Live from Paris - The Cardinals, Playwright and an English King

Live from Paris 

The Cardinals, Playwright, and an English King

February 19, 2023

Missed it live, watch it now HERE

Today’s walk started on the northern side of the Palais Royal on Rue de Beaujolais, named for the count, not the wine. The son of Louis-Philippe d’Orleans and in the line of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan.  The two had seven children that were later legitimized.  Check out the podcast next week for a bit more on Montespan and her role in the Poisson Affair, but you can also hear her life story in a past episode. 

At no 5 from 1949 to 1965 was the Milord l’Arsouille club that first saw Serge Gainsbourg on stage and later was a song Edith Piaf covered. 

No 9 Colette lived until her death and was often seen being carried down to the Grand Vefour for dinner. 

No 15 Jean Cocteau lived and was often seen in the garden with Edith. 

For Napoleon fans check out the official Napoleon store at number 10 

Right on Rue Vivienne and a short quick left onto rue des Petits Champs is Willi’s Wine Bar, a favorite restaurant that is always fantastic and check out their large collection of posters created each year. The first-of-its-kind wine bar that served food opened in 1980 and still going strong. 

The rue Vivien was named for Louis Vivien mayor of Paris in 1599 and the family that owned the portion of land to the east of the Bibliotheque Nationale. Rue Viviene was the first roman road that went through Paris to Saint-Denis and would have seen the king venturing past from the Palais du Louvre. 

To the left on Rue Viviene was the home of Cardinal Mazarin and just a bit farther Jean-Baptiste Colbert also lived. The original Palais Royal was built by Cardinal Richelieu so the entire area was filled with powerful men steps away from Louis XIII and XIV in the Louvre. Mazarin built the large palace in 1635 to hold his art and books that went to Louis XIV after his death. His book collection is just over the Seine in the Institut de France.  In 1721 the building was turned into the national collection of books and other treasures in the French state. The museum just reopened this last fall after more than 7 years and is fantastic to see. 

At the end of the BNF building is a plaque for Edouard-Léon Scott de Martinville who died April 26, 1879 and invented the typographer and invented the first machine that could record sound 17 years before Edison. His bookshop and home were once on this corner. 

At no 17  Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville was the founder of New Orleans Louisianna and died here on March 7, 1767, 

At the intersection of Vivien and Rue de Quatre-Septembre is the former stock exchange, the Borse which was built in 1808 under Napoleon by Alexandre-Theodore Brongniart. Prior to this, the stock exchange moved around to multiple locations including 7 months from May 10 to December 13, 1795, in the Palais du Louvre.  The stock exchange lasted from November 6, 1826, to November 6 1998, before it moved to just one European location in Belgium. Now it is a rental event space for tradeshows and weddings. 

Just off the side street is a rare example of Revolutionary construction. The Rue des Colonnes was built in 1792 on what was a private road. The 36 doric columns were inspired by the temple of Poseidonia in Greece. In 1826 the Rue de la Bourse cut through and one of the buildings was rebuilt in 1996 but the columns were saved. 

After the Rue de Quatre-Septembre named after the start of the third republic on September 4, 1870, take a left on the Rue de Gramont. 

In 1779 Marin Kreenfelt de Storcks was working on the Almanac of Paris and was frustrated that he couldn’t give a more pinpointed idea of location. At first, he counted street lamps to note an address. When that didn’t work under the dark of night he went out and painted numbers on doors. On Rue de Gramont in the 2e he started on the left side, 1, 2, etc,  and then came back around so the 1 was straight across from the last number on the street 

Gramont changes into Rue Sainte Anne named not for the Sainte and mother of the Virgin Mary but for Anne of Austria, mother of Louis XIV. The best Asian restaurants in Paris are found on this street and where I stayed on my first trip in 2016. 

Left on Rue de Louvois was named for Francois Michel de Tellier de Louvois minister under Louis XIV who opposed Colbert on many things including how the Affair of the Poisons was handled. 

The square also holds the same name, the Square Louvois which is where the Richelieu opera house once stood from 1794. In 1820 it was the sight of the stabbing and death of the Duc de Berry, son of Charles X who had the opera house destroyed following his beloved son’s death. In 1830 Louis-Philippe commissioned Louis Visconti to create a fountain for the square. Built-in 1844 it represents the four major rivers of France. The Seine, Garonne, Loire, and Saone with each of its own allegory standing over the signs of the zodiac. 

Just around the corner at number 12 rue Chabannais was the Chabannais brothel that was open from 1878 to 1946. Madame Kelly, and Alexandre Joannet ruled the street and decorated each room with a different theme. Japanese, Hindu, Louis XV, and Pompeii as well as the large custom copper tub created for Edward VII of England, known in Paris as Dirty Bertie. Bertie even had a custom chair created when he became a bit too large to maneuver relations shall we say.  

The Rue de Richelieu was of course named for the Cardinal, the arch-nemesis of Marie de Medici and who controlled the court of Louis XIII. The street runs to the Louvre and has seen no 92 the first bakery opened by August Zang serving croissants. 

No 56 on the corner of Richelieu and Petite Champs is the oldest building that dates back to 1655. 

At no 50 a young Madame de Pompadour and future love of Louis XV grew up and just down the street at no 40, Moliere died 350 years ago on February 17. 1673. The building that stands dates to 1769 but a plaque marks the spot where the great playwright lived in his final years. 

Steps away in the Place Mireille is the newly restored Fountain of Moliere. Also designed by Louis Visconti he instructed artist Bernard-Gabriel Seurre for the bronze Moliere in his signature chair that he sat in on stage in the Comedie Francais. Below are two allegories of La Comedie Serieuse and La Comedie Légère by Jean-Jacques Pradier. Each of the parchments has the full list of the great playwright’s writings. 

At no 26 was the home of Rose Bertin, the first major designer that called Marie Antoinette her number one client. Under MA she even had the first fashion magazine and store just a few steps away in the Passage Potier. 

Click on any of the links to learn more about many of these great women we have covered on the podcast.

Live from Paris - The Artists of Montmartre

Miss the walk live, watch it here in YouTube

One of the loveliest small museums in Paris is the Musée de Montmartre on the Rue Cortot. The 16th-century buildings are a few of the oldest on the hill of Montmartre and were once the homes of a few of the greatest French artists. The Hotel Demarne was once the home of Claude de la Rose, a great actor in the time of Moliere. Pere Tanguy, the wonderful and kind pa

int crusher lived here for a short time and supplied all the artists with their precious pigments.  

The museum was inaugurated in 1960. In 2012 the Jardin Renoir was redone and inspired by the paintings he created here. La Balançoire and the Jardin de la Rue Cortot. He also painted Bal du Moulin de la Galette here 

The museum is made up of a few separate buildings, In the Hotel Bel Air, holds even more fantastic French history. And sits down the hill just a bit,  It was here that Renoir set up his studio. In the lovely Jardin Renoir, you will find a few recognizable views including the tree swing that he painted in 1876. Jeanne Samary, his frequent model, stands on the swing that is still in the same spot today and is marked with a plaque. 

On October 14, 2014, the museum reopened after a multi-year renovation. The Café Renoir was added and is a great place to stop for an afternoon coffee or rosé. 

Make sure you go inside the museum and up to the former studios of Suzanne Valadon. Inside the studio that is exactly how she had it as evident in the photos. Her son Maurice Utrillo and his friend/her lover André Utter also lived with her. Her small bedroom is to the right as you come up the stairs.  You step right into the life of the model turned artist that also had a fascinating life of ups and downs.

She was the very first podcast episode we did and is worth a listen if you want to know more about her.  

The Musée de Montmartre is open daily 10 am-7 pm 

The view from the backyard is a peek into the vineyard of Montmartre. Vineyards were found as far back as the mid-10th century on the hill and planted by the Abbaye of Montmartre. 

In the 17th century Gabrielle d’Estrées, mistress and love of Henri IV had a home here and the nearby Le Parc de la Belle Gabrielle cabaret. Gabrielle’s cousin Claude was once the Abbess of the Abbaye and lover of Henri IV before Gabrielle, 

It wasn’t until 1860 that Montmartre was annexed into Paris, and before that the vineyards and bars were free from the big city taxation. It is also why all the artists lived here, the wine was cheap. 

Singer Aristide Bruant, subject of Toulouse Lautrec lithographs lived here until his death in 1925. A small park next to his house was a favorite for TL to sit in. After Bruant’s death, the city of Paris bought the property 

In 1932, Pinot Noir vines from Thomery, in the Seine-et-Marne were planted. In 1933 the Clos-Montmartre was created. Their office is just over the hill on Rue Lepic in the octagon-shaped building across from the Folie Sandrin

La Commanderie du Clos Montmartre was a former water tower and reservoir built in 1835 to replace a hunting lodge of Catherine de Medici. The Neoclassical structure was designed by Titeux de Frosny and once pumped up water from the Seine in Saint Ouen to serve the area.  The water pump was decommissioned in 1927 and the octagonal-shaped building later became the office of the Commanderie du Clos Montmartre

The first harvest was in 1934 as well as the first celebration that is still done each year is in October. The wine is horrible 

Rue Cortot, was named after the French Neo-Classical artist Jean-Pierre Cortot. Many of his sculptures can be found in the Musée du Louvre and the Louis XIII statue in the center of Place des Vosges as well as the Statues of Rouen and Brest in the Place de la Concorde. Vivant Denon commissioned Cortot to create a monumental statue of Napoleon for the top of the Arc de Triomphe de Carousel, Napoleon squashed the idea. 

Just outside the door at no 6 lived Erik Satie. The composer who wrote one of the most beautiful pieces in the world Gymnopédie no 1. Satie and Valdon were lovers from 1890 to 1898 and you can say he was obsessed with her. She decided to move on to one of his close friends Paul Mousis who she married but later left for her son's best friend.  Quite the small circle there Suzanne. 

At the top of the street, the Chateau d’Eau Montmartre crowns the back side of the hill inside the Square Claude Charpentier. Architect Charpentier was born in 1909 and dedicated his time to restoring and protecting historic structures in the Marais, Montmartre, and around the Sorbonne. 

Rue des Saules, named for the fact it was once lined with willow trees. 

Maison Rose was once owned by Germaine Pichot and her husband Ramon. The one-time dancer was the love interest of Carlos Casagemas, a close friend of Picasso. Carlos fell in love with her but the feeling wasn’t mutual. On February 17, 1901, Carlos walked into the Hippodrome Cafe in Pigalle where he was holding a dinner party and attempted to shoot Germaine before he turned the gun on himself. This tragic event sparked Picasso’s prolific blue period where Carlos was the subject of many of the pieces. 

Rue de l’Abreuvoir  originally an alley dating back to 1325. Now it is one of the most photographed streets in Paris for its view up to the backside of Sacre Couer 

At no 4, the Maison des Aigles is one of the oldest buildings on this side of the hill. Once the home of Henri Lachouque, 1883-1971. Officer and decorated with the legion d’honneur award he was a dedicated historian of Napoleon and the 1st empire. 

Notice the sundial 

Quand tu sonneras, Je chanteray.  when you ring I will sing

The Place Dalida was renamed in 1997 when a bust of the star was installed marking the tenth anniversary of her death. Artist Alain Aslan created the bronze bust that is often rubbed for good luck and also created the amazing statue on her tomb in the Montmartre cemetery.  Check out the episode of Paris History Avec a Hemingway for more on the life of Dalida. 

The street leading away from the Place Dalida, Rue Girardon is named after Francois Girardon who was a sculptor under Louis XIV who first worked for Nicolas Fouquet on Vaux le Vicomte. Girardon created the tomb of Cardinal Richelieu in the chapel of the Sorbonne and a statue of Louis XIV that once stood in the center of Place Louis Le Grand, now Place Vendome. A small version is all that remains in the Musée du Louvre. Also in the Louvre are a few of his sculptures on the ceiling of the Galerie d’Apollon and a tapestry portrait of him hangs on the wall with a bit of the tomb of Richelieu. 

Just down the Escalier de la rue Girardon. 

At the bottom of the stairs is the Square Joël Le Tac named for the French resistance fighter born towards the end of WWI. Tac was a teacher until 1939 when mobilized but refused to go to the front. He instead trained soldiers and was involved in the first paratrooper unit. After the war, he was a journalist for Paris-Presse and then as a deputy in the new government formed by De Gaulle from 1958-1981. 

The square was created in 1935 and renamed on February 2, 2012 

At the entrance from the stairs is a monument to Théophile Steinlen. A Swiss artist born November 20, 1859. In 1881 Steinlen and his wife Emilie moved to Paris and in 1883 to Montmartre where they remained for the rest of their life. Steinlen knew Toulouse-Lautrec and hung out at Le Chat Noir and created the now very famous image used on everything from towels to magnets. 

Paul Vannier created the monument in 1935. The stone statue is of Théophile and Emilie and was placed here as they often sat here every evening. The bronze bas relief plates were melted down by the Vichy government in 1942 and later replaced in 1962. 

Just past the Square Joel le Tac is the Place Claude-Nougaro named on the 15th anniversary of his death on November 28, 2019. Born in 1929 in Toulouse to an Opera singer father and a piano teacher mother. He first appeared on the stage of the Lapin Agile in 1954 and went on to become a beloved French singer. 

Towards the end is a statue of artist Eugène Carrière who lived from 1849-1906. Friends with Rodin he started the Carrière Academie on the Rue de Rennes and counted Matisse as a student.  The statue was created in 1932 by Henri Sauvage. The bas-relief plates represent the works of Carrière as well as a poem on the origins of emotions. 

The plates were also melted down in 1942 and replaced in 1949 by Jean René. 

Ahead on the corner of Rue Caulaincourt and Avenue Junot is an Histoire de Paris sign marking Le Maquis. Until the end of the 19th century, this area was known as Le Maquis and covered in small alleys, houses, and gardens. The artists loved the area and many including van Gogh, Modigliani, and Steinlen lived in the neighborhood. Much of it disappeared gradually at the beginning of the 20th century as Avenue Junot was enlarged. 

At Number 73 Renoir lived from 1902-1903, Theophile Steinlen also lived here until his death. Steinlen also lived at number 58 before moving to 73. 

The Rue Caulaincourt is named for the great French marquis, Armand Augustin Louis de Caulaincourt who served under Napoleon and was ambassador to Russia. 

We end at the Square Caulaincourt, which is actually a street but not open to cars. The set of 112 steps leads down to the Rue Lamarck. It’s best to go down instead of up 

Walk Route:

Jardin Musee Montmartre 

Out the door and to the left briefly to the building next door 

Back down Rue Cortot 

Right on Rue des Saules 

Left on Rue de l’Abreuvoir 

Place Dalida

Down steps to the right 

Place Joel le Tac and monument

Take a left on Caulaincourt

Place Claude Nougaro

Rue Caulaincourt 

Right on Square Caulaincocurt 

End there

Money Saving Tips and Tricks

A trip to Paris can be expensive but once you arrive there are a few little tricks and ways you can save a few euros. 

There are countless FREE things that you can do in Paris, especially for art lovers. One of my favorites finds down many of the cobblestone-lined streets are the many churches that are filled with some of the biggest names in French art history. 

Eglise Saint Sulpice is an easy choice as it also holds three of the masterpieces of Eugene Delacroix. Delacroix believed that to be remembered long after an artist had passed they should be hanging in public buildings and churches. Saint Sulpice was one of his last commissions but not the first found in a church.  

Eglise Saint Sulpice, 2 rue Palatine 6e  open 8 am - 8 pm 

Eglise Saint Denys du Saint Sacrement is the first chuch that displayed a Delacroix. The Piata in the first chapel on the right is not the normal version of a Piata displayed in most churches. 

Eglise Saint Denys du Saint Sacrement, 68 ter rue de Turenne 3e 7:30 am - 7:30 pm

The facade of the Eglise Saint Paul Saint Louis is a work of art on its own. The beautifu red door shines against the tall Baroque church that crowns the Rue Saint Antoine. Inside the side chapels are lit with gorgeous chandeliers and large vases of fresh flowers always sit on the altar. As you enter head to the left side of the church and at the transept look up to see Delacroix’s Christ in the Garden of Olives. 

