Cercle Republicain Cafes in Provence

May 6, 2018 1:09 AM

There used to be hundreds of these membership cafes across France. But they are slowly dwindling and now there are only 26. Political history is a good reason to visit one, and so is the hidden piazza in back with sweeping views.
posted by MovableBookLady (4 comments total)

I don't want to overcrowd them and turn them into tourist nightmares, but on the other hand, these really do look like the loveliest kinds of places to spend an hour or two.
posted by ambrosen at 3:58 AM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

And doubtless an excellent place to make plans for how to solve the world.
posted by ambrosen at 3:59 AM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

Membership fees become less strict as the years go by, and as the number of other similar clubs steadily decrease (and their members age), it’s sadly likely that the final few Cercle Républicains will all disappear for good.



Cercles Républicains, surely.

But seriously, it’s sad to see this passing of an era. While I’ve never been to that club, the article brought back fond very memories of dinners with friends in the nearby countryside. That picture of the couple on the balcony and the sweeping vista immediately caused a pang of nostalgia for good times with warm-hearted folks, the exquisite food, a little vin de noix, and the smell of lavender...
posted by darkstar at 9:15 AM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]

So, you pay 5 to join a small community, with kind of a retro feel, to discuss politics, current events, and have general chit-chat?

That’d never work. They need mods.
posted by leotrotsky at 6:51 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]