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| QUASIMODALICIOUS |  |
|
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY
MADELEINE HENN |
| I’m
the luckiest girl on the planet because I got to visit Paris twice this
year. On my second trip in June I was treated to seeing the city not
only in full window-box bloom but also bathed in daylight until eleven
pm. One of my favorite memories is of sitting in front of Notre Dame
looking into peerless blue sky through the cathedral’s breath-taking
spires as the bell chimed nine times. Quasimodalicious! |
Courtesy of the Charles W. Cushman collection  THE 4th ARRONDISSEMENT IN PARIS, FRANCE  THE TINY AND AGREEABLE BAR IN THE PURE MALT SCOTTISH PUB |
Gabrielle Henn
A TASTE OF THE OLD SOD IN PARIS
| I was
required to be much more independent in my adventures exploring
the city this second time around Paris. I spent several days and
evenings taking the metro to various destinations like the Place de la
Concorde, Ile Saint Louis and the Arc de Triomphe then walking back
several miles to my apartment along the Rive Gauche, crisscrossing the
many bridges along the iconic River Seine. On one of my ramblings, I found myself in the enormously charming neighborhood of the Marais in the fourth arrondissement. It was early evening and time for a liquid respite from the day’s explorations. It was then I happened upon The Pure Malt, a tiny gem of a watering hole located on pretty Rue Caron which is a cobble-stoned street in between the Place du Marché Sainte-Catherine and the Rue de Rivoli. One of four Scottish-themed pubs in Paris, Pure Malt is the only one owned and operated by a bona-fide Hibernian. Colin Shepherd has lived in Paris for eight years and recently acquired the cozy one-room space which he has stocked with all manner of Scotch and Irish whiskies. The Irish-born bar-tender was welcoming and helpful and all the clientele were speaking English. I ordered a pint of Bulmer’s which is an Irish cider drink that really hit the spot on this warm June evening. I passed a pleasant hour watching football, looking through some old books nestled in a bookcase built into a wall and listening to the sounds of English being spoken. If you’d like an unexpected but perfect splash of Celtic added to the delicious Gallic infusion that Paris is- check out the Pure Malt in the awesome Fourth.  |
 A LARGE SELECTION OF SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKIES AND BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKIES AS WELL  A REFRESHING BULMERS CIDER |
| Publisher’s Special
Note: The staff and editors of American Public House Review
pride ourselves on our journalistic integrity, unlike so many other
organizations we strive to get the facts straight and the story right.
So imagine our embarrassment when we discovered that the proprietor’s
name is actually “Colin Shepherd”
and not Shep Owen as
originally reported in the article. Our legal department is currently
making every possible effort to track down the rogue that gave our
Paris bureau chief, Madeleine Best Henn the bogus information. We apologize for this transgression, and we implore our readers and the patrons of the Pure Malt to address its affable publican as Mr. Shepherd or Colin while conducting business on the premises. Although as one is taking their leave after an evening of basking in the glow of one of their many fine single malts, it would probably be acceptable to turn back to the bar, give a nod, a quick wink and say, “Thanks for everything Shep.” |
 |
THE
PURE MALT SCOTTISH PUB 4, Rue Caron 75004 Paris, France +33 1 42 76 03 77 NO WEBSITE DIRECTIONS |
 MADELEINE BEST HENN was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from La Salle University with a degree in English and a passion for the literature, landscape, and history of Ireland and the British Isles. She also indulged an interest in the well-being of the human psyche and went on to earn a nursing degree from Holy Family College. Along with free-lance writing, she is employed as a psychiatric nurse and a mental health program administrator. Madeleine is a wife and mother; she is suitably proud of her own Celtic heritage and currently resides in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. |
| AMERICAN PUBLIC HOUSE REVIEW text, images, and music © 2007-2009. All rights reserved. |
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international copyright laws. Email: ed.petersen@americanpublichousereview.com
for permission before use. |