When it comes to real estate, Parisians tend to settle for good enough. Thankfully enough. For if all Parisians lived where they really wanted to, L’Ile Saint-Louis would most likely drown.
L’Ile Saint-Louis has it all. It is central but isolated, beautiful but discrete, vibrant but quiet. L’Ile Saint-Louis is the essence of Paris. Its nest. Its most charming smile. No Parisian fails to notice that. Parisians are all irremediably in love with that island. Indefectible love it is- the type of love you know will never leave you. A love that ends up defining you.
Crossing that island feels good. Serene elegance is soothing. Beyond beautiful, it simply feels like home. You cross the island reassured. Reassured in beauty. This place seems untouched by the vicissitudes of urban life. This island does float.
Parisians make l’Ile Saint-Louis a destination for simple and timeless pleasures. A bike ride with the children, a kiss with a stranger, a gentle stroll with a spouse. Throughout a Parisian life, L’Ile Saint-Louis becomes, year after year, the theater of times to remember. As if of all bike rides, of all kisses and of all strolls, that very one on l’Ile Saint-Louis was more precious. L’Ile Saint-Louis embellishes moments. It gives every instant more depth and more flavour. L’Ile Saint-Louis makes life worth remembering.
Yet, l’Ile Saint-Louis is not a frequent destination for Parisians. L’Ile Saint-Louis pervades the Parisian’s soul. Its beauty can be a cumbersome companion. There is little time for this. Dispossession of self being no Parisian specialty, the Parisian chooses carefully its Ile Saint-Louis moments. Mostly let’s face it for romantic masterplans or Berthillon expeditions. But sometimes, the stroll will have no point but itself. La promenade will in that case always be bitter sweet. Time passing by. Parisians like it bitter sweet.
L’Ile Saint-Louis is like a bottle thrown in Paris’ocean. A promenade there is just a way to try and get to the message inside. The message is hard to read. But some words just seem to be there, everytime. Telling us something.
Something about an island, and a continent.
Useful tip: Go late at night
Sound like a Parisian: “Non, vraiment, si j’avais le choix, mon rêve, ca serait d’avoir un appart’ sur l’Ile Saint-Louis”
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Tags: beauty · ile saint louis · Ile St Louis · Paris · Saint Louis Island · stroll in paris · tourism34 Comments
34 responses so far ↓
Liked the post, but isn’t the first picture of ile de la cité?
Wow, Olivier, this is really beautiful. And, of course, absolutely true.
Aw. At least a positive blog about Parisians. Granted, it is essentially about the city of Paris, not the people who live there, but still…
Merci Olivier, ça fait du bien de temps en temps.
Aurore… Merci. I do think it is L’Ile Saint-Louis. Though you do see au deuxième plan L’Ile de la Cité. Not a bad view!
Message reçu though!
Flartus… Thank you so very much. Glad you like it - as it’s a bit different from most other posts!
Billy… What can I say: can’t fake it… I’m a Parisian!
I love it that Ile St Louis is not traffic-crazy like most parts of Dublin, and there’s always Berthillon to cheer me up, or musicians on the bridge while crossing over to Ile de la Cite.
Ops, I meant to say Paris, not Dublin. Gosh… that’s embarassing…
soooooo true, and peotic !
but like “Le Marais”, I get lost in this place : nothing is real there, except the buildings…
Seems like everyone plays a role…
Olivier, hope you won’t get an email from a friend about that
Stéphan
I’ve always loved Ile de Saint Louis much more than it’s big brother. This island just lets you take it easier… with delish’ ice-cream!
Melancholy at its best…very beautiful…god I really need to go to Paris one of these days (and if it’s just to test my newly acquired French hehe)
Lil… Why is it that ice cream cheers women up more than music?
Stephan… Merci. I had this impression in Rome recently. A city filled with tourists where the only Italians you see are here to interact with tourists and ‘play Italians’. I think this is vastly the world we live in. I do believe Paris is not as bad at all as Rome to that respect.
In this case though, you probably are mostly referring to the Western part of La Rue St Louis en l’Isle. The rest of the island (starting with the banks) are still extremely quiet and mostly uncrowded. I probably should say this too loud.
Susu Paris Chic… Its big brother being l’Ile de la Cité?? If so, I very much agree with you. Less (no) official buildings. More livable. Though the little park behing Notre-Dame is quite nice!
