The return of the Flaneuse

I just booked a room, 2 pax, in a servced studio in Paris, for one of the official honeymoonal trips. we're not really suposed to have one, because we already live together, and all the parents think that this is 'enough'. But as a friend in Stockholm's getting married in May, and france is the smoothest way into the Schengen space, we seem to be going on a few, that too, european ones.

I'm quite pleased to have found a decenly affordable studio rental in Paris' 6th Arrondissemont, a quick walk from the river, Notre Dame and any number of rive gauche cafes. AND we get to make dinner in the mini-kitchen (although some reviewers found this to be an exaggerated term for the kettle-less, saucepan-less reality they found) - thereby saving bunches of euros. The bear and I went to Paris for a real honeymoon type trip last summer, when we were discovering each other, still mostly polite, still afraid to fart in bed. It's a pretty cool city.

And it's a City. A place made of geneous urban gestures that go with the spirit of baroque and the vast boulevards. The public realm gives you a heightened sense of aesthetics. It's where flanerie was invented, so it makes sense that the 'experience' of walking around is seriously special. Everything's a panorama and has been put in place for you to see; the clipped trees planted in straight rows, the wrought iron street furniture placed just so, the sand box at an angle and the beautiful people with big shades; this scene has been designed for you. I felt in Paris that art is a matter of life, very matter of fact. You don't go seeking art, it's everywhere and you're in it. Culture isn't sperfluous to the everyday motions of living, but an essential function. Bars and things stay open until late, and everything seems poised for a great party and a fun evening. We ended up one evening in a beautiful courtyard restaurant in mouffetard's mosque, a picture in marble and green tiles, with trellises over our tables. Moroccan lamb tagine out of doors under a deepening blue sky - Delicious!

Parisians must have a great relationship wth the river Seine. Pont des arts, a wide wooden pedestrian bridge between the 1st Arr and the 6th is quite naturally used to sit on and picnic on. Parisians can be seen to work on it, like type into their macbooks, have meetings on it or sit a meter apart from someone else on a mat, or on the bridge surface, quite unselfconsciously enjoying a moment's peace, an afternoon's productivity or just the views to east and west. The boldly sculpted and paved river banks pose no barriers to the populace either, which must be considered able to decide for itself not to take a tumble into the river. Signs of an obsession with health and safety regulations, similar to London or Edinburgh's high walls and safety parapets, are conspicuously absent. On a Friday night, groups of people swayed to drum beats all along the northern riverbank in (very) central Paris; some made bonfires, others stood mesmerised by the rhythm, a little like us. if this was an ipromptu event it was magical, almost pagan with the coming together of earthy drum rolls, freshwater and flames. On the Staurday, we saw groups of people dancing on the left bank, east of the green slimy looking new Bibliotheque in 6th (i forget its name?). There were no parapet walls to keep the dancers from falling in, but the landscape had clever pockets at different heights, so everyone looked fairly secure, even in motion, and they looked very cool. We saw this party, if that's what it was, from the night time river cruise - the one cheesy tourist thing you absolutely shouldn't miss.

No good review can be completely one sided though. Plus my loyalty to London is starting to act up. So i'll say that the Parisian summer has dry, white sands and a hard hot sun. In parts, it may even be 'too' designed. I missed the freedom and looseness of grassy parks, in which to lie and snooze. Paris dosn't do grass very well at all. My other complaint was to do with the Eiffel Tower being closed when we finally got there. I've been up it once, but that was with my mum, and i'm sure we had been fighting. But that's all the negatives i've got right now. So, we're going back to the city of light in April.

On the whole, Parisians clearly enjoy the city and really appreciate urban life. We saw our friends cross arrondisemonts to meet out of towners late on a sunday night, to drink cheerfully into the night on schoolnights, and not to have that unnamed dark fear - what if i miss the last tube?! The people of the city were a huge contrast to our essentialy bucolic Brits, who suffer cities, even ones with as much potential as lovely London. Paris is an urban designers city, and all urban designers should go honeymooning there.