on the road less travelled in Ireland and france

FRANCE

Fran and Conal hit the streets of Paris for a long-awaited meal at their favourite restaurant.

By Conal Healy

Friday, October 20, 2023, 6pm: It would be nice to wax lyrical about walking through the streets of Paris on a warm autumn evening, with my arm around my love, the aromas drifting from passing restaurants filling the air.

It wasn’t like that, it was cold and raining. It wasn’t a night to be strolling through Paris … there was a sense of urgency in the air.

In 2019, while Fran and I walked to a nearby café, we passed a small park (near Gare de L’Est train station) where a local charity was handing out hot meals and food parcels to a line of needy people. There were maybe dozens waiting in line.

In 2023, we again passed the same local park where the local charity was still handing out hot meals and food parcels.

This time it was different. Now there was a long queue to join the first queue which guaranteed you got food. Where once a few dozen needy people waited for provisions, now in 2023 there would have been hundreds. The crowd was mixed – men, women, families … all hoping for a box of groceries.

It was a cool autumn night, showers of rain threatened and for a lot of people in that queue … well, they were going to go home empty handed.

Times had changed in Paris since 2019, not necessarily for the better.

Fran and I first visited the cafe L’Atmosphere (49 Rue Lucien Sampaix, Canal St Martin) on our first trip to Paris in 2019.

We had come off the long haul flight from Australia that morning but were determined to stay awake until nightfall in Paris. L’Atmosphere was just down the road from the Airbnb so we had pleasant evening there.

One reviewer described L’Atmosphere as “A relaxed and bohemian restaurant and bar that’s well loved and well lived in, with tightly packed tables and comfortable homely décor, it fills up quickly and stays busy through the night.

“The extensive menu offers all the French comfort fare you could desire, including a show-stopping entrecote, as well as salads, pasta and burgers.

“The food complements the drinks very well indeed, as well as the warm buzz of good conversation and of course… the atmosphere!” (travisguides.com)

On that rainy night in Paris last year we slipped into L’Atmosphere to join the locals enjoying a Friday night out. We both ordered a French staple, L’entrecotte Persillee – which is steak, with chips and a side salad. It was delicious.

We ate, chatted, sipped beer and indulged in a spot of people-watching as the Friday night unfolded.

As in 2019, Fran and I enjoyed the friendly ambience and felt like one of the locals.