Eglise Saint Paul Saint Louis 99 rue Antoine 3e  8 am - 8 pm 

Other churches not to miss are the Eglise Saint Nicolas de Chardonnet is the final resting place of the artist to the king, Charles Le Brun is laid to rest but also where one of his fantastic paintings is just inside the door. The Martyrdom of Saint John the Evangelist at the Latin Gate as well as a painting by Jean Baptiste Corot. Louis XIV trusted Le Brun to decorate Versailles, the Palais du Louvre, and countless palaces across France. 

Eglise Saint Nicolas de Chardonnet 23 Rue des Bernardins 5e 7 am - 8 pm 

Not far from the Musée du Louvre and the golden monument to Jeanne d’Arc is the Eglise Saint Roch. Sitting on the Rue Saint Honoré and where a church dedicated to the patron saint of pastries, Saint Honoré once stood. The facade has a reminder of the young Napoleon that tried to stop the insurrection and fired on the church. There are still reminders on the left side of the facade. 

Inside the church where the other designer of the king, André Le Notre who designed the gardens of Versailles and the Tuileries is buried here and the funeral for Yves Saint Laurent was here. Inside the Baptismal chapel is a painting by Delacroix devotee Theodore Chassériau Saint Philip baptizing the eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia. 

Eglise Saint Roch 296 Rue Saint Honoré 1e 8:30 am - 7 pm 

Paris is a city of museums and there are well over 175 museums dedicated to just about anything you would want to see.  On the first Sunday of each month, many of the museums are free. It is a great option if you are in Paris but for a few, you may need to plan ahead. The Musée d’Orsay recently announced that you must have a free timed ticket for the day to help avoid the crush of people that have been attending. The Louvre does not take part and eventually will return to its free Saturday evenings at some point down the road. 

If you are a museum-goer like myself that loves to look at and read everything this may not be the day for you as the museums are normally very busy and it’s hard to really get close to many of the paintings. 

However, there are ten museums belonging to the city of Paris that are free every day. Under the umbrella of the Paris Musées is the lovely Petit Palais which holds the art owned by the city of Paris and covers every scope of time. The history of Paris in the Carnavalet should always be on the top of your list to see. 

Authors and artists include Victor Hugo, Balzac, Zadkine, and Bourdelle. The collections of the Cognac-Jay and Cernuschi and the Musée d’Art Moderne all fall under their umbrella. 

Of the twelve museums in the city, two have a fee. The Catacombs and the Crypte under Notre Dame need a ticket and the Palais Galliera which is the fashion museum of Paris is only open for special exhibits so in a bit of a bait and switch you must pay to enter, but highly worth it. 

Once you have your tickets for museums a trick I love to use is to screenshot them on my phone and create a folder in my photos so that I don’t need to scroll through thousands of pictures to find them while standing in line. 

Now with all the money that you saved let’s head to lunch where you can enjoy some of the best restaurants in Paris with a little less sticker shock than dinner. Many restaurants offer a prix fixe 2 or 3-course lunch Monday to Friday and that can be under 35€ and a great value. 

A few favorites are Le Fumoir next to the Eglise Saint Germain l’Auxerrois and Willi’s Wine Bar above Palais Royal.  Check out more of my favorite restaurants here, 

Live from Paris - Fashion & Passion in the 16th

Live from Paris, Sunday, July 31  

The Fashion and Passion of the 16th 

We start today’s walk outside the Galerie Dior, the newest treasure on the museum landscape of Paris. Housed in the building that was once home to Baron Hans von Bleichroder who came from a very wealthy banking family. He moved into Rousseau’s 1897 building in 1910 but it was an event three years later that would stick with him. 

At the start of September 1913, Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar paid a visit to Paris with her mother to see Bleichroder. On September 13 on a drive through Fontainebleau, their car hit a child and injured them. The princess and her mother fled back to Warsaw and as the heat increased Bleichroder said the young princess had been driving the car. Distraught at the attention on September 17, 1913, back in her bedroom of the palace in Warsaw she shot herself and died. 

The next-door neighbor at number 13, was once the home of Martine Marie Pol de Béhagne, countess of Bérn. Martine was the daughter of Octave de Béhague who was a very wealthy art collector. In 1890 she married Rene Marie Hector de Béarn and by 1920 the two ended in a divorce. After her parents died she used her vast inheritance to purchase this home as well as renovate her parents' palace on rue Saint Dominique in 1888. 

Just at the corner and what is now connected to no 11 & 13 is the Dior flagship store at 30 avenue Montaigne. As soon as Christian Dior saw the building he knew it had to be his. On December 16, 1946, his dream came true. The building has another interesting history and a tie to Napoleon. In 1865 Alexandre Walewski, the first child and illegitimate son of Napoleon Bonaparte had it built but died before it was finished. His wife moved until it was sold and became known as the Hotel de Millon d’Aily de Verneuil. 

Further down the street at no 24, Alfred and Lucie Dreyfus lived just after they were married on April 18, 1890. However, most of the street was dominated by the wealthy bankers of the 19th century that led way to the tv and radio offices and then haute couture houses. 

No 44 was also built by Walewski and where they lived before the Dior building was finished. Today it has been the office for Balmain since 1952. 

Taking a left onto the rue Pierre Charron and then to Avenue George V. Of course the name of the street makes you think of the Four Seasons George V with its amazing flower displays by Jeff Leatham. 

George V is somewhat new to the landscape in Paris, but then again anything that is mid-19th century to me is new in the grand scheme of Parisian history. In 1928 André Terrail of La Tour d’Argent and Georges Wybo took on the design of a new luxurious hotel funded by American Joel Hillman. On October 24, 1929, Black Thursday, when he lost all his money he was forced to sell his hotel. Francois Dupré was next up as owner in 1931 and added on an additional wing that was used as apartments with a one-year lease with all the luxury of a hotel. A few other owners passed through until 1997 when the current owner took the reigns. Prince Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia managed on his own until he asked the Four Seasons to step in and take over. Today the 244 hotel rooms start at 1900€ a night. 

The avenue gets its name from the English king, George V who ruled from 1865-1936. Just down the way at no 23 is the Amerian Episcopal church, Holy Trinity. The Greek Revival eglise was designed by British architect George Edmund Street and constructed in 1881. The spire was added on in 1904 and designed by the original architect’s son, Arthur Edmond Street. One of my favorite depictions of the church is the painting by Jean Béraud in the Musée d’Orsay, of all the fancy people leaving the church after a Sunday service. 

At number 15, the Hotel Wagram was built in 1869 and was once home to Berthe de Rothschild after her marriage to Alexandre Berthier the 3rd prince of Wagram. Her son amassed an amazing collection of art including Monet, Renoir, and van Gogh before it would become the Spanish Embassy in 1920. 

For those of you wanting a late night out in Paris on the sexier side add the Crazy Horse to your itinerary. Opened May 19, 1951, the mix of an American striptease club and exotic dance came along long after the Moulin Rouge and the other pioneers shocked Paris. In 1954 Miss Candida started her popular routine of taking a bath on stage which she would do more than 500 times. Dita von Teese and even Pamela Anderson have also graced the stage amid the all-nude review. 

At the end of the street, we find the busy intersection of Alma-Monceau. The Eiffel Tower is in sight and the flame of the Statue of Liberty is just below. 

Near the start of Avenue Monceau is the Musée Yves Saint Laurent, a small museum you don’t want to miss. Yves Saint Laurent worked at Dior from 1955 and took over as a designer after the death of Christian Dior in 1957. Leaving the house he started his own and exhibited his first collection on January 29, 1962. The 60th anniversary has been marked with small exhibits in six of the museums of Paris including the Louvre which is still on display until September. 

In 1974, YSL moved his office to this location and worked here until he announced his retirement on January 7, 2002. The same year YSL and his partner created the Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent Foundation. On June 1, 2008, Yves Saint Laurent took his last breath losing his battle with brain cancer. Pierre died nine years later on September 8, 2017. The museum was opened and inaugurated the same month. Inside it is rather small but with two very well done special exhibits a year as well as a glimpse inside the former office of the fashion genius just as he left it. 

Open Tuesday - Sunday 11 am - 6 pm and until 9 pm on Thursdays. 

Left on rue Léonce Reynard to Rue de Galliera and the Palais Galliera. Marie Brignole Sale de Ferrari de Galliera was born in Italy in 1811, Her father fell in love with Paris and served as an ambassador and also a minister of state under Napoleon. Marie was married off to Raffaele de Ferrari in 1828 but her affection for Paris couldn’t keep her in Italy long. She left her husband behind and headed back to Paris. In 1878 Marie offered the city of Paris a plot of land and an offer to build a palace to hold her art collection. Deals were signed and architect Léon Ginain designed a small palace but things turned sideways when Clemenceau backed a new law targeting immigrant descendants that stayed in France. She tried to pull out of the deal but it was too late. She returned to Genoa with her art collection that was no longer intended as a gift to France. In 1888 she died, never to see her finished palace. 

In 1895 it opened as a temporary exhibit space and in 1902 a contemporary industrial art museum. In 1920 it opened as the first fashion museum in Paris and the current incarnation opened in 1977. The inner frame structure was designed by the Eiffel Tower company and today you can look up and admire it as you stroll the special exhibits. 

Open Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm, Thursday until 9 pm. 

Just off the back of the Palais Galliera is the Square of the same name filled with lovely statues. In the center of the fountain is Avril by Pierre Roche created in 1916. In the right corner are the God Pan and a Tiger by Just Bacquet in 1899 as a monument to Francois Rude.

Under the peristyles of the Palais are Protection and Future by Honoré Picard and On the Evening of Life by Gustave Michel. Don’t miss the allegories of Paintings by Henri Chapin, Architecture by Jules Thomas, and Sculpture by Pierre Cavelier on the center facade of the museum. 

Across the street is the Musée d’Art Moderne Paris housed in the Palais de Tokyo. Built for the 1937 exhibition of arts and techniques to turn into a modern art museum. The MAM opened in 1961 and includes art created after 1905. Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse, Robert and Sonia Delaunay and Raoul Dufy. The pinnacle of the museum is the large Dufy painting La Feé Électricité painted in 1951 of 250 plywood panels stretching 33 by 20 feet around the oval room. It's amazing up close. Arrive first thing in the morning so you can get some great photos before people arrive.

In 2010 the most notable event struck the museum in the dark of night between May 19 & 20. For weeks the alarms were damaged and awaiting repair in parts of the museum and Vjeran Tomic working on behalf of art dealer Jean-Michel Corvey found out. In the middle of the night Spider-Man as Tomic was known, crawled through the window and stole five paintings. All but one were in the same room and chosen just because he liked them. 

Picasso’s Dove with Green Peas was painted in 1912, Henri Matisse’s Pastoral in 1905, George Braque’s Olive Tree near Estaque in 1906, and Léger’s 1922 Still Life with Candlesticks. Modigliani's 1919 Woman with a Fan was in the next room. Guards were on duty but Tomic was able to get in and out pretty quickly and it wasn’t until the next morning that the paintings were discovered missing. Valued at over 1 million euros they were taken to copiest Yonathan Birn. When he heard the news of the arrest of his accomplices he tossed the five paintings in the trash. To this day they have never been recovered. 

The museum is free except for special exhibits and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm and until 9:30 pm on Thursday.  

Outside along Avenue President Wilson, you can find one of the best outdoor markets in Paris on Wednesday and Saturday opening at 7 am and running until 1 pm on Wednesday and 3 pm Saturday. 

Down the street, it’s hard to miss George Washington atop a horse charging into battle. The statue was inaugurated on July 3, 1900, and was a gift from the Daughters of the American Revolution in the US. American sculptor Daniel-Chester French was commissioned and had to also recreate the sword many times as soldiers kept stealing it. 

Just off of the right shoulder of Washington is the Musée des Arts Asiatiques, known as the Guimet. Émile Guimet was a very wealthy collector of Asian antiques and collectibles. His father had created “Guimet Blue” which was the first artificial ultramarine blue and made a fortune for his family. Guimet’s collection became so large that he was able to split it between two museums he was building. The first in Lyon where he was born and then a second in Paris, Architect Jules Charron created the almost identical structures that are now filled with his amazing collection.  

Open Wednesday to Monday from 10 am to 6 pm. 

A few steps away on the Avenue d'Lena at number 11 was the home of Charles Ephrussi. Ephrussi was born in Odessa in 1849 and came from a very wealthy banking family. Charles was an art historian and critic and owned the Gazette des Beaux-Arts.  

Charles was the uncle of Irene Cahen, wife of Moise de Camondo. It was a rocky marriage and she left him for another man after they had two children, Nissim and Béatrice. As a child, Irene was painted by Renoir and the painting was given to her daughter Béatrice. During both world wars, the Camando family was struck with one tragedy after another. At the end of the war, Béatrice and her family were killed by the Nazi and the painting fell into their hands.  

One day Irene came across it in a museum and did all she could to get the painting back even saying it was the only reminder she had of her beloved daughter. Irene was a horrible mother and woman and after years in court, ownership of the painting was returned to her. She quickly turned around and sold it to controversial art collector Emil Buhrle. To know more about this story read the amazing book The House of Fragile Things by James McAuley. 

We end this week's walk at the Square of Thomas Jefferson where we are greeted by the monument to the American Volunteers by Jean Boucher in 1923. At the far end, you will also find the bronze monument to George Washington and Lafayette by Auguste Bartholdi in 1895. In the center is a bust of Horace Wells the American who invented Nitrous Oxide and also Myron T Herrick who was the US Ambassador from 1912-1914. 

The benches and street lamps were once a part of Battery Park in NY and trees from Ellis Island. If you need a little visit to America just visit the square of Thomas Jefferson. 

Live from Paris - Around the Parc Monceu

Today we take you to a few of the streets that are just off the Parc Monceau. I first discovered the Rue Fortuny five years ago just by chance. I love to just wander down streets taking time to see what I can find and this street had me saying “oh my” over and over again. f

The streets of Paris are covered with plaques and other little markers that give you a hint to its past and just enough of a clue to send me down a rabbit hole of discovery. The Rue Fortuny is just such a street. Let’s take a little walk. 

Named after Mariano Fortuny i Marsal who was a Spanish painter and lived near here for two years in 1868. The area surrounding the lovely Parc Monceau began to be laid out in 1848 and became a popular place with the elite looking to build new homes.  The streets we walk on today were once the property of artist Louis Godefroy Jadin who once lived here and painted many of the walls and ceilings of the Palais des Tuileries.  In 1861 the Pereire brothers then owned the land and started to build grand mansions for everyone from the Rothschilds to the Camados. 

Rue Fortuny

No 2 was once the home of Edmond Rostand who wrote Cyrano de Bergerac and lived here from 1891 - 1897. He died in 1918 of the Spanish Flu but his works live on and are adapted every year.  Composer and organist August Chapuis who counted the Eglise Notre Dame des Champs and Saint Roch as his ateliers lived and died here on December 6, 1933.

No 8 built in 1882 by architect Alfred Boland in Troubadour - Gothic style for Emilie Streich. Notice the amazing sculptures in the niches of the facade. 

No 9 with its ceramics and terracotta frieze was built in 1891 for Benjamin Morel by architect Paul-Adrien Gouny, The sculptures are by Jules Paul Loebnitz. The loggia is so magical.

No 12 built the next year in 1892 for Madame Huguet de Chataux by Henri Grandpierre 

No 13 an architect that built many in the area, Paul-Casimir Fouquiau 1879 designed this hotel particulier for artist Paul Vayson. Vayson was a landscape artist that concentrated on the rural landscape often dotted with farm animals. Later filmmaker and author Marcel Pagnol who was prolific in the 1930s to 1950s lived here for a short period. 

No 15, another by Fouquiau who is well known for his brick facade buildings, In the Belleville neighborhood you can find countless identical houses he designed. 

No 17, architect Charles-Edouard Weyland designed this home for Louis Herbette who served as the Prefect of the Loire-Atlantique from 1879-1882.  The Renaissance- Louis XV-style building was also the location where the Black September group bombed the Jewish Agency that was located here on January 9, 1973, in protest of Golda Meir in Paris.

No 19 Jean Brisson designed the building and brothers Joseph and Jules Chéret created the amazing carvings and ironwork. French politician Arsène Picard served in Parliament for just one year.