Berit… Merci beaucoup. Glad you like it! I must say that I like the idea that reading this made you want to come to Paris!
Un petit peu de mélancolie je vois, dommage que je ne connaisse pas la géographie parisienne suffisamment bien. Keep it up Olivier !
Ah! The holiest of holies. The archetypal, the quintessence, the gently beating heart of “real” Paris, untouched, unsullied, unaltered in the Haussmannien reformation. Indefectible - thanks, Olivier, for teaching me a new word!
You and David Lebovitz I have to confess…but who can blame me with all the tantalising food he is always going on about *le sigh*
Clair de Rêve is one my favorite stores in Paris, and it is right in the middle of the Ile St. Louis. Puppets and Marionettes, jouets chers, but a small wonderland. I love crossing the bridge from Notre Dame’s back yard to the tiny village floating in the middle of Paris. Parisians have every reason to like l’Ile St. Louis, except for the prices of Real Estate. Our last holiday was spent there, and was worth every euro. Location, Location…
L’Ile Saint-Louis a de la peine
Du pôle Sud au pôle Nord
L’océan ne vaut pas la Seine
Le large ne vaut pas le port
Si l’on a trop de vague à l’âme
Mourir un peu n’est pas partir
Quand on est île à Notre-Dame
On prend le temps de réfléchir.
Quand on est une île
On reste tranquille
Au cœur de la ville
Moi je vous le dit,
Pour les îles sages
Point de grands voyages
Les livres d’images
Se font à Paris
(L’île Saint-Louis de Léo Ferré)
Quintessential Paris. But also the part of Paris that reminded me the most of Laguna Beach (in spirit)…the shops, the tourists, all so beautifully put together amidst quintessential Paris (or Laguna). Cobblestones and melancholy there. Palm trees and sunshine here.
I’m trying to work up the nerve to stay in Montmartre next time I visit. I’m usually safely over in the 7th.
Jerome… La mélancolie?!
Peter… You’re most welcome. Pour une fois…
Berit… Comparing my modest blog to David’s is a bit like comparing my dance moves to Usher’s: very excessive but nice to hear! Thanks!
CraigKite… Sometimes, I’d like to be a tourist in Paris. Just for 3 or 4 days. Step in those shoes. It’d be nice I think.
Anait… Pretty! I discovered E.E. Cummings this weekend. It was a great discovery: it just seems to take so much more talent to make English sound poetic than French. He had that talent. Anyway… you gave me a song - I’ll give you one (nothing to do with l’Ile Saint Louis but oh well, just felt like sharing this morning for some reason!). I called it ‘Une Vie de Couple’:
Je voulais tout te dire, te dévoiler de moi
Je voulais tout savoir, tout apprendre de toi
La nuit était complice, le dénuement du beau
Et pour seul artifice, la musique de tes mots
Un dîner entre amis, je n’imaginais pas
Qu’au détour du dessert, j’apprendrais ça de toi
On parle beaucoup moins, mais on fait des projets
Entre nous, un ptit rien, peu à peu se creusait
Notre amour on y tient, on fait de ptits efforts
Pour tromper le mutisme et l’arrogance du sort
On sait tout l’un de l’autre, à quoi bon maintenant
Essayer de faire nôtres, les ravages du temps
Sur les courants malins, nous n’avons su ma chère
Eviter la distance, naviguer de concert
Nous nous savons par cœur, l’envie nous abandonne
Nous nous taisons en chœur, c’est l’oubli qui résonne
Ruth… I think I will need a couple more days to get over this priceless comparison!! Montmartre is pretty (Disneyland too for that matter)!
oh the musicians cheer me up too, but it’s best with both
for me, ice-cream is, emmm, whimsical delight… it transports me back to them time when everything is simple in life. i miss that.
Montmartre and Disneyland–oh my god, so true!!!!
I was reading this post and kept waiting for the cynicism to kick in… a bit of a departure for you, Olivier!
This post is as lovely as the island itself.
Lil… Whimsical: like that word!
Noelle… I’m not all mean!
Barbra… Thank you very much. Complete overstatement but I appreciate that you appreciate.
I will sound like a whiner, but I turned down 2 flat proposals in Ile St.Louis…for a reason of humidity. It was on the 1st and 2nd floor but smelled like in the basement and had much less day light than usual. No one ever mentions it.
