At Night, Paris, France

The urge to walk at night and see Paris under the moonlight is something that is hard to resist particularly if you enjoy movies like Midnight in Paris, with wishful thinking that you might meet Ernest Hemingway along the way.

I was searching for Ernest Hemingway indeed, though there was no 1920s Peugeot Type 176 to take me back in time, there is a specific place where at I can trace some of his steps along with the other great writers of his generation and so I head to 37 Rue de la Bûcherie in search for Shakespeare and Company bookstore.

Selling rare books together with mass market paperback English fictions, the two-story Shakespeare and Company is a special bookshop.

Oh the glorious smell of books and the brilliant setup of second floor Sylvia Beach Memorial Library, my heart skip literally as I patiently wait for my turn to climb the stairs leading to the second floor. I knew right there and then that if I ever fulfill my life long dream of owning a bookshop, I wanted to have something as magical as Shakespeare and Company.

At the Sylvia Beach Memorial Library, visitors are allowed to browse books and read quietly in one corner, with strict policy of no photography something I particularly appreciate on places like this.

I can walk for hours and hours, the night-time autumn breeze and the hypnotic Seine River. I heard that there is a small village like ambiance in the city center where I can taste the best ice cream in Paris, so I head to l’Ile Saint-Louis.

If I ever have chance to come back to Paris again for a longer period, I will dedicate a good amount of time photographing each and every underground Metro station, they are simply remarkable and unique, a true extension of impressive art found outside Paris celebrated museums.

My favorite has to be the retro globe lighting of Cité station and the walls of tiles with letters making up Declaration of the Rights of Man from the French Revolution of 1789 at Concorde station.

To add to the list of impressive night-time spots in the city, the Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre) is best seen at night.

The best way to see Paris for the first time is to head to Eiffel Tower and it is also the best way to end a perfect night.