that nothing in Paris on a Sunday is open early, if at all — Especially in the more local neighborhoods like the one we were staying in.
It was just after 8am but the streets surrounding the canal were still. Not a sound. Not any movement. Even though Suzy and I were on an urgent mission to get caffeinated, our surroundings were serene. We had walked through the quiet little streets as if we were the only two left behind. We had our own private walking tour of the city as we searched for an open café or boulangerie.
I would expect the streets to be this empty as the sun rose but not as we were approaching 9am.
I’m hardly a morning person, but I’ve always enjoyed the occasional walk around a new city or even at home, just after the sun rises, to see the streets before they get tainted with the crowds and noise from the traffic and congestion of the day.
The city will never be as peaceful as it is during this time of day. It’s something to take advantage of before you start throwing elbows with the throngs of obnoxious tourists at the Louvre or along the Champs-Elysees.
It’s no secret that many of the major cities of Europe are in constant state of over-tourism — especially in the aftermath of a global pandemic lockdown. Paris, usually the starter city for people traveling overseas for the first time, is at the top of that list. This city is bombarded with nearly 50 million tourists a year, and undoubtedly that number will see a sharp rise as Paris hosts the 2024 Olympic Games.
Being at the top of the bucket list for most sightseers, Paris can often be a tricky place to get around. Traffic often clogs roadways and good luck going to any museums without buying tickets in advance. Once you get there, you’ll still be waiting in line just to walk through the door. Then you’ll have the pleasure of not getting a chance to view all the wonderful art because of all the other visitors taking multiple selfies in front of said art. And good luck getting to eat all that amazing French food without making a reservation well in advance of your flight.
Despite all of this, going to Paris and many other cities in Europe is still worth it, especially if you are willing to venture off the beaten path. To stay where the locals call home. As stressful as it can be to go to the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe during the high tourist season of summer, you still have to do it. Why bother flying across the Atlantic if you don’t?
But I believe that exploring those less traveled bits of the city help to make you appreciated even the touristy parts and create opportunities to discover places and things you would not have known otherwise, like we did when we discovered a tiny natural wine bar around the corner from our place called Early June, which features dinner menus from a rotation of visiting chefs. It was easily the best meal of our trip.
I was grateful to have a respite like we did by staying in the less travelled neighborhood along the Canal Saint-Martin and that early morning search for sustenance gave us the opportunity to enjoy the city at a different speed. A spontaneous moment to explore.
We eventually found that open boulangerie. The croissants were tasty, but the coffee was from a Nespresso machine. The early morning sojourn made it taste better than anything we could have brewed back at the apartment.