No 27 with its defining stripe facade was built in 1878. The Hotel Englebert by Adolphe Viel was built for Spanish actress and courtesan Carolina “La Belle” Otero. Otero arrived in Paris in 1889 during the Universal Exhibition and quickly met Joseph Olier, owner of the Moulin Rouge, and began to perform on stage. Her performances took her to the Folies Bergère and onto the US, Russia, and Europe. With the stage often comes the life of a courtesan and she was one of the most popular of the Belle Epoque. As the biggest rival of Liane de Pougy (listen to the story of her life in the podcast episode we did last year). Known as the Sirène de suicide since many men killed themselves or died in duels because they couldn’t be with her. 

Next door at no 29 was also built by Adolphe Viel for Genevieve Lantelme who was also an actress and courtesan. At 14 years old her mother sent her off to work at a brothel in Paris where she met important men like Henry Poidatz who owned Le Matin. Poidatz introduced her to Alphonse Franck who owned the Theatre du Gymnase and gave her the introduction to the stage. At the Paris Conservatory, she studied acting which gave her more opportunities in Paris. Her unique style captured the attention of everyone and her image graced the covers of the papers and magazines of the time, especially in her large hats. 

In 1906 she began an affair with Alfred Edwards who was the original owner of Le Matin but his 4th wife Misia Serves wasn’t as thrilled. Misia, the “Queen of Paris” followed Genevieve around Paris and tried to emulate her style and hats. The tale even inspired Marcel Proust in Remembrance and became the story of Robert de Saint-Loup, Gilberte Swann, and Rachel. 

Genevieve became wife number five on July 5, 1909, and on July 24, 1911, the couple went on a cruise down the Rhine that didn’t end well. That night after a bit too much champagne she opened the window to get some air and sit on the ledge. The boat lunged a bit and she fell into the Rhine. Two days later her body was discovered. She was immortalized in one of the amazing paintings by Boldini, 

At no 35 the amazing Sarah Bernhardt lived in this Nicolas-Félix Escalier built in 1876. She had the best of the best to paint the walls, and ceilings and add glass roofs. Sadly she had to sell it in 1885 but it is still part of her amazing story, complete with two stone rats playing on the edge. 

Across the street at no 42, Alfred Boland built for glassmaker Joseph-Albert Ponsin who also designed the glass ceiling for Sarah Bernhardt. Notice the lovely caryatids up above. 

Around the corner on the Avenue de Villiers is a lovely little museum. The Musée Jean-Jaques Henner is housed in the former home and studio of artist Guillaume Dubufe. In 1921 the niece of Henner purchased the home with the intent of making it a museum, sixteen years after his death. Henner is known for his paintings of women with red hair with an ethereal look to them. It is rarely busy and you can explore one floor after another in the world of Henner.   Open Wednesday - Monday 11 am - 6 pm, 6€ 

At no 42-44 is a set of buildings that will surely catch your eye. Built-in 1800 by Lucien Magne who had once studied under Viollet le Duc, The Gothic Revival structures are joined with an arched portico. Behind the arch and the buildings is the start of a building site that has become quite the lightning rod for the area. 

Just a few steps away is the green space of the Place du Général Catroux with a few statues you may not want to miss including the Dumas family. 

Alexandre Dumas by Gustave Doré inaugurated November 4, 1883. His most famous character, D’Artagnan sits on the rear of the base, and in the front three ladies read one of his well-known pieces. 

Across the street is a monument to his son, Alexandre Dumas Fils by Rene de Saint-Marceaux placed here in 1906. The allegories looking up towards him represent Pain, Resignation, and Youth. Dumas junior lived just a few steps away at no 98, 
The newest statue in Paris is in the Jardin Solitude which was renamed and added on May 10, 2022. Solitude is named after the Guadeloupe slave who died in 1802.  Rosalie was her real name and was raped by a white sailor when she was taken to the West Indies as a slave. 1802 was the year that Napoleon reinstated slavery and she of course opposed but did what few could do, she stood up against it. The Didier Audrat sculpture shows her very pregnant and running through the streets holding up a rolled parchment. She is also the first statue of a black historical woman in Paris, 

Nearby is a set of two very large chains that are dedicated to General Thomas Alexandre Dumas. “Fees” replaces an earlier monument to Dumas that was melted down by the Vichy government.

Heading toward the big beautiful building ahead, look below and spot the stone monument to Sarah Bernhardt. Depicted in her role of Phèdre by Francois-Leon Sicard. 
Now for this amazing building just past Sarah. The Hotel Gaillard was built in 1884 by Jules Férrier. It may look much older but the Neo-Renaissance building was inspired by the chateaux of the Loire and specifically Blois where Marie de Medici was once held as a prisoner by her son. Émile Gaillard had a very large collection of Medieval and Renaissance art and needed something larger to hold it. Férrier created the perfect building that also reflected the owner's love for the period. Gaillard died in 1902 and the structure was sold and the contents up for auction. Eventually, in 1919 the Banque de France purchased it and it was the fanciest bank branch for almost 100 years. 

In 2011 the Banque de France announced that the building would become the Cité de l’Economie and after an extensive renovation it finally opened in 2019. It may not sound so exciting but it is amazing and really interesting and few people are ever there. Just to get a glimpse of the inside is worth it. Check it out next time you are in Paris and of course the nearby Parc Monceau. 

Live from Paris - Lower Saint Germain

Live from Paris - Lower Saint Germain 

Sunday, July 3, 2022

Sadly the recording was corrupted and couldn’t be downloaded 

We started today's walk outside the beautiful Eglise Val de Grace. The Abbey was first built by Anne of Austria in the 17th century for Marguerite de Vény d’Arbouze. The first stone was placed 398 years ago today on July 3, 1624,  At the time Anne of Austria was desperate to get pregnant and give the king an heir so she spent most of her time having abbeys and churches built. She made a promise that if God blessed her with a child that she would build a church at the abbey. 

On April 1, 1645 when Louis XIV was just 7 years old the first stone was laid, fulfilling her promise. 

Francois Mansart was first asked to design the Latin cross shaped church in the Baroque style but wasn’t able to complete it Jacques Lemercier took over the project. Lemercier also designed the Palais Royal and the Chapel of the Sorbonne and the Pavillon d’Horloge of the Louvre. 

Inside the church that is rarely open to the public except for the Patrimoine weekend in September is an amazing canopy and high altar that was designed by Gabriel le Duc with its twisted columns and the nativity by Michel Anguier. If you get a chance, make sure to visit!  

Anne of Austria had the Sainte Anne chapel installed to the left of the altar to hold over 40 of the hearts of the kings and queens of France. During the Revolution, Louis Francois-Petit Radel took advantage of the pillage at the time and took many of the hearts and sold them to a paint crusher. Mummy brown was one of the most sought after colors and was created from  mummified remains. The painting Interieur d’une Cuisine by Martin Drolling can be found in the Louvre on the 2nd floor of the Sully wine in salle 938. I have looked closely and have not seen any pieces of the former queen in the painting. 

Rue de Val de Grace

No 6 Alfons Mucha lived, don’t miss looking through the door. 

No 7 & 9, Guillaime Fouae a 19th century artist lived here at the end of his life. The garden is lovely through the door

Avenue de l’Observatoire 

No 15 Sculptor Antonin Mercié lived and died here in 1916. He designed the Genius of the Arts on the Denon wing of the Louvre on the Pavillon Lesdiquières in 1877.

No 1, one of the most stunning buildings, was built on the corner in 1923 by Henri Delormé. The facade includes lion and elephant heads, corbelled windows and even mascarons that age as you rise through each floor. The lower level they are babies, then teens, adults and middle aged mascarons at the top. 

Rue Auguste Comte, named for the French philosopher and runs between the lower and upper Jardin du Luxembourg. 

Statue to President Gaston Monnerville who served from December 8, 1958 to October 2, 1968.

No 2 Built in 1895 for the Colonial school opened from 1899-1934 and now is the National School of Administration. The Moorish architectural details are amazing. 

No 4-6 Faculty of the Pharmacy dates back to 1629

No 8 Institut d’Art et d’Archéologie built in 1925 by Architect Paul Bigot and funded by Marie-Louis Arconati-Visconti.  She was married to Gianmart Arconti-Visconti who died 3 years after they were married and she inherited his vast fortune. She loved art and had a vast collection over over 300 pieces she donated to the Louvre but also gave 2 to 3 million Francs to have this building created. She died before it was finished but the rest of her estate was given to the University of Paris which continued to fund building projects for the university. 

Paul Bigot used a combination of Internationalism and Art Deco style in concrete and red brick from Vitry-sur-Seine. Look closely at the frieze that runs around the building, The terracotta designs include some of the famous pieces that are studied there. The gargoyles of Metapontum, Ludovisi’s throne and Cantoria of Luca della Robbia. They were created by the famous house of Sèvres.  The doors incorporate Roman lattice and medieval quatrefoil. 

Rue Michelet, named for historian Jules Michelet. 

No 4 Genevieve de Gaulle-Anthonioz lived. She was the niece of Charles de Gaulle and a resistance fighter and leader. Arrested on the Rue Bonaparte in 1943 she was deported to Ravensbrucj on February 3, 1944. Because of her uncle she was used as a bargaining chip and was somewhat protected. She survived and was liberated on April 25, 1945. 

Married Bernard Anthonioz who was working for the newly formed Ministry of Culture but still worked tirelessly for the survivors and those that parished under the Nazi’s and later those that suffured through poverty.  On February 15, 2002 she died here in her apartment and on February 21, 2015 Francois Hollande announced they were moving her remains to the Pantheon. Her family refused to allow her body be moved from it’s grave in the Bossey cemetery and on May 27, 2015 dirt from her grave was symbolically interred in the Pantheon. 

 Rue d’Assas named for the Captain under Louis XV, Louis d’Assas 

No 100 the Musée Zadkine created in the former home and atelier of Russian artist Ossip Zadkine. Arriving in Paris in 1910 he and his wife moved to this location in 1928. The first cubist sculpturist served in the Foreign Legion during WWI but was later dismissed when he was charged with using potatoes as projectiles when intended for food.  After his death in 1967 the home was given to the city of Paris by his wife in 1978 and opened in 1982. His pieces can be found around Paris in the Jardin du Luxembourg and Place Saint Germain des Prés. 

No 82 & 84, today the building is modern but in the 19th & 20th century it was the home of a few great artists that may be mostly forgotten,  In 1879 Sculptor Jean Gautherin lived here, he is the man behind the statue of Diderot that looms over the Boulevard Saint Germain. 

From 1906-1930 Martha Stettler and Alice Dannenberg were two artists that also created the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere just a few streets away that is still there today. Zadkine, Bourdelle and Léger were all a part of this historic school. Martha and Alice painted many lovely scenes of the Jardin du Luxembourg 

Also in this spot was the former home of Auguste Bartholdi who lived and died here on October 4, 1904. 

Into the Jardin du Luxembourg on the south west corner and to visit an old friend. Liberty Lighting the World, aka Statue of Liberty has stood in the Jardin du Luxembourg since 1905. Originally placed inside the Musée du Luxembourg it was moved to the garden near the museum in 1905. The original statue that was here is now in the Musée d’Orsay. 

Triomph de Silene by Jules Dulou is always a statue that catches your attention. The drunken Silenus, related to the god of wine Dionysys, is often seen surrounded by satyrs and they are trying to hoist him onto a donkey. It was placed in the garden in 1897 

Rue Guynemer runs along the western edge of the park and is a mix of 19th century and more contemporary buildings but at the start of the street have two you want to take a look at.  At no 2 the 1914 building designed by Louis Périn is gorgeous even if the Germans took over many of the apartments during the Occupation. 

At no 4 next to it was built in 1893 by Germain Cahn-Bousson and is now owned by the Vatican and Francois Mitterand once lived there. 

However it is the one on the opposite corner at no 58 Rue de Vaugirard that I love. The door is a stunner and above it has a balcony with a statue of zeus that at times moves from one corner to the other, F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald once lived here and just a few blocks from Hemingway where he gave strict orders not to tell anyone where he lived. Hem and Zelda had a strong dislike for each other and he thought they were drunk too much. 

Along the Rue Bonaparte is the Allée Seminaire Jean Jacques Olier which in the spring is under a canopy of wisteria. The Fontaine de la Paix that is here started its life in the Marché Saint Germain to the Place Saint Sulpice nearby and moved here in 1937.  

Just across the street is the bronze Andres Lapis statue of the woman under the hat in front of the Hungarian Institute. 

There was a downloading issue with the video so sadly it is lost. 

Join us next Sunday from the lovely area around the Parc Monceau 

Live with Claudine - Tips, Tricks and Hacks for Paris

Thank you all for tuning in to chat about some of the best tips and tricks on getting to Paris and what to do in the City of Light.  

The first step is getting there and my favorite way to search for flights is Skyscanner. They have an app or a website and you can select and watch flights and they will send updates when the prices go up or even better down. When it comes to purchasing the flight it’s best to stay with the major airlines and not buy the flights through the 3rd party clearing houses. If something happens and you need to cancel, you are less protected by those sites that buy in bulk from the major carriers. 

Where to sit in the plane is always a personal choice. Are you an aisle or a window? Are you back in economy because you can care less how you get there or is it first class or nothing. Today prices are extremely high. The carriers are trying to recoup those losses and you pay the price unfortunately. Some chose their flights based on fares and others stick with a certain carrier. The section you choose  is another personal choice.

Once you get to Paris where you stay is the biggest decision you can make. If it is your first time then stay in the center where you are close to most of the major things you want to see and can walk everywhere. If you are just there for a few days a hotel is great and there are thousands of rooms in the city. Those two are seeing some pretty high price hikes and especially for the summer it is pretty steep. For a more extended period of at least a week an AirBnB or VRBO is a smart way to go as it will be less expensive and you can also have a refrigerator and washing machine in many apartments.

Paris can be expensive but there are lots of ways to save money. Picking up fromage, wine and a baguette can all be done for under 20€ and fill you up for a few meals. It’s also the best! Groceries are much less expensive also, especially compared to the US right now. Some days you can spend 50€ on lunch and some days you pick up a jambon beurre and sit in the Jardin du Luxembourg and it’s amazing. There are so many great ways to have some amazing experiences that don’t cost a ton of money. 

Other great things that won’t cost a single centime are visits to the Jardin des Tuileries which is filled with statues and little pockets to sit in the shade. The Jardin du Luxembourg has 107 statues that fill this oasis of the Left Bank as well as the grand basin with the sweet boats for kids that do cost a few euros, tennis courts and every other sport you can think of. 

A favorite museum is the Musée des Arts Forains that is for everyone that is a kid at heart. Inside they have vintage carnival and circus games, carousels and really fun rooms that take you back in time. You may have seen it in Midnight in Paris when the characters rode on the bicycle powered carousel and you get to do the same thing. You can ride on each of the carousels and even play some of the games. It is so much fun and even if you don’t have little ones go check it out.  Most tours are in French, they occasionally do English tours but in the next two months there aren’t any on the schedule. Even if you don’t speak French, don’t skip it.  Tickets are released 30 days out and are 18.80€ per person and during the summer they have three entries a day. You MUST have a ticket in advance. 

Live with Claudine - The newest & best things to see in Paris now

On the newest episode of the Live from Paris chronicles I shared a few of the greatest new things to see in Paris this year. Watch the video to see photos from the new Galerie Dior, the reopened Musée de Cluny, and a great exhibit at the Musée Picasso Paris. 

The newest star on the Paris museum scene is the stunning Galerie Dior. Attached to the flagship Dior store that was opened on December 15, 1946 just a few weeks before Christian Dior’s very first collection. 

The museum is a visual extravaganza following the life of the designer and the house of Dior. from the moment you step in and see the wall of small dresses, bags and shoes in an ombre rainbow to the multimedia room of mannequins that stand under the sky from day to night. It’s stunning and I can’t rave enough about it.

Galerie Dior 

11 rue Francois Ier  8e 

Open Tuesday-Sunday 11am - 7pm

After 7 long years the Musée de Cluny has finally fully reopened. The museum of the Middle Ages is filled with the remains of former churches including the Abbey Sainte Genevieve and original pieces of Saint Germain des Prés, Sainte Chapelle and the best part, the original statues of Notre Dame de Paris. 

