I have written, in a rough estimate, several hundred letters in my life. Between elderly relatives predisposed to using pen and paper, and far-flung pen-pal paramours, the decade of my twenties was largely taken up with a firm dedication to hard-copy correspondence. The romanticism and endurance of those letters are palpable; no email, text message, or even phone call has the emotional legs of a handwritten note, however short or trivial it may seem at the time of sending. There is a spirit inherent in the work itself, arriving in its sealed package, able to be studied again and again, each reading offering the possibility of new interpretation and deeper meaning. John Donne, writing to diplomat Sir Henry Wotton, declared that 鈥渕ore than kisses, letters mingle souls.鈥滱nd like a kiss, a letter carries an element of risk. Will it arrive safely? Will my old-fashioned intentions be taken on faith? Will my words find purchase in a week, a month, a year? There is a fatalism in dropping that paper into the mail slot, to be passed through dozens of hands before reaching its destination. In a moment of historically speedy communication, letter-writing bears the watermark of thoughtfulness, permanence, and trust that the gears of civic society will place value on our sealed words.The world鈥檚 second letter caf茅, and the first in Europe This is the idea behind Caf茅 Pli, a 鈥榣etter caf茅鈥, located at 38 rue du Faubourg du Temple, in Paris鈥檚 11th arrondissement. Founded by Genevi猫ve Landsmann in July 2024, it is the first of its kind in Europe, inspired by Nuldam Space, a similar concept caf茅 in Seoul, South Korea. Guests are invited to choose from an assortment of stationery 鈥 envelopes, postcards, stickers, pens and pencils, sealing wax 鈥 and write a letter to themselves or another, to be posted on some future date. Sealed envelopes are then slotted into a wall with a niche for every day of the year; simply select the day you wish your letter to be sent, and the attendants of Caf茅 Pli will do the rest. To hold the letter for up to a year, the charge is 鈧15, which includes a drink and all the aforementioned writing paraphernalia. If you wish the letter to be held for five years, the price rises to 鈧25. For 鈧45, the letter will be delayed by twenty years. In the event the caf茅 goes out of business, they promise all letters will be kept and duly sent by a responsible person. Changes of address can also be requested online, for an extra 鈧10. A 鈧4 surcharge is added for international postage, which covers all countries outside of France, regardless of the continent.Even with all that is included, 鈧15 is a little dear for sending a letter within France. ). A normal first-class French domestic stamp can be had for 鈧2.99 at La Poste. Sending a postcard overseas can be done for as little as 鈧2. Naturally, the trick is in the delay: Caf茅 Pli doesn鈥檛 trade in mail, but in delayed gratification.Write today, mail tomorrowOn a recent cool spring afternoon, I visited the 11th arrondissement, also known as Popincourt. The p茅tanque terrains of the Jules Ferry Square sounded with cheers and the knock of boules colliding, and music and chatter drifted out from the brasseries along the Canal Saint-Martin. Under a cobalt awning, Caf茅 Pli was doing fair business. The round bistro tables inside the small, twee and twill interior were taken up by customers, bent over an array of paper, scribbling away on postcards and notepaper, sipping at cups of tea or coffee. The post boxes along one wall were stuffed with hundreds of brown paper envelopes bedecked with stickers and scrawled with addresses: France, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, Turkey.The caf茅 is also an art hub, regularly hosting workshops on creative writing and calligraphy, linocutting, and watercolour painting.I purchased an international package, selected the least ignominious from the variety of inspiration-type cards (鈥淚 Love You,鈥 鈥淏e Proud of Your Progress,鈥 鈥淵ou Are Amazing,鈥 鈥淵ou鈥檙e Doing Great鈥), and sat down to write. But what does one write to one鈥檚 future self? Hopes of what is to come? The current reality? As Lewis Carroll remarks in his 1890 pamphlet, Eight or Nine Wise Words About Letter-Writing, 鈥淵our friend is much more likely to enjoy your wit, after his own anxiety for information has been satisfied.鈥 As the friend in this case was me, the assurance of wit was dubious; I dashed off my feelings and wished myself well. Paris today, Istanbul in a week, and who knew where in the year to go before I would see this card again. I sealed the envelope with a daub of blue wax and stuck it amongst a dozen others waiting to be mailed in May 2026. All of us trusting our words of hope and wit to the process of Caf茅 Pli. Another letter in the hundreds of my life, but this time, and for the first time, it would find me again.