What all the Buzz is About: Discover the Abeille Bar at Bastille!
I am always happy to find a new bonne addresse, especially since my three years in Paris have resulted in my becoming a bit of a homebody- rarely leaving the comforts of my neighborhood to relish in the excitement of the expansive city in which I live. Yes, three years in Paris has, I hate to say it, turned me into a bit of a Parisian. Which is why I was so grateful when, on a rare outing into the inner sanctum of the city, a friend introduced me to the Abeille Bar (32 rue de Charonne 11eme). The bar is a comfy place to prendre un verre, with wooded walls and warm lighting. The wines (I sipped on glasses of Brouilly for around 3 euro each, none of the wines by the glass were much more than 4 euro) are kept on shelves opposite the bar, and are plucked by bartenders as needed.
The whole atmosphere in the bee bar is a bit like a hive, actually, with the happy buzzing of conversations accompanied by the flitting movements of the staff who are kept busy by their clientele, but not so much that they don't have time to be friendly, or come over and refill your glass before you even have to ask. The personal touches of the staff and the general comfort one feels in the bar gives a sense of being in your local away from your locale, quite a refreshing feeling for the tentative traveller or city dweller seeking new territory to explore.
As I enjoyed my red and the company of a friend we spotted an acquaintance from our nieghborhood enjoying a night out as well. The Abeille Bar proved itself to be a perfect home away from home and I have sinced commited it to memory for the next time I venture out of my comfort zone!
The surrounding streets of the Bastille area are lovely to explore, as well. Another discovery made this evening was the quaint rue Keller with its intriguing boutiques and restaurants all unique and just crowded enough to be promising but not overwhelming. The quartier is consistently lively, but if you are like me and turned off by the raucous streets lined with student bars such as the nearby rue de Lappe , I strongly urge you to take haven in the beehive, You'll bee glad you did!