Musée du Cluny 

Corner of Boulevard Saint Germain and Boulevard Saint Michel 5e 

Open Tuesday-Sunday 9:30 am - 6:30 pm

The Musée Picasso Paris is always a museum you should return to. They do a fantastic job with exhibits and change out the permanent collection yearly, so there is always something new to see. The current exhibit is centered around the donation of his first daughter Maya-Ruiz Picasso. The daughter of Marie Therese, the two were very close until she got married but has a wide collection of her fathers work. The new donation of 9 pieces consisting of 6 paintings, 2 sculptures and a sketch book is on display with other pieces of her life from her fathers point of view in art. It is really well done, just avoid the case with his jar of fingernails. 

Musée Picasso Paris 

5 rue de Thorigny 3e 

Open Tuesday - Friday 10:30pm - 6pm 

          Saturday & Sunday 9:30pm - 6pm 

Watch the entire episode for more info as well as a few tips and tricks for visiting Paris

Live from Paris - Around the Place Denfert-Rochereau

Have you taken a walk around the Place Denfert-Rochereau in the 14th arrondissement? Well let me take you on a little walk to show you exactly why you should spend a bit more time there. 

Let’s start just behind the entrance to the Catacombs at the Square de l’Abbe-Migne. Created in 1880 it sits on the former Barrier d’Enfer, the Hell Gate of the Farmers general wall built in 1787. The square is named for Jacques-Paul Migne who was a Catholic priest and journalist who also published Catholic writings. Inside the square is a monument dedicated to Nicolas-Toussaint Charlet who was a 19th century artist and engraver who studied under Antoine-Jean Gros and was close friends with Théodore Géricault. The two traveled to England when the Raft of the Medusa was put on display after the Salon of Paris. You can find his painting of Napoleon at Waterloo in the Musée des Arts Decoratifs and The Conventional Merlin de Thionville in the Sully wing room 950 of the Musée du Louvre. The brass medallion on the monument was created by Charpentier in 1896. 

The Berrier d’Enfer of the 1787 wall was used to collect taxes as goods came into Paris. It got its name from the former Boulevard d’Enfer which was part of what is the Boulevard Raspail today. Enfer or hell may come from the fact that it was once a site of debauchery.  On either side of the Avenue du Général Leclerc  Neo-Classical buildings by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux were built in 1787. Jean-Guillaume Moitte created the bas-reliefs on the facade. He had studied under Pigalle and also created sculptures for the Cour Carrée of the Louvre. Carnavalet, Pantheon, Fontainebleau and Versailles. 

The buildings now hold two of the museums of the City of Paris. The Catacombs and the Musée de la Liberation.  

The Catacombs, the final resting place of millions of former Parisians are one of the most popular stops on the list of many tourists. The Saint Innocents cemetery on the right bank dates back to the 6th century and in the 11th the Église Sainte Opportune was built on the same spot. All of the local parishes of Paris used the cemetery and became even more popular when the nearby Les Halles was installed. Much of it was used as a mass grave and as the 100,000 bodies arrived and decomposed it seeped into the water and ground causing caves to collapse and the residents in the area to get very sick.  

In 1780 it was so bad that the wall of a home caved in and bodies rolled into the basement. The cemetery was closed and on November 9, 1785 the Conseil d’Etat voted to have it emptied. Where to put the 2 million permanent residents? The former quarries used to build Paris were used in the Montsouris area that we are at today. The same year they began the work of removing the skeletons, cleaning and then transporting them in a funeral cortege and then dumped into a hole where men waited to stack them.  

Other cemeteries followed, seventeen in total, 145 monasteries, convents and 166 churches and chapels. Under Houssmann in the mid 19th century more bones were discovered and added. In total today there are more than 6 million people stacked up down there. It was never meant to serve as a tourist attraction, and is pretty morbid to even think about.  In 1810 it was open to the public only a few days a year. Today it is a daily sold out excursion. The last bodies were added in 1933 to the 2 kilometer in length underground tunnel.  Open Tuesday - Sunday 10am to 5pm and advance tickets are highly recommended. 

Across the street is the wonderfully done Musée de la Liberation de Paris, Musée du Général Leclerc, Musée Jean-Moulin. It was opened on the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris on August 25, 2019. The museum itself is much older and was once located near the Gare Montparnasse where it was mostly hidden and void of many visitors. The location also served as the headquarters of Colonel Rol-Tangy where orders during the Liberation were given and where his wife Cécile also assisted. She was an amazing woman and one of the ladies we covered in a pass Paris History Avec a Hemingway episode of the Women of the Resistance. Give it a listen here.  The museum is open Tuesday - Sunday 10am-6pm and is free. 

The Place Denfert-Rochereau is named for Aristide Denfert-Rochereau who lived from 1823-1878. He was an engineer that went on the be a colonel and also politician. In October of 1870 he was named the Lieutenant-Colonel where he fought to defend the city of Belfort against the Prussians.  In the city of Belfort today there is a large carved lion that pays tribute to him and the many that fought to defend the city. 

The same lion is seen in the center of the place today. Auguste Bartholdi, who you know from the Statue of Liberty fame was commissioned in 1875 to create a monument to these brave fighters. He spent endless hours in the Jardin des Plantes studying the movements of the lions, much like Delacroix and Barye.  Inspired by Bertel Thorraldse’s 1819 Lion of Lucerne in Switzerland which my grandparents once visited.  It took 5 years to created the largest stone statue in all of France and was finally completed in August of 1880. The lion is proudly lying down but raising his front legs. His right foot steps on an arrow that is pierced between his toes. The same year it was completed the city of Paris commissioned a bronze copy, a third of the size, for the center of the place named for its godfather of sorts, Denfert-Rochereau. 

The Boulevard Arago is just one of the eight streets that feeds into the place. It is named after François Arago who was born on February 26, 1786 in Roussillon. In 1805 he joined the Paris Observatory and at just 23 he was elected into the Academy of Science and became a professor. He would also become the Minister of War and the Head of State, or the Prime Minister as it is known today.  However his name may sound more familiar from the brass markers that run through the city or the Da Vinci Code. More on that in a minute. 

In 1634 Cardinal Richeleieu and Louis XIII ordered the main meridian through Europe created to be used for maps. Under Arago in the early 19th century he recalculated the location running from the Shetland islands to the Balearic islands. In 1884 the United States spearheaded adopting the current Greenwich Meridian which is 17 degrees from the original Ferro meridian adjusted by Arago. The Ferro once ran through Paris and is still marked today, but the Greenwich runs farther out, crossing through Le Havre and Bordeaux. 

IN 1994, Dutch artist Jan Dibbets decided there needed to be a memorial dedicated to Arago and with the Arago society a monument that would run almost 6 miles was created. The 135 brass medallions inscribed with Arago and a N and S for Nord et Sud, North and South were added to the streets, gardens and inside my favorite building in Paris. They start at the Cité Universite in the 14th, not far from here and run through the city to the avenue de la Porte de Montmartre in the 18th. Today there are around 121 left as some have been removed or stolen but always fun to find. 

Follow each and every one of the medallions from this great website.

You can find five of them in the small Place de l’ile de Sein where there is also a pedestal that once held a bronze statue of Arago himself. Alexandre Oliva created the statue in 1893 but it was melted down by the Germans in WWII. The place is dedicated to every one of the 133 men that lived on the small Brittany island that stood up with Charles de Gaulle to fight for France. 

The street that runs next to it, the small Allee Nina Simone was dedicated in 2013 to the American singer that made France her home and where she died in 2003.

Just a block away is the Santé prison that was built in 1861 on the ground that was once the Sainte Anne Hospital built by Anne d’Autriche in 1651. The 1,000 cell prison is used as a transfer location and has housed everyone from Guillaume Apollinare to Manuel Noriega. 

The one thing that towers over the area is the Paris Observatory that dates back to 1667. The year before Louis XIV and Colbert created the Academy of Science. Claude Perrault was tapped to create a building that would be built on the meridian line. Perrault is also known for the lovely Perrault Colonnade of the Palais du Louvre and his brother Charles wrote Cinderella. Pretty cool family. 

The Cassini family, starting with Giovanni Domenico Cassini, served as the directors of the Observatory for 125 years. The family also lived here all the way down to his great grandson Jean Dominique Cassini. Inside you can still follow the meridian line as well as find the dome and telescope dedicated to Arago. In the small Jardin de l’Observatoire we can find a statue of Arago that was added in 2017 and created by Wilm Delroye. 

On the Rue Cassini, clearly named for the family that runs on the front northern side of the Observatory you can find a few stunning examples of later French architecture. On the corner of Rue de Faubourg Saint Jacques and Rue Cassini is the Hotel de Massa that once stood on the Champs Elysees. In 1927, Theophile Bader, president of the Galerie Lafayette wanted to purchase a property to build a store on the famed avenue. He didn’t want the building that was there and offered it back to the French State who sold it to the Société des Gens de Lettres for 1 franc and gave them a spot of land in the 14th.   In 1929, it was taken apart, stone by stone and board by board and moved to this spot. As for the Galerie Lafayette, it finally opened on the Champs Elysees in 2019. 90 years later. 

On the Rue Cassini, Balzac lived for 9 years. Artist Jean Paul Laurenns who created the amazing frescos dedicated to the life of Sainte Genevieve in the Pantheon and Jean Moulin the resistance leader lived his last few years. 

On the north entrance of the Observatory is a statue of Urbain Le Verrier. Verrier lived from 1811-1877 and was an astronomer and also discovered Neptune in 1846. 

Live from Paris - Jardin des Plantes

Live from Paris - Jardin des Plantes 

Sunday, March 20, 2022

Miss the live, watch it here now

In 1626 Louis XIII ordered a royal garden of medicinal plants be created. Botanist and doctor Guy de la Brosse was asked to lead the project for the king. The idea started under Henri IV who was a lover of the Italian Renaissance and saw medicinal gardens in Italy. 

The land that was chosen was a small portion of land that was cut in two by the Bievre river of the left bank. Seeing the benefit of the garden the Faculty of Medicine created a garden that was led by Jean Robin who is also the father of the oldest living thing in Paris, the tree near Notre Dame. The all powerful Cardinal Richelieu as well as the doctor to the king Jean Hérovard looked for the perfect location and the area we see today close to what was two rivers was the ideal spot.

Guy de la Brosse compiled thousands of plants for the garden from around the world. Like Napoleon would later do for Josephine’s Malmaison, Louis XIII had his officers gather specimens wherever they went. After the death of Louis XIII the garden was ignored for a time especially as Louis XIV left Paris for Versailles. Jean-Baptiste Colbert and added the garden under his umbrella of royal buildings and injected a bit of love into the struggling landscape. 

The nephew of Brosse was sent to the south of France and the Alps to retrieve new samples to replace the many that had withered away. Georges-Louis Leclerc, count of Cuffon was placed in charge and enlarged the gardens to what we see today. A statue of Buffon created by Jean Carfus in 1909 can be seen close to the beautiful museum as you walk in. 

Just to the left of the main entrance is the monument to Emmanuel Frémiet by Henri-Leon Gréber. Frémiet, a lover of animals and master of many fantastic statues including the equestrian Jeanne d’Arc in Paris is seen here working on his Denicheur d’Oursons, the Bear Hunter. At the base you see the lovely Jeanne d’Arc. Frémiet was also the professor of animal drawings at the Natural History Museum. Just behind Frémiet is the Galerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie Comparée which was once a carriage company.  Inside are some stunning and massive skeletons of whales and dinosaurs. The view from above looking down at the skeletons is worth the price of admission. 

The gorgeous building at the end of the center garden is the Grande Galerie de l’Evolution designed by Jules André in 1877 and completed in 1889. The medallions on the facade are the former directors of those that helped establish the gardens and museums. A great museum for families, all of them found in the garden are but this is also one to see for us big kids as well. The lower level is like walking through a safari with giraffes, elephants and tigers and all the sounds, it’s so fun to walk through. 

The inside of this museum is also amazing and a somewhat hidden staircase is worth a peek if you can find it. In the northwest corner behind the large whale is a door, rather a nondescript door, push it and go inside. You will be the only one inside. Follow up the stairs taking your time to check out the statues, busts and lovely ironwork to the top. Once there you will get a wonderful view of the garden, but this isn’t the best part yet. Walk up to the right a little farther and you will see a Harry Potter-like double staircase. At the top peer into what was once the king's personal cabinet of amazing gems and natural treasures.  

The upper levels of the museum have endless cabinets of butterflies and insects and a fantastic view of the architecture of the structure itself and the animals below. I love this museum and it's one of those that few tourists visit. There is also a museum dedicated to gems as well that is worth a visit. 

Back out in the garden are two pavilions. On the left is the Serre de Nouvelle-Calédonie, built in 1836 and holds the history of plants. On the right the Grandes Serres that was built at the same time holds tropical foliage and pretty spendy to visit. 

Inside the garden at the highest point is the oldest iron structure in the world. The Buffon Gloriettes sits at the peak of a labyrinth that was once a medieval dump covered and home to a windmill in the 16th century. Named after the father of the garden it was built after his death and designed by locksmith Edme Verniquet in 1763. It’s made of iron, gold, lead, bronze and copper which is a perfect nod to the history of metal in the midst of the history of plants. It is 103 years younger than the most famous iron structure, the Eiffel Tower. 

Originally it was topped with a sphere that would show the movements of the sun and a meridian marker that would mark high noon each day.  Inside a small magnifying  glass was a horse hair and each day as the sun hit it the hair would burn and then trigger a drum to strike. The sphere is still there but none of the cool inside works. On the cornice it is inscribed with “I only count the happy hours”. 

In the 18th century it drew people at all hours to come see. From lovers sneaking away to children waiting for the drum to strike. 

The garden is also filled with roses, over 1000 orchids, a huge peony garden, alpine, botanical and écological garden. Also the oldest zoo in the world can be found that dates to 1793 and was created for the royal menagerie of Versailles.  Delacroix, Barye and Frémiet spend endless hours here sketching the animals for their paintings and sculptures.

During the Siege of Paris by the Prussians in 1870  the animals didn’t do so well. As all food was cut off in Paris the elite turned to the menagerie.  On the 99th day of the Siege, December 25, 1870 the Voisin Restaurant at 261 Rue Saint Honoré held a special dinner. Chef Alexandre Etienne Choron developed a menu that includes, donkey, elephant, cat, rat and everything else you never want to think about. The stars of the menagerie the elephants Castor and Pollux survived this menu, but shortly after they also were killed to feed the starving Parisiens. 

Outside the western exit to the left is the one and only remaining Wallace wall fountain. 

The Fontaine Georges-Cuvier was created in 1840 and replaced a fountain that was dedicated to Saint Victor by architect Alphonse Vigoureux and dedicated to Georges Cuvier. A self taught expert on animal anatomy that also once worked at the National History Museum and later teach at the Ecoles Centrales. The allegory of the fountain is holding a large tablet which  is inscribed with “Happy who was able to penetrate the reason of things” by Virgil. 

A lion sits next to her and an eagle behind. Below she is surrounded by animals including a crocodile that turns his head which is actually impossible to do.  

Rue Lacépède, named for Bernard-Germain de Lacépède, a musician that became friends with Buffon and collaborated on many books on animals and natural history. At no 7 on the right is the Hotel Pourfour du Petit once owned by Etienne Parfour du Petit whose father was dean of medicine at the Faculty of Medicine. 

Right on Rue de Navarre, which is one of the oldest streets of Paris and once where the greatest woman in French history once lived. At no 4, Rose Valland returned each night filling her many journals with what she saw each day as the Nazi looters brought in the stolen goods from many Jewish galleries and homes. Listen to her amazing story in my favorite podcast episode we ever did

The Arènes de Lutece was a former stage amphitheater that held over 17,000 people and was built in the 1st century and used for 200 years until it was destroyed in the 3rd century.  In the 6th century Chiperic I, grandson of Clovis and kind of Paris had it  restored, before centuries later it was lost to time. 

In 1860 while opening the Rue Monge the former arena was discovered on the northern edge. Victor Hugo sprang into action and sent a letter and wrote in the papers the need to save the ruins. They needed to stop and  “give up living proof. The past brings the future”. In the 1920’s it was used for the French national basketball championship. 

Live from Paris - Around the Canal Saint Martin

Live from Paris - Canal Saint Martin 

Sunday, March 13, 2022 

Miss the live walk, watch it here and subscribe so not to miss one ever again

Today we started at the lovely Église Saint Laurent at 68 Boulevard de Magenta in the shadows of the Gare de l’Est. Once the north - south axis on the Roman road of the 1st century. It also served as part of the pilgrimage road of the Saint Denis faithful. 

