Before Midnight in Paris

Our first Saturday night in Paris.  We had takeaway dinner from the sushi place around the corner, called Yokosuna, which turned out to be pretty good.  A word to the wise: back in the States if you don't like raw fish you can usually just order California rolls which contain cooked crab.  Not so here.  The California roll we got with our mixed maki was just raw tuna in the roll -- very good, but just different from what was expected.

While researching our Paris trip, I had read and seen posts on the internet about nightly dancing along the Quai Saint Bernard.  I knew that we had to check it out, so we took the Metro to Jussieu and walked down to the river.  It was about 10pm and still light out.  Everywhere we looked people were picnicking or sharing a bottle of wine with friends.  What a nice way to spend an evening.  Can you imagine going outside in July in Arizona and having a picnic in the still-smoldering heat?  We will have to buy some kind of outdoor blanket and take advantage of this opportunity while we're here. 

We kept seeing young people with guitars, but the guitars weren't being played so we were afraid we'd come too late and missed all the fun.  But finally, we came upon a group of folk dancers.  There was a band with an accordian, guitar, and a clarinet too (I think).  Some of the dancers clearly knew what they were doing, with complicated steps and patterns.  Others were newbies just enjoying themselves and dancing any old way.

At around 10:30pm a policeman came by and started talking to the musicians/organizers at the center of things.  I was too far away (and know too little French anyway!) to understand what was going on, but the musicians started packing up.  But then, a tall white-haired guy started belting out a traditional song and everyone joined up in a circle dance, singing along a capella.




They kept it up for a couple more songs but things were dwindling down so we moved along.  We found small group of tango-ers dancing slowly to the sounds of a small boombox.  I think next time we will try to come a little earlier now that we know where it is and what it is all about.  Maybe I will even convince Kevin to dance.


Throughout the evening, the sightseeing boats kept passing back and forth watching the action.  It was hilarious to watch when the sightseers on a boat would wave at the groups on shore, and the groups of intoxicated people would wave and holler right back at them.

This nightclub was a popular spot with an amazing view

We continued walking along the river and got a few evening photos of Notre Dame.  It didn't actually get dark until after eleven.

We crossed over the Pont au Double to the cathedral and there were more crowds of people out and about enjoying their Saturday night.  In the square in front of Notre Dame were several different types of street performers.  A guitarist had attracted a huge crowd of tourists from all over.  You'd be surprised at how many people in the world know every word to "And I Will Always Love You".  "La Bamba" was also a huge sing-along hit, as was "Pretty Woman".



But the street magicians at the cathedral entrance were truly spectacular.  We only caught the finale of their act but it was worth it.