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19.07.01: Le Royal République, Place de la République Let me state up front that Place de la République is not a pleasant place, what with the intersection of five métro lines and every chain restaurant in France. And it is more easily avoided than Châtelet. Yet I've always found myself passing through, whether looking (unsuccessfully) for a café before Yiddish class just a block away, or riding with the badly-behaved rush hour traffic to or from language classes out in Clichy. In fact, in 2002 when everyone took to the streets to protest the fact that they hadn't voted in the first round of the election, the half-million people at République was both awe-inspiring and not unlike a loud, smokey bar. Our visit tonight was innocent enough, a stop for ice-cream on the substantial walk back from Gare St. Lazare after a day out in Rouen. It managed to live up to its tourist-trashiness in style, though, when our serveur got his kicks offerring us some of his best English.
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