A church has stood on this spot dedicated to Saint Laurent since the 6th century. The first church was destroyed by the Normans in 885. The next church built in 1180 was too small and led to the current church dating back to around 1429. It had an Italian Gothic facade much like last week’s Sainte Elisabeth de Hongrie. Under Haussmann, when the Boulevards Magenta and Strasbourg were intersected, the facade was destroyed. Simon Claude Constant-Defeux designed the flamboyant Gothic facade in 1863 and the lead spire. 

The tympan over the door by Paul Balzc in 1870 is amazing and very different from most churches. The stained glass inside was created over time by Ernest Lami de Nozan and also Pierre Gaudin, son of Jean Gaudin whose stained glass designs can be found around France. 

In 1768, Jean Bécu married Guillaume du Barry so she could be accepted into the court of Louis XV and his official mistress. Madame du Barry became the chief rival of Marie Antoinette and ended her life kicking and screaming to the guillotine. 

It was also the former burial site of the family Sanson. The family business of the  Sanson’s including Charles-Henri was that of executioners. Charles-Henri dropped the blade on over 2,500 hundred people including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Her last words, “Excusez-moi monsieur, je ne voulais pas” were spoken to the Charles Henri Sanson. The family was later moved to Montparnasse cemetery. 

Between the church and the Jardin Villemin was the convent of the Récollets. Made up of the 15th century Franciscian order. A monastery was first here in January of 1604 and enlarged by Marie de Medici in August 1614. It survived until just before the Revolution in 1790 and in 1802 became the Hospice of the Incurables-Hommes and eventually the St Martin military hospital and serviced many of the victims of the Prussian war and WWI. During WWI Big Bertha dropped a shell here and struck the church. 

Walking down the Rue des Récollets is the former grand entrance de l' Hôpital Militaire Villemin. The 18th century building remains on the edge of the garden and is now artist ateliers. 

Jardin Villemin sits where the Villemin military hospital once stretched over. Named for doctor Jean-Antoine Villemin who had also worked treating men coming back to Paris wounded in the conflicts and wars. The jardin was created in 1977 and has expanded over time to twice its size. 

Don’t miss the lovely first cast iron water fountain in Paris. Commissioned under an 1846 order to add more fountains to the city and two dozen specifically to the Rue du Faubourg Saint Martin which is where this one lived until 1977. 

Marie Auguste Martin designed this neo-baroque beauty. The child on the top is over two newts and dolphins and look closely at the cute little turtles. Just above is the signature of the artist. This beauty even predates the other more famous cast iron fountains, the Wallace fountains. 

Heading out onto the lower Canal Saint Martin to the Quai de Valmy that was once named the Quai Louis XVIII who died during the time the canal was constructed. The canal is made up of 9 locks and their foot and traffic bridges that cross them. Just outside of the garden is the Passerelle Bichat that is also made of cast iron. 

Crossing the Bichat on the Quai de Jémmapes that follows the canal is where you will find the Hotel du Nord. Built in 1912, it was purchased by Emile and Louise Dabit in 1923. Their son Eugene lived and worked there each night and took notes.  

Eugene Dabit was an accomplished painter before he started to write and even displayed his art at the Salon des Independents in 1927 and 1928. In 1929 he wrote Hotel du Nord, the story centered around a young couple that came to stay at the hotel with a double sucide pact in mind. Things go awry and a prostitute and pimp are also involved. In 1938 it was made into a movie by Marcel Carmé. 

The book was very popular and won the Populist Prize and of course became a well received and still beloved movie but it is actually the creation of the movie that makes the hotel itself so popular. When Carmé made it they decided not to film a single shot here on the canal but actually recreated an entire lifesize version of this area of the canal including the buildings and even digging a exact size trench to fill with water and also the cast iron bridge. The building was 7 feet deep and sadly nothing remains but because of this novelty at the time it drew people to the canal to see the real deal.

In 1970 the building was in such a bad state it was going to be demolished and the French 

were up in arms and demanded it be saved. In 1989 it was classified as a historic facade and the building was rebuilt and the facade was recreated to the exact specifics. 

Today it is a wonderful Mediterranean restaurant and they love to share the story of the movie. You can watch the movie for free online here. It’s all in French but you may still get the jist of the story. 



The Canal St Martin was first created under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 and finished in 1825. It was needed to bring more water into the city to help ward off disease and also for boats to bring important things like wine and cheese to the big city. It was after all paid for by a tax placed on wine. The area was lined with industrial warehouses and not as many residences. In 1860 part of it was covered and also transformed under Haussmann. The canal ends at the Arsenal and eventually into the Seine and can be traveled on daily tourist boats.  

In 2016 a long four month project of cleaning the canal was undertaken including draining all the water. The amount of bikes, wine bottles, chairs and tables were found is staggering and really disturbing as well.

A walk along the canal on a warm spring or summer day will unfold with lots of people lining the canal laughing and drinking wine, and hopefully not tossing those bottles in the canal anymore.  There are a few green spaces like the Square Frederick Lemaitre who was a French actor popular on the Avenue de Crime. 

Across the Avenue du Faubourg de Temple is a marker dedicated to the victims of the horrible November 13, 2015 terrorist attacks that took place in the area. 

Just past the marker of that horrific event is a lifesize statue of a young lady. La Grisette by Jean Bernard Descomps was created in 1911 and named for and dedicated to the girls that worked in the nearby laundrette. A Grisette is also the name given to the lower level of young girls that supplemented their small income by turning sexual favors. The dresses they wore while working was a lovely drab shade of grey, gris en Francais and where they get their name.  She looks rather sad and lost here at the end of the Square Jules Ferry. 

Ferry was the mayor of Paris for a short time after the ousting of Napoleon III. A fierce opponent of the Emperor, he constantly had a target on his back and was almost killed 2 or 3 times.  There is also a large monument to him at the end of the Jardin des Tuileries.

At the end we can see the Bataclan just across the Square May Picqueray. Named in 1920 for Marie Jeanne Picqueray who was born in 1898 and created the anarchist trade unionism paper Le Rédractaire. Published from 1974 until her death in 1983. 

Ending at the Eglise Saint Ambroise, the lovely neo-everything church at 71 Boulevard Voltaire.  The Neo-Gothic, Romanseque, Byzantine church is a feast for the eyes and its tall bell towers equal in size to the grand Notre Dame de Paris. Under the porch above the doors the allegories of eloquence and theology surround Saint Ambrose. Inside are fantastic stained glass windows and the murals of the life of Saint Augustine. 

Live from Paris - Haut Marais

Live from Paris - Haut Marais 

Sunday, March 6, 2022

Watch this weeks walk on my YouTube channel here.

Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, a hidden gem in a city with a museum for everything. It was created from the collection of François and Jacqueline Sommer who had a love for animals and nature. Originally based in the Ardennes, minister of culture under de Gaulle, André Malraux in 1964 found a new home for it in the Marais. The Hôtel de Guénégaud was built in 1652 by François Mansart and it is the only structure that remains in the city untouched from his original design. 

Malraux took on a huge initiative to rehabilitate the historic structures of the Marais and he set his sights on the Hôtel de Guénégaud. The Guénégaud passed through many hands and generations before it was given to the city and opened in 1967. In  40 years it was growing out of its pace and the Hôtel de Mongelas next store was acquired in 2002 and in 2007 the new larger space opened to the public and allowed a space for special exhibits. 

The first curator Georges de Lastic was the brains behind the operation and created the amazing layout of the museum that feels more like a regal home. The walls are covered with art dedicated to animals and nature and don’t miss the small room of the gun collection of the kings. Even if it’s not your thing they really are works of art. 

Located at 62 rue des Archives in the 3rd

Open Tuesday-Sunday 11am-6pm  Wednesdays until 9:30pm (except July & August) 

10€ or 12€ if there is also a special exhibition 

No 72 rue des Archives. Hôtel Villeflix and also no 70 were built on the property once owned by Marguerite Simm, wife of François de Montescot who was close with Louis XIV and had the extra large home torn down to build two large homes instead. In 1656 Louis de Bailleul, president of the Parliament of Paris moved in and then Louis François Vireau de Villeflix, master of the king's coffers, added a bit more decor as well as the allegories over the door. 

No 76 rue des Archives is the Hôtel Le Peletier de Souzy. Above the door is a relief of attributes of a warrior as well as the initials ove the door of the former owners. OLB for Octavien Le Bys and MDA for his wife Marie d’Aluymare. From the street while the two doors are different the inner courtyard is split by a thin wall. Antoine Landry designed both 74 and 76 and were built at the same time in the mid 17th century. 

No 78 a lovely wood door and cherubs at the top of the Hotel de Tallard. Built in 1702 by Pierre Buillet who also designed the Port Saint Martin. Denis Aelot de Chaillon first lived here until 1722 when the Duc de Tallard, Camille d’Houston moved in. 

The stretch of  rue des Archives from the museum until number 78 were built between 1650 and early 1700’s. Of the 10 originals 8 still remain. 

 At no 67 what is today a post office was once the site of the Hôtel Fabry and built in the 1600’s. It was torn down in 1949 but the painted beams and ceilings were saved and are now in the Hôtel de Sully another great place to visit just down the street and rarely visited by tourists. 

If you are a fan of the classic black and white photography of Paris of the past, add the Fondation Henri Cartier Bresson to your list of places you must see. Originally opened in Montparnasse in 2003 and moved to this location in 2013. Henri was born August 22, 1908 in Chanteloup-en-Brie and started out as a painter and hung out with the Surrealists. While serving in the military and station in the Cote d'Ivoire he picked up a camera for the first time. His gorgeous photos of Paris are some of the most iconic images of the city ever seen.

79 rue des Archives 

Open Tuesday-Sunday 11am-7pm 9 € 

The nearby Marché des Enfants Rouge was named for the Hopital des Enfants Rouge that once stretched across the street and where the Archives ended. The sister of François I, Marguerite de Navarre asked for money and help for the children that were dying in the hospital. It was crowded that children could not be cared for and most died before ever being taken care of. 

Of course he agreed and the sick children were able to get help and survive. They were all dressed in red which is where the name comes from that is now shared with the nearby market as well. The hospital thrived for almost 300 years until Louis XV no longer wanted to fund it. There had been many more facilities added between François and Louis XV.

The building was split up into five separate lots and in 1796 three were completely destroyed when rue des Archives was cut through. In the entry and courtyard of no 90 on the east side of the street you can see a bit of what is left and also across the street on the north and west side, a few of those walls were once a part of the hospital that saved the children. 

Rue des Archives ends in front of the spot that was once the Tour de Temple. Built in 1240 for the Templars it was once outside the edge of Paris. The four tall turrets, two large and two small were turned into a prison for some very special guests on August 13, 1792. The family of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. At first they were all together in a few rooms of the smaller tour, including the former office of the librarian that was filled with books.  

On September 29, Louis XVI was removed from the smaller tour and separated from his family. The windows were covered with blinds so he couldn’t communicate with anyone. Louis XVI spent all his time reading and said that he finished over 250 books from August 1792 until his death.  On December 11, 1792, 361 people voted for his execution, against 360 who voted for it. On January 21, 1793 he was killed by guillotine. 

Back at the tower his family found out from the screaming crowds below their windows. Marie, her sister in law Elisabeth along with her daughter Marie-Therese and son Louis- Charles, now Louis XVII remained together until July 3, 1793 when he was taken from them. The royalty was out and the eight year old Louis-Charles was not going to be king but they wanted to be sure that if that was to happen that they would brainwash him and change everything he had learned from his parents. 

On August 2, 1793 it was Marie Antoinette’s turn. Ripped from her family and taken to the Conceregie on the Ile de la Cité  where she would later learn at her trial what terrible things they had forced her son to believe.  On October 14 her trial began. One of the charges implicated that she had sexually abused her son and that he confessed to it. She was heartbroken and begged the women of the courtroom to believe her. Her fate was sealed long before the trial. 

At 4:30am on October 14, 1793 she was convicted and sentenced to death that would come just five and a half hours later in the same spot her husband was killed.  At the tour her son would never learn the fate of his mother. For two more years he was treated terribly without any hygiene, little food, constantly giving him wine and liquor instead of water and in a small dark room. On June 8 1795 after six horrible months he died at just ten years old, spending three of them here. 

There was one survivor, Marie-Therese or Madame Royale. The only member of the family to survive was finally released on December 19, 1795 in a trade with Austria for French prisoners. It wouldn’t be until then that she learned of her mothers death, over two years later. We did a four part podcast episode of the life of Marie Antoinette and episode four is about Madame Royale and what she became after those difficult years.  Listen to it here. 

In 1808 Napoleon had it torn down when his opponents were using it as a symbol to the former Bourbon dynasty. Today in it’s place to the east is the mayor's office of the Paris Centre which on July 11, 2020 combined the mayors of the 1st through 4th arrondissements. This former office of the 3rd arrondissement now is the seat, (all though the other 3 still remain, France…) 

Opposite is the lovely English style Square du Temple- Elie Wiesel  that was created in 1857 under Haussmann and Napoleon III.  The rocks in the water feature come from Fontainebleau and the lovely iron musician kiosk dates back to 1900. 

In 2016 the mayor of the 3rd wanted to change its name to the Square Elie Wiesel but people were rather attached to the Square du Temple so it was agreed that the name would be lengthened. Elie Wiesel was born in Romania and at 15 he and his entire family were sent to Auschwitz. His mother and youngest sister were killed upon arrival and his father shortly followed. In April 1945 he and his two surviving sisters were released when the ally troops arrived and he eventually made his way to Paris where he attended the Sorbonne.

Through the rest of his life he wrote about his time at the concentration camps and what he saw. He help opened centers and museums dedicated to the Holocaust and those that were lost and also lived through it.  In 1963 he became an American citizen and in 1986 won the Nobel Peace Prize. When Klaus Barbie went on trial for the horrible acts he was involved in, Weisel was there as a witness. He died on July 2, 2016 but his fight and memory still goes on.

Just across from the mayor’s office is the Carreau du Temple. A stunning cast iron and glass building that covers the block. A market stood in this area since the Middle Ages. Over time goldsmiths, linen and fur merchants were all set up here. Eventually a large stone rotunda was built to house them but as the city expanded so did the markets and this one was taken over by scammers and thieves. In 1863 the stone building was demolished and Ernest Legrand and Jules de Mérindal designed this lovely cast iron pavilion. There were once 6 of these that covered the area, now all that remains are these two. In 1976 the old mayor across the street wanted to destroy these and put up a parking lot but was met with a lot of oppositions and the people won.  Restored from 2007 to 2012 it was opened to the public in 2013. It now holds special events including the fashion show today, March 6, 2022 from the house of Valentino. 

Just down the street at the corner of rue Dupetit-Thouars and rue Gabriel Vicaire is an old plaque showing the map of the area and where the tower prison once stood. Don’t miss this when you visit. 

At the end of the street is the lovely Église Sainte Elisabeth de Hongrié. First built under Marie de Medici who laid the first stone on May 14, 1643 which was also the 33rd anniversary of her husband, Henri IV death. Construction was halted along the way and finally finished under Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII.  Sainte Elisabeth of Hungary was the daughter of King Andree II of Hungary. She was betrothed at 4 years old to Louis IV of Thuringia in 1221. Six years later he would die and she hung up her crown and devoted herself to the church.  

Elisabeth died at just 24 years old after devoting her life to the poor and starving people of the town. Named a saint after her death, her miracle attributed to her was of a lovely bunch of roses. Always giving to others she would sneak out loaves of bread under her cloak to take to the hungry. One day her husband stopped her and asked what she had under her cloak and instead of bread she said roses. As he opened her cloak all he found was stems and stems of roses.  

We end the walk today at the Place de la Republique where Marianne stands proudly over the city. The intersection of the 3rd, 10th and 11th arrondissements was once just a small park named the Place du Chateau d’Eau for the fountain that served the area water. Under Haussmann It was turned into a larger area with a roundabout with bronze lions around a larger fountain by Gabriel Davioud.  In 1879 the city decided it needed a new monument dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Revolution.  

