A Paris Café in the new film “The Tourist”

I watched The Tourist last night and was happy to see Angelina Jolie (aka Elise Ward) sitting on the terrasse of one of my favorite Parisian cafés, Le Nemours, between the Musée du Louvre and the Palais Royal Gardens.

It’s one of the opening scenes of the film, followed by a few others in nearby locations such as the Place des Victoires. After that she heads to Venice by train (via Gare de Lyon) for the majority of the film with her co-star Johnny Depp.

Café Nemours is located on the Place Colette, just outside the beaded entrance of metro Palais Royal. This café is excellent for people watching with a hot chocolate or for a nice little lunch (I like the lasagna and the tartines). In better weather, it’s easy to pass the entire day there writing letters, reading, and watching the world go by with a glass or two of chilled white wine. You can watch the actors from the Comédie Française smoking on the balcony, sharp-dressed business people and stylish shop-keepers passing by on their way to work, and the random pile of tourists coming from the Louvre who rarely look like they know where they’re going (you may see me at the head of a small group, pointing out the hidden Arago brass plates in the pavement that designate the city’s ancient meridian line).