Oberkampf Barcrawl

There are certain things you just have to do before leaving Paris, and one of these is to embark on a barcrawl within the Oberkampf district. Rue Oberkampf (so named after the French-German industrialist) is situated in the 11th arrondissement. I adore this area of Paris, which is near Bastille and Place de la Republique. It is one of the most varied, inexpensive (as inexpensive as Paris gets in any case) and buzzing places in the city.

So for my friend's recent birthday, we decided to start off by Belleville and go for a cheap dinner at Vietnamese restaurant Dong Huong at 14, Rue Louis Bonnet. I recommend this place - the meal, a noodle soup complete with beansprouts and beef meatballs, was delicious and very filling and cost less than 8 euros. From here we walked to Rue Oberkampf and began the night's drinking. The great thing about this area is that there are rows and rows of bars on both sides of the street and you can take your pick of them. I don't remember the names of all the places we went to, but I do remember that the infamous Le Chat Noir bar and L'Orange Mecanique (translated as A Clockwork Orange, see photo) were particularly fun and welcoming. We made a lot of new friends and practised a decent amount of French.

Tonight is La Fete de La Musique during which music events (everything from classical to jazz and electronic pop) are held all over the city's 20 arrondissements. I will be checking it out and writing to you soon!

Bonne Journee xxx