A contest was held and the design of Léopold and Charles Morice was chosen. However second place wasn’t too shabby either so the Marianne of Jules Dalou was picked for the Place de la Nation.  The version we see today was inaugurated in gypsum on July 14, 1880 and three years later on the same day in 1883 she was finally revealed in all her bronze glory. 

Marianne, the symbol of France, stands holding a olive branch in her right hand while her left hand rests on the tablet of the Droits de l’homme.  Below her are three statues, Liberté, Égalite, Fraternité each of the theological virtues and motto of France.  Liberté holds a torch of freedom and on her right knee she holds the broken chains. Égality holds up the flag of the republic and a level on her lap with the initials of the Republic, RF and a symbol of equality. Lastly there is Fraternité with the kids at her feet, an allegory of knowledge and a wheat wreath and bouquet for abundance. 

Below is the proud lion that guards the ballot box and around the base are twelve high reliefs marking a major moment leading from the Revolution to the Republic. 

Live from Paris - Rue Montorgueil

Live from Paris - Rue Montorgueil et Bonne-Nouvelle 

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Watch this weeks video recorded live from Paris here and subscribe to my YouTube as not to miss any.

We start the walk under the mural by CK Combo of TinTIn and Captain Haddock kissing at the crossroads of Rue d’Aboukir and Rue des Petits Carreaux. 

Just to the right is the living wall at No 83, the Oasis of Aboukir by Patrick Blanc created in 2013. 

This area and street was once just outside the wall of Charles V that was built in 1356. The Rue d’Aboukir itself was just outside the ditch which ran on the south side of the street. It was demolished in 1634. 

No 82 to 86 on the south side are the oldest and date back to 1640-1650. The street is named for the battle of Aboukir fought on July 25, 1799 between the French led by Napoleon and the Ottoman Turks in Egypt. Many of the streets in the surrounding area are named for events and locations in Egypt. 

Right on Rue de Damiette, also named after a battle in Egypt, the battle of Damiette on November 1, 1799.  This area was known for its Courtyard of Miracles back in the 16th century.  Beggars, thieves and prostitutes set up here and enticed others to come showing that if they were sick or suffering they could be healed. There was a king and a full court that flourished under for over 200 years. Many would arrive and be miraculously cured overnight, when in fact many weren’t sick at all and the ruse was all to rob people looking for help. These courtyards were located around the city but this was the largest and was finally disbanded on August 21, 1784. 

Rue du Nil, named for the Nile, the longest river in Africa, is a short street that is filled with everything you need. If it’s not on this street, you don’t need it. Not that long ago it was vacant and run down stores and then in 2009 Grégory Marchand arrived and opened Frenchie. Grégory got the nickname “Frenchie” from Jamie Oliver when he worked at his restaurant Fifteen in London and after working in London and New York he came back to Paris and opened the small 26 seat restaurant here on Rue du Nil. 

Reservations for Frenchie open 3 weeks out and go quick. Open Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner, grab a reservation when you can. 

In 2011 he opened Frenchie Bar à Vin and in 2018 Frenchie To Go. With the success of each of these restaurants the rest of the street began to fill with the purveyors that provided his fantastic products. A produce market, fromagerie, bucherie, boulangerie that smells amazing as well as coffee, ice cream and the Frenchie Caviste. 

There is even a Frenchie Pigalle and he has also worked on many of the Experimental cocktail bars on their menu. Marchand is also incredibly humble and one of the nicest chefs (after my Comptoir family ) in Paris. 

What many think of as Rue Montogeuil is technically Rue des Petits-Carreaux. On the left at No 10 is a ceramic panel that was added in 1890 for the store once here that sold coffee and spices from exotic locations. The plaque shows a slave serving a colonial white man. Named a historic monument in 1984 it is not without its controversy and a victim of vandalism.

A few doors down at No 6 is a former charcuterie that was created in the late 19th century and classified as a historical monument for its facade and interior. 

Where Cafe Compas is now, from no 64 - 74 was the location of the Compas d’Or. A large stagecoach station and inn that was also the site of a lot of crime in the 19th and 20th century.

At No 67 down in the sidewalk is a plaque that reminds everyone of a horrible act that took place in 1750. On January 4, 1750 Jean Diot and Bruno Lenior were arrested after being spotted in an “indecent position” at 11am.  They were arrested and put on trial and sentenced to death.  Jean was 40 and worked at a nearby charcuterie and Bruno was 21 and a shoemaker. On July 6,, 1750 at 5pm the two were strangled and burned to death for their homesexuality. A plaque was added in 2014 and has been vandalized many times. 

No 59 was once the location of Au Rocher de Cancale, opened in 1804 by Alexis Balaine who was an oyster seller at Les Halles. In 1815 it was sold to Jean Pierre de Montalivet who elevated the restaurant to fine dining to compete with the excess and money that was spreading through Paris under Louis-Philippe. In 1846 after losing all his money he closed the location and reopened on Rue de Richelieu. 

Across the street at No 78 M. Pécune opened a restaurant and after 1846 renamed it Au Rocher de Cancale. Balzac used the restaurant many times in his grand work, La Comedie Humaine as well as frequenting the location. Alexander Dumas and Théophile Gautier and many of the authors gathered here. 

No 51 Patisserie Stohrer that dates back to 1730. In 1725 Louis XV married Marie Leczinska, daughter of the exiled Polish king Stanislas Leczinska. Exiled in France with his pastry chef Nicolas Stohrer they all traveled to Versailles for the wedding to the king.  Working in the kitchen of Versailles for five years before leaving for Paris to open his patisserie here on Rue Montorgueil with his delicious creation, created by necessity. 

When king Leczinska was exiled in Linerville, France chef Stohrer took the local kougelhopf that was quite dry and poured local herbal liqueur into the cake. Voila. Today the same store is still her 292 years later! Inside the panels were painted by Paul Baudry who also created the fresco of the Palais Garnier. In 2017 it was purchased by the A la Mere de Famille chocolate shop.

A slight walk down the Rue Etienne Marcel named for the first Provost of Merchants, or mayor of Paris. At no 20 on the left is the Tour Jean sans Peur, one of the only remaining pieces of the Middle Ages. Once part of the Hôtel des Ducs de Bourgogne and built in 1409 by Jean sans Peur. In 1407 he had his cousin Louis I d’Orleans, brother of King Charles VI killed on the streets of the Marais on November 23, 1467. This act started the civil war between the Armagnacs and Burgundians that lasted 28 years.

Opened to the public in 1999, you can get a glimpse into Medieval life and one of the first toilets at the time. The inner staircase was inspired by Charles V escalier to his library in the Louvre and at the very top rising on the ceiling is the branches and leaves of an oak tree. 

Opened 1:30pm - 6pn Wednesday to Sunday

Escargot Montorgueil  was opened in 1832 or 1836 and was once on the old road and Poissonniere gate. In 1900 Theodore Lécomte took over and turned it into an upscale restaurant. André Terrail who also owned La Tour d’Argent in 1914 bought Escargot in 1919 and with the former chef to the king of Europe Francois Lespina redid the menu once again. In 1923 at a Druout auction, Terrail bought the ceiling designed by Georges Jules Victor Clarin for the apartment of Sarah Bernhadt and added it to the restaurant. During this period it was a hot spot in Paris but when Les Halles slowly disappeared so did the customers. 

Since 2010 it has been owned by Emma Laporte and has been restoring it to its former glory. 

Above the door at number 17 is a plain sign that says Passage de la Reine de Hongrie. Did the Queen of Hungary once live here? Well sort of.  Julie Bécheur, the “Rose de Mai” lived here in 1789 and had a striking resemblance to the archduchess MarieTherese of Austria and queen of Hungary, better known as the mother of Marie Antoinette.   

Once at Versailles the young queen saw Julie and was shocked to see how much she looked like her mother. The passage was named for Julie who was well known and loved in the area. She would sadly lose her head during the Revolution, maybe looking like the mother of the most hated woman in Paris wasn’t such a good thing.

Live from Paris - Ile de la Cité

Ile de la Cité

Sunday, February 20, 2022 

Watch this weeks video now on my YouTube channel and subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

Pont de l'Archeveche was built in 1828 and named for the former palais de archdiocese that once stood between the bridge and Notre Dame. On February 14 & 15, 1831 an anti-Bourbon riot broke out on the eleventh anniversary of the murder of the Duc de Berry in front of the Eglise Saint Germain l’Auxerrois. The angry bunch set their rage onto the archdiocese and attacked and looted the palace ending in its destruction. 

In 1837 it was replaced with a park and in 1970 it was named for Pope Jean XXIII. Today it is filled with the offices of the amazing people restoring Notre Dame de Paris. 

Just at the very end of the Ile de la Cité is a somber site all should visit. The Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation was dedicated on April 12, 1962. It is free to visit and open everyday 10am-5pm from October - March 15 and 10am-7pm the rest of the year.

Quai aux Fleurs, originally the Quai Napoléon and renamed for the flower market at the end of the quai

No 9 & 11 is where the former home of Canon Fulbert lived with his niece Heloise. 

Uncle Fulbert served as a canon at the Hotel Dieu de Paris on the Ile de la Cité where he also lived. His house on the Quai aux Fleurs looking at ile Saint Louis was large and had room for a few renters so he offered a room to Abelard. Abelard was a schoolmaster for the Cloister Catholic School and was known all over Paris for his handsome looks and charismatic personality. 

Abelard and Heloise were taken with each other immediately and to spend more time together he took her on as his personal student. The two began a very hot and steamy affair that they kept from Fulbert. That is until she became pregnant. Abelard took her to Brittany to stay with his sister Dionysis. In the fall of 1116 Astrolab was born. 

Returning to Paris, Heloise and Abelard tried to smooth things over with Fulbert. Abelard proposed they get married, complete against the wishes of Heloise who thought marriage was a form of prostitution and would also hurt his career. 

They wed early in the morning at the Chapel of Saint Christophe which once stood on the parve of Notre Dame. Fulbert was briefly happy with the arraignment, until he decided he wasn’t. In the dark of night he sent a few goons to the house of Abelard and the men castrated him. 

Heloise left Paris for the convent of Saint Marie d’Argenteuil where she would become a nun. Even that couldn’t keep the lovers apart and he would climb a wall for some sexy meetings. Abelard would eventually leave Paris to set up his own convent and chapel and the two would keep in touch through their letters. 

Listen to the story of their entire life in this episode of Paris History Avec a Hemingway on La Vie Creative Podcast. 

Rue des Ursins

The street itself was once the same level as the Seine and was called the Port de Saint Laundry until 1321 and was just outside the wall of the city. 

No 4 Fernand Pouillon “medieval” house built in 1958. Architect Fernand Pouillon designed and rebuilt this home loosely based on the former medieval version even using a few of its former windows. He didn’t live there long, he was sent to prison for a short time for falsifying invoices, then Georges Pompidou cleared him of that and François Mitterand gave him the Legion d’Honneur. It is said to be quite grand on the inside and has amazing views. I’ve yet to see anyone looking out the window or inviting me in for a glass of wine. 

No 19 former Saint-Aignan chapel built in 1116. Heloise attended the church as well as a visit from Saint Bernard. It served as a chapel until 1791 and was one of the 23 chapels that filled the end of the island. 

Inside the building now parts of the old chapel are still found. Eight columns dating back to the 12th century remain as well as a small statue. The brick building with the ND tiles is part of Notre Dame and the Catholic Seminary. This is also where the beloved Virgin and Child statue that stood to the right of the altar was found. A smaller copy is up on the facade. Sadly we can’t get in to see the chapel. 

Rue de la Colombe 

The original building at number 4 was built in 1228, at the same time as Notre Dame and was the home of one of the builders. One day the house collapsed and two doves were trapped inside. The male dove was able to get out and everyday he would bring back food and water for the lady dove still trapped inside. Neighbors noticed this and help dig the sweet little dove out and free them both. The two are still immortalized on the facade of the building as well as the name of the street, Colombe means Dove. So sweet. 

A few steps away is a reminder of where the original edge of Paris once was. In the street there is a clear marking of cobblestones that date back to the wall that was built in 276 by the Romans. It was discovered in 1898. Think about the size of Paris now versus then. Amazing 

A left on Rue Chanoinesse and at number 26 behind the red door hides a few more secrets. At the end you could find the door to the chapel of Saint Aignan but it's down at your feet that is pretty cool. The stones are actually old medieval tombstones with Gothic lettering. It is unknown from where they were found but we can imagine it was from the many chapels that once covered the island. 

No 24, Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole. Built in 1512 and once the home of the canons of the church. In the spring it is one of the prettiest spots in Paris as the entire facade is dripping with wisteria. 

No 22/24 was the home of a grim tale. There once stood a building that had a barber shop and a bakery. The barber had daily visits from the students of the Cloister of Notre Dame but every once in a while, one never made it out. A trap door below would send the freshly coiffed victim to his death where he was chopped up and then the baker made pate, beef pies and sausage. They were a hit with everyone including the king. 

One day a German student named Alaric went to get his haircut and brought his beloved dog. The dog sat outside for two days waiting for his master and began barking alert neighbors and Alaric’s friends. The police arrived and after searching the building found out exactly what had been going on. The two were later held in metal cages and burned alive on the Place de Greve. Today it is the police garage for the motorcycles and the stone where they cut them up is said to still be there. 

No 17 Former home of Archbishop of Paris Cardinal de Retz from 1654-1662 who arrived in Paris with Catherine de Medicis.  Once he took up sides against Cardinal Mazarin he was ousted from Paris. 

No 12 Hotel du Grand Chantre built in the 17th century, the facade remains while they had redone the interior 

No 8 The red brick facade dates back to 1853 but with medieval details and was a fire station until 1868 and now the school of the Magistrate. 

This entire area was once covered with the cloister of Notre Dame that once was gated off and the women were not allowed to enter.

Coming up on the north side of Notre Dame that is now walled off and covered with scaffolding. All three of the rose windows survived and the north and south are now covered and protected and with very little damage thanks to the decades of dust protecting them from the lead dust. 

On the right coming to the front of the church is the Hotel Dieu, the oldest hospital in Europe and originally built in 651 by the Bishop of Paris Saint Landry. In 1165 Bishop Maurice de Sully used much of his own money to build Notre Dame and decided to rebuild the hospital at the same time. Patients slept 3 to a bed and everyone that came was treated. The current hospital was built in 1866 but the interior was updated in the 1950’s. It is due to go through another large renovation soon. 

The parvais of Notre Dame stretching out from in front of the church was once covered with chapels and homes. It was all removed over time and under Haussmann and in 1965 they were  going to build a car park beneath it. Instead they discovered the Gallo-Roman remains and the foundations of the former chapels. It is now the Archeological Crypt and can be visited once again. It is very interesting and worth a visit. 

The Prefecture de Paris is just opposite the church and in the 7th century stood the Abbey of Saint-Martel. The current building is much newer and created under Haussmann. On August 15, 1944 it became the site of the breaking point in the Liberation of Paris that lasted for 9 days. 

Petit-Pont Cardinal Lustiger. 

The original bridge dated back to Gallo-Roman times and was the only way to get to the left bank. In 1185 Bishop Sully had a new bridge built until the floods destroyed the bridge a few times. The current bridge dates to 1853. 

The Rive Gauche and Rue de la Bucherie 

One of the oldest streets on the left bank and once where the medical school of the Hotel Dieu stood. 

The Prefecture de Paris is just opposite the church and in the 7th century stood the Abbey of Saint-Martel. The current building is much newer and created under Haussmann. On August 15, 1944 it became the site of the breaking point in the Liberation of Paris that lasted for 9 days. 

Petit-Pont Cardinal Lustiger. 

The original bridge dated back to Gallo-Roman times and was the only way to get to the left bank. In 1185 Bishop Sully had a new bridge built until the floods destroyed the bridge a few times. The current bridge dates to 1853. 

The Rive Gauche and Rue de la Bucherie 

One of the oldest streets on the left bank and once where the medical school of the Hotel Dieu stood. 

Square René Viviani and oldest living tree in Paris. 

Named for French lawyer and politician René Viviani who served on the French council and minister of justice that passed a law allowing women to become lawyers in 1900.  In the center is a sculpture by Georges Jeanclos that tells the story of Saint Julien added in 1995.

The park also holds former pieces from Notre Dame de Paris removed under Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century. 

