To Paris with love

On Sunday we coped with a very crowded Edinburgh airport and flew Air France to Paris, a short smooth journey that took less time than the waiting at either end. We arrived on a hot afternoon and the ride to the hotel was comfortably efficient in a luxury minivan.

The Moliere monument on the corner of Rue Moliere and Rue de Richelieu

 Rooftops along the Rue Moliere

The Hotel Moliere was a delight, well situated in the Rue Moliere which is just off the Avenue de L'Opera and very close to to the Rue de Rivoli and the Louvre complex. Charming old style rooms decorated in chintzes and toiles awaited us and it was easy to shake off the wearying aspects of travel and freshen up for an evening walk around the Palais Royal. Its cool arcades were welcome respite from the heat of the day and its boutiques offered up a range of fashionable distractions as we ambled around the quadrangle.

Evening at the Palais Royal

The central garden basked in the late golden light, offering up a full flush of summer roses, untidy against the pillar straight avenues of trees. We sat on the edge of the fountain and enjoyed the stray drops caught by the breeze, the whole place alive with the sounds of families delighting in the warmth of the evening. How can you not love Paris, especially at moments like these?

Gardens of the Palais Royal

We found an interesting restaurant tucked behind the Palais in the Rue de Beaujolais, quite empty except for our party. The French come out to eat and play much later, it seems. With a fixed price menu and boasting "Cuisine a base de produits biologiques" we felt in safe hands. The handsome young waiter was delighted to tell us that he had been in Melbourne for the Australian Open and that he was a keen tennis player. He certainly looked after us with a great deal of athletic panache!