Treasure Hunting My Way Through Paris
The real fun of Geocaching is how it takes you places you would never discover discover otherwise (Photos: Alexander Brian)
A Cambridge student with a niche hobby – who would have thought? Since I was eight, I have been an avid geocacher. Put simply, Geocaching involves using your phone (in my day, a GPS) to locate over three million hidden boxes across the globe. Some are as small as fingernails; others are large canisters. All contain a logbook where you write your name before re-hiding the cache for other players.
The concept emerged around 2000, when the US government removed selective availability, which limited satellite access for national security reasons. Immediately, GPS accuracy increased tenfold. To test the improved technology, Oregon computer consultant Dave Ulmer hid a container in the woods and posted the coordinates on a GPS enthusiasts forum.
Originally named “The Great American Stash Hunt”, Ulmer’s challenge included many of Geocaching’s characteristic features: the logbook; “stash” that can be exchanged for items of greater or equal value. The idea rapidly took off, eventually acquiring a dedicated website and the name “Geocaching” (“geo” meaning “Earth” and “cache” recalling the French word for “hiding spot” or the computing term for “short-term memory”).
I first encountered Geocaching while on holiday in the Shropshire hills. From the minute I received my starter kit from the visitor centre, I was hooked. At first, I loved the technical aspects of the game – operating the GPS, learning the different cache types. When we eventually moved to Shropshire, my parents used Geocaching to lure me on walks. However, the real fun of Geocaching is how it takes you places you would never discover otherwise. I can't think of a family holiday where we haven't stumbled upon some hidden gem thanks to this kooky hobby.
A bustling market, the headquarters of the AFP news agency, and the Palais Brongiart surrounded my first find of the day (Photos: Alexander Brian)
Thus, upon arriving in Paris to study at the ENS, one of my first moves was to redownload the app. Having found (or hidden) most of the geocaches in my area, it had been ages since I’d thought about the game. But Paris was a sprawling mass waiting to be explored and I couldn't think of a better way to force myself off the beaten track.
So, one day after class, I strode through the narrow avenues of the fifth arrondissement, arriving at a tunnel on Rue Broca. Neon lights illuminated a striking mural depicting characters from Pierre Gripari’s Les Contes de la rue Broca. The graffiti, produced by artists from the charity Les Lézarts de la Bièvre, notably incorporated “the witch of Rue Mouffetard” and “the pig who stole the stars”.
My search suffered from the inability of coordinates to encompass elevation. Several times, I shifted between atop the bridge and inside the tunnel before discovering the cache magnetically attached to a sign below. Yet this allowed me to experience the expansive Boulevard Port-Royal, known for harbouring the jansénistes – a Catholic group who opposed absolute monarchy – in the 17th century.
My next expedition took me through the neat and narrow Jardin des Grands-Explorateurs, past the stunning red-brick façade of the Centre Michelet and to the Hôpital Tarnier. The cache was sneakily embedded in one of the wooden planks holding up the original 19th-century entrance – thankfully, my search didn't cause everything to come crashing down!
That weekend, I continued the hunt in the second arrondissement. A bustling market, the headquarters of the AFP news agency, and the Palais Brongiart surrounded my first find of the day. The latter was designed by architect Alexandre-Théodore Brongiart under Napoleon. Once home to France’s stock exchange, the building now serves as an events venue.
Soon, I had signed the logbook and was strolling towards the glittering entrance of Galerie Vivienne (Photos: Alexander Brian)
The cache was an easy find. Less straightforward was retrieving it in front of the hoards of non-geocachers (“muggles” in case this wasn't nerdy enough) emerging from metro line three. Soon, however, I had signed the logbook and was strolling towards the glittering entrance of Galerie Vivienne – a glass-roofed walkway full of mosaics, sculptures, restaurants and boutiques.
Preparations for an event prevented me from accessing the cache there so I set my sights on one called Boîte à musique. It would be easy to walk down Rue du Sentier every day without noticing the miniscule portrait of Eugène Poitier – mayor of the arrondissement during the Paris Commune, transport worker, poet, textile designer – in mosaics on the wall, accompanied by a music box. Unfortunately, when I finally spotted Jérôme Guion’s artwork, another cacher was already hard at work scanning the wall for clues. Confidence escaped me that afternoon so, rather than join the hunt, I decided to call it a day.
Nevertheless, reconnecting with my childhood obsession not only inspired me to explore more of the city, but taught me easily enough history to satisfy my HMLer heart. So, I’m sure there'll be many more days like this to come! If you’d like a go, all you need is the Geocaching app. A premium subscription costs £30/year but, don’t worry, there’s still lots you can do with the basic plan.