The oldest living thing in Paris is also found her but we all took a collective gasp when we saw it. Hopefully it is just pruned back a bit for the winter. It dates back to 1601 and was added by Jean Robin who was the gardener to Henri IV and director of the Jardin des Plantes. It survived WWI when a shell hit it and destroyed two branches. Two concrete braces have been added to hold it up and we will be checking in on it again soon to be sure it is still doing ok. 

Eglise Saint Julien le Pauvre is located on the route of the Saint Jacques de Compostela and at the intersection of two Roman roads. In the courtyard of rh church to the left of the cage is a piece of the old Roman road, making it one of the oldest things in Paris. The church itself dated back to the 6th century and was destroyed by the vikings in 886. Rebuilt in 1125 it was the school of the students of the Hotel Dieu and Sorbonne 

The legend of Saint Julien as written by Gustave Flaubert  dates from the Middle Ages when one day hunting in the woods, a deer he had in his sights turned to him and told him that he may want to kill him now, but next he will kill his parents next. Years later after he has married he went out hunting again, but is still haunted by the reminder of what the deer told him. While he was gone his parents came to visit. 

Tired from their trip, they slept in his bed. Julien returned home thinking it was his wife with another man in their bed and he killed them. The curse of the deer had come true. Horrified, he fled the house and spent time alone until he came across a river. Giving himself up to a life of service he began running a boat from shore to shore. One day a leper arrived, asking for clothes and a place to sleep. Julien gave him the clothes off his back and his bed. The leper revealed himself that he was in fact Jesus, and absolved him of his sins. 

Just down the street a bit is the oldest street sign in Paris. 

Dating back to the 14th century, maybe even longer. First mentioned in 1380 the sign at 42 rue Galande depicts a scene from the story of Saint Julien l’Hospitalier.  Rue Galande itself dates back to 1200 and was once the Gallo-Roman road connecting Lutecia to Fontainebleau.  Named after  Ettienne de Garlande who served as the archdeacon of the nearby Notre-Dame in 1105 and a close confidant of king Louis VI. Within the wall of Philippe Auguste Garlande owned a large piece of land, the Clos de Garlande with a vineyard, orchard and large home. Today all that remains is the street named after it, and without the R.

The bas-relief on rue Galande, depicts that moment. The relief you see is a copy, the original  is safely away in the Louvre.  We are also just steps away from the Eglise Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre where you will also find the last remaining stone of the Gallo-Roman road. 

Live from Paris - Ile Saint Louis

Ile Saint Louis

February 12, 2022

Watch this weeks video now on my YouTube channel and subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

Starting at the eastern end of Ile Saint Louis in the Square Barye created in 1938 and named for animal sculpture Antoine-Louis Barye. The Célestins convent once stood here and stretched across to the right bank. Built in 1254 it was once the home to the tombs of the monarchy and other illustrious people in French history. A closer to the city version of the Basilique Saint Denis.  It was closed in 1778, before the Revolution which would have surely destroyed it. 

In 1848 the chapel was torn down and the tombs moved to Saint Denis, Versailles and the Musée du Louvre. 

Antoine-Louis Barye, a 19th century sculptor was first a goldsmith and commissioned to design a deer for a soup tureen. He decided to go to the Jardin des Plantes and study the deer so he could get it as close to accurate as possible. His first piece at the 1831 Salon got everyone's attention including Eugene Delacroix. Delacroix and Barye visited the zoo together and sat and sketched the animals for hours.

The monument to Barye her in the square Barye was designed by Laurent Marqueste after the death of the artist in 1894. Commissioned by his beloved fans and sat here before the square was created. The spot was chosen as Barye had lived just across the bridge on the Quai Célestins that was once connected with a pedestrian bridge from the square. 

The top of the monument are copies of Barye’s Theseus fighting the Centaur in bronze. The lower pedestal with La Force and L’Ordre and Lion & Snake on the lowest portion. In 1942 the Vichy government melted down the original and in 2011 it was finally replaced with a new shiny version. 

From the end of the square at the tip of the eastern end of Ile Saint Louis the Tino Rossi park and it’s outdoor sculptures can be seen as well as the Jardin des Plantes. 

Pont Sully, named for Maximilien de Béthune Duc de Sully and longtime friend and minister to Henri IV. The Pont Sully replaces the Passerelle Damiette and Constantine that was in place from 1838 to 1848. The current pont was built in 1867 under Haussmann. 

Quai d’Anjou

No 1 by Louis Le Vau and was built for Jean-Baptiste Lambert de Thodigny in 1640. He tapped some of the best artists of the time to create the decor and ceilings including Charle Le Brun, Eustache Le Seur and François Perrier. The small Cabinet de l’Amour was an alcove with a canopy bed that the lady of the house would welcome her visitors. The walls and ceilings were decorated with the panels by Le Seur dedicated to the story of L’Amour, Cupid. Today the sketches and a few of the originals are in the Louvre, on the 2nd floor of the Sully wing. Le Sueur also did the Cabinet of Muse’s that had you guessed it, paintings of the muses and are also in the same room of the Louvre. 

Voltaire and the Marquis du Chateelet, his lover, used it from time to time and held a popular salon. From 1732 to 1739 Claude and Louise-Marie Dupin, great grandparents of George Sand purchased and lived here. One of its highest points was in 1843 when Prince Adam Jerry Czartoryski, a Polish prince bought the large property that saw many of the Romantic artists and writers including Delacroix. Balzac, George Sand and Chopin. Oriental and Polish themed balls were held and Chopin even wrote a few of his most popular pieces for the events. 

Guy and Marie-Helene de Rothschild owned it from 1975 to 2007 at his death when it was sold to the current owner, the brother of the Emir de Qatar. At $111 million it was one of the most expensive at the time. The Emir wanted to do a massive renovation that would destroy much of the original interior and the city was up in arms. The city put a stop to it and the Ministry of Culture sued the owner to stop them. After three years a deal was reached that required an official from the city be involved every step of the way,  In 2013 while under construction a fire broke out on the roof and damaged or destroyed much of the Le Seuer and Le Brun paintings.

No 3 Hotel Le Vau built by architect Louis Le Vau for his own residence. 

No 5 Hotel de Marigny, built in 1640 and home to the inventor of the Marly machine that brought water to the fountains of Versailles. 

No 7 The Hotel Lambert once stretched all the way to number 7. It now holds the Bakery Guild of Paris. 

No 9. In the 19th century Lithographer and painter Honoré Daumier lived here. From 1846-1863 he also did political cartoons and sculpteurs. 

No 11 The man that we can thank for much of the beauty of Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle lived here. Adolph Geoffrey-Dechaume worked with Viollet Le Duc on both churches and designed the 16 statues that once  lined the roof and the rooster at the top of the spire. All the statues escaped a dismal fate when they just happen to be removed 4 days prior to the fire. Today you can see all 16 beauties in Paris up close at the Cite de l'Architecture. Listen to the story of each of them in the past episode of Paris History Avec A Hemingway 

No 13, once a part of its neighbor at number 11 it was separated and physicist Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceaus lived here. 

No 15 The ivy on framing the windows are wonderful. Louis Le Vau also built this one in 1645 that was part of the Hotel Lambert. Paul Cézanne lived here and for a few short months in 1843 Charles Beaudelaire did until he moved one door down. 

No 17, the Hotel Lauzun, one of the addresses I desperately want to see inside of. It was built in 1657 by Charles Chamois for Charles Gruyn, a wealthy French banker. In 1682 it was purchased by its namesake the Duc de Lauzun and three years later the niece of Cardinal Mazarin, Hortense Mazarin and her husband the nephew of Cardinal RIchelieu, Charles de la Porte. Hortense was fourteen years younger then Charles and he had a mean, jealous streak and was very controlling. The home was filled with the statues that once belonged to Cardinal Richelieu. One night when she was out he went into a rage and started to attack the marble statues, knocking off the naughty bits of male statues. Luckily they were later repaired and now are in the Musée du Louvre. 

Baudelaire moved in from next door in 1843 and lived there for two years. Paranoid and on drugs much of the time he covered the windows with paper so he was always in the dark. 

The inside  interior has amazing carved woodwork and decorations by Charles Le Brun and Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer. Don’t miss the dolphin drain spout on the facade as well. 

No 19 built in 1642 is now a kindergarten

No 23 & 25 Once was much larger and divided into four separate residences. The field marshal of Louis XIV once lived here.

No 29 William Bird’s Three Mountain Press was opened in 1922 and in 1924 a young Hemingway had his first In Our Time published. Just 170 copies 

No 33 Au Rendezvous de Mariniers where Picasso, Hemingway and John dos Passo would hang out 

No 37 Hemingway’s friend John Dos Passo moved in here in 1921

No 39 the Theatre Ile Saint Louis, which we happily saw today is open and doing shows and concerts. 

We cross over to the Quai de Bourbon and past the Rue des Deux-Ponts named for the two bridges it leads to, the Pont de la Tournelle and Pont Marie. 

Quai Bourbon 

No 11 the former home of painter Philippe de Champaigne in 1643. The official painter to Richelieu was born in Belgium and stopped in Paris on his way to Rome. Marie de Medicis asked him to paint a few frescos in the Palais du Luxembourg when he would also meet Richelieu. His stunning painting of Richelieu in full Cardinal dress is in the Louvre. 

No 17 & 19 Hotel de Jaussaud. Built in 1642 for Nicolas de Jassaud, advisor to Louis XIII and it stayed with his heirs until 1768. Artist Francois Mouchet lived here while he was storming the Tuileries on June 20, 1792 that quickly marked the end of Louis XVI. 

The most famous resident at no 19 was the wonderful Camille Claudel who moved here in 1899 the same year she ended her relationship with Rodin. In a ground floor apartment and studio she hid herself away, rarely leaving. Commissions for private pieces kept her going but eventually her mental health started to crumble. Alone in her apartment she was convinced Rodin was out to get her. With paranoia too much to handle she never walked out her door and began to destroy many of her sculptures. 

In 1910, her apartment at the tip of Ile Saint Louis was flooded followed by her taking a sledgehammer and destroying all her plaster molds.

On March 2, 1913 her father,  Louis Prosper Claudel died. Paul, Louise and their mother decided not to tell Camille of his passing or his funeral. Paul took action and had Camille committed and convinced their mother to sign the papers placing her in an asylum. On March 7, 1913 she was diagnosed with dementia, malnutrition, alcoholism and paranoia. Placed in the Ville Evrard asylum in Seine St Denis, Paul told the doctors that no one was allowed to visit and letters were never to be given to her. Back at her studio on Ile Saint Louis, her family destroyed what was left of it. Nothing was spared. 

For thirty years Camille was locked up and alone and at two in the morning on October 19, 1943 she died alone of a stroke brought on by malnutrition at the age of 78. For thirty years she rarely had a visitor including her family. When she died, Paul declined to pay for a tomb or marker and the beautiful artist was buried in the cemetery at the asylum with only a few staff in attendance. 
Listen to her entire heartbreaking story about the woman that left us beautiful and emotional art we can love for generations. 

Side street Rue le Regrattier has a fun little treat up above on the corner. The street before was known as the Rue de la Femme Sans Tette. You can still see the former name carved into the building. On the corner is what remains of the former statue of Saint Nicolas added by Nicolas de Jaussaud. During the Revolution this poor guy lost his entire upper body. 

Down the street a bit at number 6 is where Beaudilaire put up his mistress Jeanne Duval, keeping her close by to his multiple addresses. Listen to the story of her life from episode 117 of Paris History Avec A Hemingway. 

No 21 Hotel de Jaussaud d’Arquivillers. Sculptor Auguste Préault lived in mid 19th century and where he did the statue of Clèmence Isaure that is one of the 20 Illustrious Women in the Jardin du Luxembourg. You can also find his work in the Cour Napoleon of the Louvre on the facade. Listen to the 2 part episodes about the 20 ladies. You can even take it with you for a custom tour anytime you want. Part 1 and Part 2. 

No 25 Hotel de Nevres, former Hotel Henri III built after he had died. Cardinal Richelieu’s nephew lived for a short period. 

No 29 Hotel d’Arcelot built in 1750 for the Marquis d’Arcelot member of the grand counsel of Louis XIV. In 1893 landscape painter Emmanuel Lansyer. 

No 31 Theophraste Renaudot, physician of Louis XIII and later the first Paris pawn shop owner 

No 43 Hotel de Tolzon, named for Charles Tolzon, husband of Anne Le Vau, Louis La Vau’s sister. Notice the masonic symbol between the first floor windows 

No 45 Built by another Le Vau, Francois, the younger brother of Louis in 1659. In the 18th century the bas reliefs of Hercules attacking Nessus were added.

Place Louis Aragon is named for the Surrealist artist born in 1897. After WWII he returned to writing classic poetry. It was inaugurated on the 30th anniversary of his death in 2012. 

No 51 Built by Francois Le Vau 1659 and given to the nephew of Philippe de Champaigne in 1671. Jean Baptiste de Champaigne who played a  big part in the Eglise Saint Louis en l’Ile. 

No 53, continuing the Le Vau family dynasty. Built by Charles Tolzon for Hubert Graillet who married Francois Le Vau’s wife after his death. It was also used in Midnight in Paris. 

Quai d’Orleans 

The end has four restaurants, two are great, the Cafe St Regis and Le Flore en l’Ile. (the others are ok for drinks but food isn’t great) 

No 20 & 18 the gorgeous cathedral windows built in 1640 by Jacques Rohault. At the top of no 18 there are pieces of flying buttresses and other cathedral features that I will someday find the story of! 

No 16 built in 1640 for finance manager of Louis XIV.. Later film director  Roger Vadim lived here with when married to Jane Fonda. 

No 10 is a newer building built in 1920 

No 8 built in 1645. In 1911 Jean de la Ville de Mirmont lived here until 1914. When he arrived in Paris he worked with the elderly until WWI broke out and he enlisted immediately. For three years he lived here writing poetry then on November 28, 1914 was killed by a landmine. 

No 6 The polish library opened in 1853 and also holds the Chopin historical items and also the Adam Mickiewicz museum. 

Pont de la Tournelle, first bridge built in 1620, the current bridge dates to 1928. Paul Landowski was commissioned for the wonderful Sainte Genevieve on the south side the same year. 

Quai de Béthune, originally the Quai de Balcons and created by guess who, Louis Le Vau. Named for Maximillien de Bethune, the Duc de Sully who also got a bridge. 

No 36 Hotel de Pierre Violle. Pierre Violle got a bit too involved in the Fronde and was exiled by Louis XIV.  In 1661 Voille’s family sold it to  Pierre Forest, first valet to Louis XIV lived here and then passed through other close members of Louis’s inner circle. 

In the 19th century Jules Jaluzot, owner of Printemps purchased it.

Marie Curie arrived in 1912,  six years after the death of her husband Pierre and lived until her death in 1934. Anther Nobel Prize winner René Cassin lived hear as well. 

No 34 Hotel de Gontaur-Biron. Built in 1640 for Simon Huguet. In the 18th century Louis-Antoine de Gontaut, duc de Biron owned it. The Marshal of France under Louis XV who bought the Hotel Biron as well in 1753, now known as the Musée Rodin 

No 32 Louis Le Vau, built for Philippe Guyn, general of finance. 

No 30 Hotel Potard, Louis Le Vau 1641 for Louis Potard, commissioner of war under Louis XIII

No 28 Hotel Aubert-Perrot Louis Le Vau for Claude Aubert, controller of  city hall. In 1770 Pierre Perrot, president of the court of auditors restored the building and added the allegoricals reliefs on the 1st floor.

No 26 Hotel Sainctot, Louis Le Vau for Nicolas Sainctot, the kings butler 

No 24 Hotel Hasselion, this area was once covered with the gardens that stretched to the church. Le Vau built if fort Denys Hasselin in 1640, steward of the kings pleasures (good lord that must have been a job). He died after swallowing 294 walnut kernels in a bet. (ok, not so bright either).  

In 1935 Helene Rubenstein had the building demolished, only the door remains. She rebuilt t in the Art Deco style with a lovely rooftop garden by Louis Seu. During WWII the Germans occupied it and shot at the furniture that she kept. 

Georges Pompidou rented it while president in 1970 and died here on April 2, 1974 while in office. 

No 22  Hotel Lefêvre de la Barre. Louis Le Vau for Antoine Lefêvre de la Barre Councillor of Parliament. Baudeliere lived here from March 1842 until June 1843.

