The Bar at the End of the Universe
Posted by Sarah Reid on Friday, September 28, 2012
It's hard to imagine that after scaling cliffs and waterfalls the adventure could get any more amazing- yet here I am, exploring some of the most exciting places in Europe. The past ten days have flown by, and I'm starting this post from a cafe in Paris on the last day of my trip.
I'll try to hit the highlights best I can, but this adventure will probably be retold over several blog posts. Through Paris and Italy I've been exploring towns, savoring food, catching up with old friends, making new ones...discovering famous sites and quirky places. I'll start at the end- the cafe where I'm sitting right now. This isn't your traditional Parisian haunt.
Named from a reference to Douglas Adams' 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' books, "Le dernier bar avant la fin du monde," (the bar at the end of the universe) is probably the coolest hangout place I've seen in France. On the train to Milan last week, I was flipping through a French magazine when I came across an article about this place, which had, in fact, just recently opened. I put it on my list for last minute to-dos in Paris, and continued on to a fantastic trip in Italy.
Billed as "A place to explore new worlds," the "Dernier Bar" is essentially a nerd hangout with awesome decorations and creatively named drinks for its geeky patrons. The moment I walked in the door and saw the Millennium Falcon replica on the wall, I knew I'd love this place. Just past the Falcon is a display case with collector action figures, followed by a cage filled with swords and sci-fi guns that reads in French, "Please leave your weapons at the door." I sit down to order a cappuccino, and proceed to connect to the wifi network, aptly named 'OZ.' The girl sitting next to me is wearing a captain Hammer t-shirt, and I eavesdrop on a group of French college-age students playing cards in the corner. "No! How did you do that?" one of them says. "You must have used the force!"
There are TV screens playing trailers for old sci-fi films, and the music over the speakers sounds like epic-battle-ish background music from soundtracks. Another group of young adults come in and ask the bartender, "What time is the Settlers of Catan group meeting?". The drink menu is well-crafted, with cocktails that sport names like the Sith, Wheel of Time, Holy Grail, and Bad Wolf, not to mention the Ninja Turtle shots named for each of the famous green guys. My favorite tiny nerd touch in the place (that I saw, at least) was a small sign on a tip jar that read: "Tips appreciated. And remember, every time you give, George R. R. Martin saves a Stark! Brought to you by the Stark Protection Society." One thing's for sure- if I lived in Paris, I'd be here all the time, proudly wearing either my Dharma Initiative t-shirt or my Princess Leia outfit. Well, maybe not the Leia bikini...
I could use one of Hermione's time-turners now to go back an relive the rest of this wonderful trip. More to come soon, for now- May the Force be with you!
*Bonus points if you get all the geeky references in this post!
I'll try to hit the highlights best I can, but this adventure will probably be retold over several blog posts. Through Paris and Italy I've been exploring towns, savoring food, catching up with old friends, making new ones...discovering famous sites and quirky places. I'll start at the end- the cafe where I'm sitting right now. This isn't your traditional Parisian haunt.
Named from a reference to Douglas Adams' 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' books, "Le dernier bar avant la fin du monde," (the bar at the end of the universe) is probably the coolest hangout place I've seen in France. On the train to Milan last week, I was flipping through a French magazine when I came across an article about this place, which had, in fact, just recently opened. I put it on my list for last minute to-dos in Paris, and continued on to a fantastic trip in Italy.
Billed as "A place to explore new worlds," the "Dernier Bar" is essentially a nerd hangout with awesome decorations and creatively named drinks for its geeky patrons. The moment I walked in the door and saw the Millennium Falcon replica on the wall, I knew I'd love this place. Just past the Falcon is a display case with collector action figures, followed by a cage filled with swords and sci-fi guns that reads in French, "Please leave your weapons at the door." I sit down to order a cappuccino, and proceed to connect to the wifi network, aptly named 'OZ.' The girl sitting next to me is wearing a captain Hammer t-shirt, and I eavesdrop on a group of French college-age students playing cards in the corner. "No! How did you do that?" one of them says. "You must have used the force!"
There are TV screens playing trailers for old sci-fi films, and the music over the speakers sounds like epic-battle-ish background music from soundtracks. Another group of young adults come in and ask the bartender, "What time is the Settlers of Catan group meeting?". The drink menu is well-crafted, with cocktails that sport names like the Sith, Wheel of Time, Holy Grail, and Bad Wolf, not to mention the Ninja Turtle shots named for each of the famous green guys. My favorite tiny nerd touch in the place (that I saw, at least) was a small sign on a tip jar that read: "Tips appreciated. And remember, every time you give, George R. R. Martin saves a Stark! Brought to you by the Stark Protection Society." One thing's for sure- if I lived in Paris, I'd be here all the time, proudly wearing either my Dharma Initiative t-shirt or my Princess Leia outfit. Well, maybe not the Leia bikini...
I could use one of Hermione's time-turners now to go back an relive the rest of this wonderful trip. More to come soon, for now- May the Force be with you!
*Bonus points if you get all the geeky references in this post!