Ah, Olivier, what a lovely post. Who knew you had a sentimental and contemplative side! Not that I should be surprised, as you’re obviously so smart, talented, and versatile; how could you not?
Yes, the Ile St. Louis is beautiful — I was very disappointed not to at least walk through it on my recent trip to Paris. I’d planned on coming back that way on the Saturday (after my day in the Marais), but I was so tired at the end of the day that I just took the metro back to my hotel instead. And now your post makes me regret it even more. But it would have been a long, long walk.
Still, I think I’ll make a point of staying there the next time I’m in Paris. (You couldn’t recommend a good hotel, could you, in the not-(much)-more-than 200 euro range?)
Oh I have wonderful memories of Ile St Louis… my last trip to Paris (9/08) I checked Google Earth to get an address to see if there was one of those bronze plaques for famous, dead French people that you find everywhere — for Camille Claudel. And sure enough, she lived on Ile St Louis and there WAS a plaque at her address!
Long story short, Camille Claudel was the mistress of Auguste Rodin. She was also a sculptor. Rodin dumped her, Camille had a bit of a breakdown and her horrid mother comitted her to a mental inst. for the rest of her life.
I love Claudel’s story and was thrilled to find her plaque and home on rue Bourbon on Ile St Louis. I sat on a bench across the street for about an hour and tried to imagine her life then and her torment. The plaque is quite touching — it made my eyes water - very tender words were left for her.
And then I went to Berthillon for ice cream and that was amazing, too. And then I wandered the rest of the Ile, picked up some wonderful cheeses and bread, stopped for café and went back the next day for lunch. My last night I went back just to see it and the views at night… just breathtaking, really.
Olivier, so you are a musician as well? bravo… the lyrics are simply beautiful. I don’t think there are expressive enough words in the English language to carry poetry the way French does.
Liz… Can’t have it all!
Ellen… Thank you very much for all these compliments. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. As per Paris hotels, I must say that is something I know virtually nothing about.
Minette… Sounds lovely! I didnt even know she had lived on the island.
Anait… No I’m not at all - just write some lyrics here and there. I am glad you like it though. I’m a bit shy about it.
My husband and I rented an apartment on Île de la Cité in May (with a view of the Seine and Ile St Louis). We fell for it completely and enjoyed many of the restaurants, the ice cream and just “being” on Ile St Louis. It was great to have the boulangerie, fromagerie and other shops convenient to our apartment. We are ready to return!
Cameron
Bonjour,
I just recently came across your blog and throughly have enjoyed reading some of your posts. I am hoping it is okay to add you to my blog roll list.
I especially have enjoyed the post on how parisians feel about Americans. Ha If they only knew the truth about how the majority of Americans felt about them!
Great Post!
Cameron… You got lucky to just be able to stay there. Much coveted place!
Kris… Thank you very much - and yes, absolutely. As per the Parisians and Americans, I think they are aware of it. But since most Parisians don’t have much consideration for Americans, they tends to discard any opinion Americans may have to start with. The beautiful modesty of the so-called French elite.
Ah, l’Île St-Louis où j’ai bu un pinot grigio divin en voyage de noces il y a déjà plus de 17 ans.
Je ne suis pas retournée à Paris depuis ce temps-là. Quelle tristesse.
Nous espérons y retourner en 2011 avec nos deux ados. Ce ne sera pas tout à fait pareil, mais que voulez-vous…c’est la vie.
Merci pour ce blog super que je viens de découvrir!
Une lectrice du Canada
Un village où chacun à ses marques, ses habitudes et ses heures, une invitation au voyage et à la gourmandise, une venise indienne, un lieu d’histoire où se croisent Saint Louis, nos ançêtres les gaulois et le petits soldats de plomb, un abri pour les poètes, les artistes et les marionnettes, aux goutières dorées et aux poutres apparentes, aux pavés inégaux et aux portes secrètes…, une vigie qui aide à garder le cap dans la foule urbaine et sentimentale, un petit privilège à préserver et partager…
WendyRG… Merci. L’Ile saint Louis est un bel endroit pour voir que l’eau a coulé sous les ponts”.
Julie… Joli. Très joli.
olivier
mmmmmm brought me back. you know, the island is endless. even after exploring all summer long, i’m certain mystery awaits me en l’ile. thanks for your words, imagery…