Day 4 – Walking around Saint-Germain des Prés.

Our days here in Paris are quickly passing by, so today we decided to just walk around a bit and enjoy the sunshine. We headed for the familiar Rue de Buci to start off. You would probably call it a touristy area, as there are many cafés, bars, patisseries and boutiques that line the street.

On this beautiful day, all of the above places were filled with people. We made our way over to a little shop that we wanted to check out. We went in and browsed, but didn’t find anything that we just had to have. We weaved our way through the streets and then back up to Boulevard Saint-Germain.

We continued on the boulevard in the direction of our hotel. Just across the street from our hotel are Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore and they both had waiting lines to get a seat. They both draw huge numbers of people wanting to feel the magic. By the looks of most of the crowd, there were no philosophers or literary giants waiting to discuss the meaning of life. But who knows, I may have just been thrown off by the flip flops or Emily hats.

We eventually crossed the street and then decided to see how far of a walk it would be to dinner in the evening. We loved the street at first sight.

Rue du Dragon, with its nifty artwork, is a smallish side street about 100 feet from our hotel. We walked down the street and there were many restaurants, boutiques, small hotels and even a couple of toy shops.

One that caught our eye sold large, beautiful doll houses. The detail on the houses was incredible. Yes, we caught Mrs. Bunny lounging on the upper terrace.

Just a few doors more and we saw the restaurant we would be visiting later in the evening. We continued down the street and then around the block to return to the hotel. Time to relax with our legs up for a while before dinner.

Tonight we dined at Cyril Lignac’s Aux Prés. It bills itself as a 50’s style Saint-Germain Bistrot with a few modern touches. We’ll see.

Cyril Lignac is a TV chef and has two or three restaurants – all in a row as we later noticed. We hadn’t heard of him or them before, but thought it would be fun to try someplace different – especially since it was so close to us.

The restaurant was really quite nice. There were too many people watching, so I didn’t take any photos of the inside decor, but the 1950’s flowered wallpaper was well represented. The long bar was set up for dining and was wood with brass trim. We chose a smaller room in the rear with just a few tables.

We started with a glass of Champagne Deutz NV that was very tasty. They then brought out a bowl with some little snacks that were addictive.

Our waiter was great. wWe asked for one menu in French and one menu in English. With a little coaching, he made us order in French and then complimented us for doing so. I feel like my French is at the Pepé LePew level from the cartoons, but compared to what we are hearing at times, maybe it isn’t too bad.

I started with some crispy sesame shrimp served with some greens. Sue ordered a braised Black Angus beef cut with black garlic sauce while I had the Beef Tournedos. As sides, we ordered a mille-feuille of potatoes and some haricots verts. For our beverage, we chose a 2018 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuit-Saint-Georges red burgundy.

Oops, I almost forgot, we also shared another Pain Perdu. It was as delicious as yesterday’s and perfect to share.

We paid, thanked our server for a “super soirée” or great night and then headed out. What a fabulous place.

Another easy five minute walk and we were back at the hotel. I’m really going to miss all these wonderful places being a short walk away when we get back home.