It gets dark late in Paris during May, and although the night time air is quite cool, the long day light hours provide a reminder of the upcoming summer months. As such, when we wandered out of our apartment one evening to go out for dinner, we found ourselves walking in daylight despite it being close to 8pm at night.
We walked through the narrow streets of Le Marias, down Rue du Turenne before crossing the busy Rue Saint-Antione and heading through the Saint Paul district to the Seine. The river looked beautiful as the daylight slowly faded and the soft light unveiled another view of the city.
We slowly walked along the Seine for some time before crossing the Pont Louis Philippe onto Ile Saint-Louis, the lesser visited of the two islands of the Seine in the heart of Paris. I could see the stunning architecture of Notre Dame across the river on Ile de la Cite as we wandered across the narrow island, but we wouldn’t head there just yet. Instead, we stopped at Le Flore en l’Ile for dinner. French cuisine and wine with a remarkable view across the Seine.
As we dined on bread, French onion soup and delightful steak, all washed down with plenty of French red wine from Bordeaux, the sunlight finally faded and the lights of Paris came on to give the city its most beautiful ambiance. As we left the restaurant we bought some sorbet and wandered over to the pedestrian bridge which connects the two islands and watched the boats heading up and down the river. A busker set up and began playing some beautiful french tunes which only added to the already romantic atmosphere that the lit up city provided.
As the sunlight fades and the dark skies of night set in, the lights of Paris come on to illuminate the city. The Seine looks even more beautiful at night.
We walked across the bridge to Ile de la Cite and then across to the other side of the Seine, where we walked hand in hand along its south bank with views of Notre Dame and ferry and cruise boats heading along the river. We crossed back over the Seine and sat in the square in front of Notre Dame Cathedral, its Gothic facade and twin bell towers illuminated against the dark blue of the night sky. It was getting late now and would soon be midnight, however people were still out and about and enjoying the beauty of the city at night, just as we were.
Notre Dame, from the Seine
Walking across the Seine to Notre Dame, the lights from passing boats line the river.
The beauty of Notre Dame is only highlighted more at night
We wandered back across the Seine and through the streets of Le Marias, the picturesque streets and buildings lit up against the midnight sky, and I felt as though I was in a dream. A perfect evening in Paris.
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