Café Angelina

Café Angelina was opened in the early 20th century by the Austrian pastry maker Rumpelmayer, together with his son, and named after his daughter-in-law. He was already so accomplished that he had won over the south of France before opening Angelina in Paris. The long queue out the door proves how good it is, so if there is no line, count yourself very lucky. Its signature items are the Mont Blanc dessert and hot chocolate, and you can see the Mont Blanc in the reference photo. You could take it to eat in the Tuileries Garden, but it is also worth lingering over it inside the café.

Cafés carry real meaning in France. Since the first one opened in the late 17th century, they have been inseparable from French life. In the Enlightenment they were the haunt of writers, in the 18th century of politicians, a refuge for artists dreaming of freedom, and in the 19th century a place of rest for workers. A café is more than somewhere to drink; it is a place to meet and socialize, where artists and politicians alike were active. As in the scene from Midnight in Paris, it was in cafés like this that writers who loved Paris, such as Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, did their work. Perhaps Picasso sat debating painting at this very spot, or Hemingway was writing here. The French are said to still spend time in cafés talking about art, politics and their own futures. Over a Mont Blanc and a hot chocolate, why not share your impressions of the trip and do some people-watching? It is also a good moment to listen to the chapters on the Belle Époque, the World's Fairs and the Louvre controversies.

Next up is the Musée de l'Orangerie, inside the Tuileries Garden and famous for Monet's Water Lilies.