One of the things I like best about living in the centre of Paris is walking through the streets at dusk. From mid-May until about mid-September, we can wander down after dinner, through the Palais Royal gardens, across rue de Rivoli and under the Louvre coming out next to the glass pyramids.

We then have the choice of turning right and walking down to the Tuileries Gardens if they are open (April-May, 7 am to 9 pm, June to August, 7 am to 11 pm, September to Mars, 7.30 am to 7.30 pm), where you can find a chair just before the trees begin, put your back to the Arc de Triomphe and watch the Louvre change colour), or left, onto the Place Carrée then right over the Pont des Arts.

You can also walk around the pyramids and go directly to the Seine, crossing over the river at Pont Royal, which is what we did last night.

I love the intricate iron lamp posts lined up along the bridge.

We turned left after we crossed the bridge and walked past the bouquinistes, closed at this hour. We noticed that some had numbers of various shapes and sizes, but most of them had nothing at all.

We envied the people sitting on the deck of one of the river boats but will wait until it’s a little warmer this year before we join them. We might even take a cruise on La Calife again. It’s a small boat moored on Quai Malaquais between Pont du Carrousel and Pont des Arts, that offers a 2-hour cruise down to the Eiffel Tower with Mediterranean-style cuisine and menus at 49 and 67 euros. Don’t forget to take something warm as it can get chilly on the water at night. Book a day or two ahead. You can reserve on-line or phone.

We then crossed back over via Pont du Carrousel with a perfect view of the sunset.

Le Calife, quai Malaquais, Paris 75006. +33 (0)1 43 54 01 08, www.calife.com. info@calife.com