Today was again a lovely sunny day, and the weather forecast predicts around 30C for the next three days. Hurrah! This summer has been one of the best ones since many years and it is not even over yet. Spending summer in Paris is wonderful but there is one downside to it. Unless you want to go to a swimming pool or one of the parks, or you have a private balcony, it is difficult to sunbathe in Paris. To be precise, I mean to sunbathe AND to be left alone. I recently tried one spot by the Seine and quite liked it. People were discreet, they seemed to know each other, and they had this Parisian thing going on… (what do I mean by this? no one waved at the tourist boats that went by!). If you are interested by this spot, turn on the google map and zoom to the eastern tip of Île Saint-Louis. Once you arrive sur place and on Boulevard Henri IV (the part of the boulevard which is on the island!), you see a tiny park called le square Barye. Enter the park and find the steps that take you down to the Seine. Find your spot according to the sun and which bank you want to watch. Toward the Left Bank you have a lot of architecture to admire: the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Institut du monde arabe etc.If you want to be a true Parisian, bring a local newspaper or a book and some picnic food like fruits and charcuterie from the nearby market (Bastille in this case) with you. If you want to wave at the tourists you may be the only sunbather doing so, but hey, who cares. The tourists will give you a cheerful response!

Lastly, do not forget to find a pigeon-free zone (do not stay under the trees like I did….)!