20 Hotel Lefêvre de  la Mauison, Antoine’s brother lived here and they were built at the same time 

No 18 Hotel de Comans d’Astry Richelieu. 1644 for d’Astry, butler to the king. Nephew of Richelieu lived here in the late 17th century.  

Rue de Bretonvilliers Named for Claude Le Ragois de Bretonville, secretary to Louis XIII on what was then the Ile Notre Dame. Six hotels and a huge garden was built on the property. All of it but the arcade was destroyed in 1874. 

Rue Ile Saint Louis en l’Ile 

No 3 to 9, the remnants of the Hotel de Brentonville. 

No 12 Philippe Lebon. Born in 1767 he created the first hydrogen gas lighting in Paris. On September 21, 1799 it was installed in the Hotel de Seignelay in the 7e. The gas was heated by a wood oven moving the gas through the pipes. Lebon died the day before Napoleons coronation. A legend is told that he was stabbed 13 times while walking down the Champs Elysees, he in fact died here in his home at 37 years old. 

The intersection here at Rue Poulletier is where the two islands were once joined. The western side being the Ile aux Vaches (cows) as it was a cow pasture where Saint Louis came to pray. 

Most of the item was created under Louis XIII and Marie de Medicis but the incorporation began under Henri IV. The first homes appeared on the north side between 1620 and 1650. The early buildings put all the focus on the inner courtyards and not as much on the facades. 

No 54 former Jeu de Paume, built in 1634 for Louis XIII 

No 51 Hotel de Cherizot. In 1791 Jean François de Chenizot bought the building and added the balcony and updated the facade adding the dragons that make it a stunner on the street. Inside there are two courtyards and monday-friday the door is normally left open, pop on in and see. 

Live from Paris - Place des Vosges

Place des Vosges 

February 6, 2022

Watch this weeks video now on my YouTube channel and subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

In 1388 the Hotel des Tournelles was built in this spot under Pierre d’Orgemont who served as the chancellor of France under Charles VI. Few kings lived here but a few died. Louis XII died here on January 1, 1515 and his son in-law Francois I took the throne. It was his son Henri II that also died here and saw the end of the Hotel. 

On June 29, 1559 a grand celebration was held of the joint marriage of  his daughter Elisabeth de France to Philip II of Spain and the king’s sister Marguerite de France to the duc de Savoie. Henri II, being the macho guy that he was and showing off for his longtime mistress Diane de Poitiers, decided to have one more jousting match. 

Gabriel de Montgomery was his opponent and as he charged towards the king his horse reared up and the joust broke. As he lunged towards the king whose visor was up the lance struck his eye. The king stumbled away from his horse to the Hotel des Tournelles where he suffered in pain for 12 days before dying on July 10, 1559. On his deathbed he forgave Gabriel but his widow Catherine de Medici did not. 

Listen to the podcast episode we did all about Catherine 

Gabriel served as the lieutenant general for the army of Jeanne d'Albret, queen of Navare and mother of Henri III (future king Henri IV). He was on the side of the Protestants during Catherine’s  Saint Bartholomew day massacre and escaped with his life but she would finally get her revenge.  Once Gabriel had taken slides with the illegitimate brother of king Charles IX he was public enemy number one. 

In 1574 at Domfront where his army was overtaken, Gabriel was captured and returned to Paris. At the Conciergerie he was charged with lèse-majesté, an attack on the sovereign and on June 26, 1574 he was tortured and beheded at the Place de Greve as Catherine watched. 

After Henri’s death Catherine wanted nothing to do with the Tournelles and had the Palais des Tuileries built near the Palais du Louvre. The Tournelles served as a horse market for a period until 1603 when Henri IV decided he wanted a silk market created to rival Lyon and Milan. The former Tournelles that was now destroyed would become the factory to the north and housing to the south. Strict building codes were put into place and many couldn’t afford to match them. Much of the property fell to the elite and members of the king's inner circle which we will discover as we stroll around. 

The center of Place des Vosges is marked with the Square Louis XIII that harkens back to the inauguration of the Place Royale as it was originally called. The first royal square in Paris was inaugurated in April 1612 at the announcement of the engagement of Louis XIII and Anne d’Autriche. In the center is a slightly unusual monument of Louis XIII. It replaces the original by Jean Pierre Cortot who also created the four fountains. Much of the square was destroyed during the Revolution and the original bronze statue was melted down. On November 4, 1829 the current statue was inaugurated and created by Charles Dupaty after the original design of Cortot. What is odd about this monument is the funny little tree stump under the horse's belly.  As his belly began to collapse a “crutch” was added, holding it up and designed to look like a tree stump. 

The Place des Vosges has gone through many name changes, starting with Place Royale. During the Revolution it was changed to Place des Fédérés. In 1800 Lucien Bonapartre, minister of the interior under his brother Napoleon, suggested it be changed to Place des Vosges.Vosges was the first department to pay taxes to the new French Republic and that deserved something special apparently.  It went back and forth from Royale in 1814, Vosges in 1830, Republic in 1848, back to Royale in 1852 and finally to the Place des Vosges in 1871 until today. 

From the outset they look to be a collection of 36 identical pavillons with two exceptions. The south side was built first and in the center it is, of course the Pavillon de Roi and is higher than any of the other roof lines, bien sûr. Construction began in 1605 with master mason Jonas Robelin and carpenter Gilles Le Redde adding the extra elements to the facade and decor but the king would never stay there. It wasn’t completed until 1612 and Henri IV died in 1610. In fact not a single royal lived in this royal square. 

The buildings are laid out with odd numbers to the west and even to the east starting at the Pavillon de Roi and ending at the Pavillon de Reine which also towers over the other building on the opposite side, but not quite as tall as the kings. 

No 1 Pavillon de Roi 

The bust of Henri IV looks down on you from the upper facade. The king never lived there but dentist Francois Leroy did. The teeth business was good back in the 18th century. 

No 1 bis & 3 Hotel Coulanges

Philip I de Coulanges and his wife Marie de Beze were the grandparents of the future Marquise de Sévigné and it was here that she was born. The beloved Sévigné wrote letters to her daughter describing what was going on in Paris and at Versailles and they became a hit across France and were later published. There are entire pieces of French history we know today because of the Marquise.  

Listen to her entire store on Paris History Avec a Hemingway 

Later it was Paris Singer, one of the 24 children of billionaire sewing machine titan Isaac Singer. He had a short relationship with dancer Isador Duncan and a child and all lived her for a short period. 

No 5 Hotel de Rochechouart 

Raised and rebuilt by Jules Cousin who had a large collection of books that he donated to the Musée Carnavalet that he also served as the first curator. 

No 7 an entrance into the Hotel de Sully garden

No 9 Hotel Fugeu d’Escures 

Henri IV gave his advisor Pierre Fougueux d’Escures numbers 9 through 13 but he kept only number 9. In 1850 beloved French stage actress Rachel moved in while she was also the mistress of the Bonapart’s. First it was Napoleon III, then his son Prince Napoleon as well as the illegitimate son of Napoleon I, the Count Walewski. At just 36 she died in Le Cannet and her body returned to Paris to her home in the Place des Vosges. Everyone who was anyone came to pay their respects.  Podcast episode of her life coming soon. 

No 11, has one of my very fast secret little finds. 

The pavilion itself was at one time the home of Maria de Lorme, the courtesan that inspired a Victor Hugo play. But it's on the outer pilar that you can find something very special. Half way down you see the etching of 1764 Nicolas. It is the oldest known graffiti in Paris and has been there for 258 years. Nicola Restif de La Bretonne was a printmaker and at night he would roam the streets leaving his mark everywhere he went. Nicknamed Le Griffon, the scribbler, he came long before JR or Banksy and still tells the tale. 

No 13 Grand Hotel de Rohan

Architect Louis Le Vau redid the interior for Antoine d’Aurnot.

No 15 

Painter Auguste Laurent Boulard lived her in the 18th century and in 1875 it became the Center for Decorative Arts. 

No 17 Hotel Chabannes  

Bishop of Meaux Jacques-Beigne Bossuet lived here and is the only pavilion to still have all of its original beams and interior decor. 

No 19 Hotel Montbrun 

Once called the Maison du Grand Henri and had a bust of the king but wouldn’t survive the Revolution. The cafe Ma Bourgogne is below and a restaurant has been in this location since 1827. It is quite good and a perfect place to sit on a sunny afternoon 

No 21 Hotel Cardinal Richelieu

Although the illustrious cardinal never lived here. His great-grand nephew did and also bought the neighborgin pavilion that was owned by the Prince de Guise who would be his future father in-law. 

No 23 Hotel Bassompierre 

Marie Touchet, mistress to Charles X and before that Marie Charlotte, mistress to Marshal Francois de Bassompierre. 

No 25 the Hotel de Gobelin du Quesnoy 

Pierre Gobelin du Quesnoy and his two sons lived here during the 17th century. His son Thomas had a little thing for the future Madame de Montespan and on March 4, 1680 he sent the pavillon a blaze to prove his love for her. It also partially destroyed his neighbors which is the Pavillon de Reine. 

Madame de Montespan would go on to become one of Louis XIV’s favorite mistresses and mother of a few children, However, when her role in the Affair of the Poisons was uncovered she was swiftly moved out of Versailles. Listen to her entire story in this episode of Paris History Avec A Hemingway. 

No 28, the Pavillon de Reine 

Taller than the neighbors but not as tall as the king, it is topped with a few Fleur de Lys, marking its lovely distinction. Nicolas Jeannin de Castille, a treasurer under Nicolas Fouquet lived here until he was caught up in Louis XIV’s vendetta against Fouquet and was also stripped of his home and sent to prison. 

No 26 Hotel Tresmes 

Charles de Vaolis lived here from 1611 to be close to his mother at no. 23 

No 24 Hotel Vitry 

Claude Nicolas Ledoux designed a stunning staircase here that has since been destroyed. Artist Madeline Denis, daughter of artist Maurice Denis lived and held her atelier here. 

No 22 Hotel Laffemas 

Comptroller general of commerce Laffemas was given the property by Sully and had his own home built 

No 20 Nicolas d’Angennes, Marquis de Ramboullet 

No 18 Nicolas Chevalier

No 16 Hotel Asfeldt 

No 14 Hotel Ribault 

Charles Le Brun painted elaborate ceilings and decor here of mythological figures and allegories. The bedroom ceiling held the history of Psyché who is the subject of the newest episode of Paris History Avec a Hemingway. Much of the decor was saved and is now in the Musée Carnavalet. 

No 12 Hotel de Castille 

Pierre de Castille, comptroller de France In 1634 Jérôme de Nouveau superintendant of the post has Eustache Le Sueur and Charles Le Brun paint the ceilings and salons of the home. Weekly salons were held and the Paris elite jostled for a spot each Friday night. The city of Paris took over the building in 1852 and destroyed the interior, putting a girls school in its place. 

No 10 Hotel de Chastillon 

Claude Chastillon in 1605 was the engineer and geographer for Henri IV. Louis XIII would often visit to see his mechanical creations that fascinated him. 

No 8 Hotel de Fourcy 

Superintendent of the kings buildings under Henri IV Jean de Fourcy had it built in 1605 then gave it to Antoine Le Redde, master carpenter. 

Poet, author and art critic Theophile Gautier was born here and then moved back from 1828-1834 living for a period with his family. He once said “I then lived with my parents at no 8 Place Royale in the corner of the row of arcades where the town hall was. If I note this detail is not to indicate in the future one of my residences, I am not one of those whose posterity will mark the house with a bust or a marble plaque”  It now has a marble plaque. 

His neighbor Victor Hugo was  a close friend and the two would lean out the windows chatting. After he moved he took up with Erneste Grisi and had two daughter Judith Gautier would later become the mistress for his old pals Victor Hugo and Baudelaire. Baudelaire dedicated Les Fleurs du Mal to Theophile and the two were quite close as founding members of the Hushichins Club. More on that next week. 

No 6 Hotel de Rohan-Guéménée, Maison Victor Hugo. 

Hugo signed the lease on July 12, 1832 and lived here until 1848. His mistress Juliette Drouet lived nearby and also served as his secretary. His wife was busy with a lover of her own. It was quite the time. 
The museum was opened in 1902, inaugurated on June 30, 1903 and Louis Koch, nephew of Julliet Drouet was the first curator.  Listen to her life story on this episode of Paris History Avec a Hemingway. 

The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm and is free to the public. Special exhibits have a small ticket price. 

No 4 Hotel Regnaouart 

No 2 Hotel du Genou 

Jean Coin, a master mason, lived here while he worked at the Palais du Louvre Grande Galerie.

Live from Paris - Saint George and the Artists

Live from Paris  January 30, 2022

Saint George and the Artists 

Missed the video live, catch it on my YouTube here or below

Musée de la Vie Romantique, 16 rue Chaptal 

Built in 1820 when much of this entire area was developed for a wealthy entrepreneur, Wormser. In 1830 Dutch artist Ary Scheffer moved into the house and had two glass topped pavilions created. For almost 30 years he lived and worked ther and trained many of the up and coming artists of the time including Marie de l’Orleans, daughter of Louis-Philippe. 

Scheffer was a master of the Romantic movement and every Friday his atelier would turn into the Salon of the artists, writers and composers of the period that lived in the streets surrounding. Delacroix, Chopin, George Sand, Balzac and Victor Hugo all talked over the matters of the day under the wisteria covered courtyard. 

Ary Scheffer died in 1858 and his daughter Cornelia and her husband purchased the property and kept it in the family. In 1956 his niece sold it to the State and in 1982 the City of Paris took it over. It originally served as an annex to the Musée Carnavalet and in 1987 it opened its doors as the Musée de la Vie Romantique. Fans of George Sand can find a few rooms dedicated to her and holding many of her items. 

Opened Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm. Permanent collection is free, but special exhibits have a small ticket price. 

Let’s head out onto the street. Just across the entrance at no 17 Rue Chaptal lived Nina de Villard de Callias who held popular Salons attended by the artists and authors. In 1874, Manet captured her in Lady with Fans that is now in the Musée d’Orsay.

At no 11 Rue Chaptal Serge Gainsbourg lived as a child and attended the school across the street. 

Look up to the top of no 10 which was once the SACEM, the Society of Artists, Composers, Editors and Musicians, At the top a bas-relief of their coat of arms is surrounded by angels with a harp and violin, but look closer just below at the sculpture of Beethoven wearing a crown of laurels. 

No 9 Adolphe Goupel who was a 19th century art collector, merchant and publisher had this beautiful building built in 1857 and lived and held his office.  Later Romanian composer and architect Iaannis Xenakis lived until his death in 2001. 

Right onto Rue Notre-Dame-de-Laurette  the street  named after the beautiful church at the base of the hill.  At no 58 from 1844-1857 Eugene Delacroix lived before moving to the Place de Furstenberg in Saint Germain. 

No 56 Paul Gauguin was born here in 1848 

No 54 Heloise and Abelard and memorialized in the busts at the top of the  bas reliefs 

No 49 Pissaro lived and the small balcony is held up by sculpted pelicans.

Further down the street is the Square Alex Biscarre that takes part of the garden of the Dosne-Thiers house located at no 27 Place Saint George.  In 1832 Alexis Dosne had a neoclassical home built for his family. His wife Euridyce Dosne was having an affair with businessman and politician Adolphe Thiers. To keep him close she advised him to marry her daughter Elisa in 1840. When her father died in 1849, the two inherited the house. 

In 1871 during the Commune the home was looted and destroyed, Thiers went on to become the President of the Republic for 20 months after Napoleon III was ousted. The building was rebuilt in 1873 based on the original plans. In 1877 when he died his funeral was held down the street at the Eglise Notre Dame de Lorette. His casket traveled from Lorette to Pere Lachaise where 20,000 people followed and another million lined the streets.  

After the death of his wife a large amount of his objets d’art collection was donated to the Louvre which you can see just before going into the apartments of Napoleon III. Their home was given to the Institut de France and now holds an amazing research library opened to serious researchers and was also where Dan Brown did a lot of research for the Da Vinci Code. 

In the center of Place St George is the Monument to Gavarin by Denys Puech who was an lithographer, artist and cartoonist. He lived nearby from 1837-1846 and this monument replaces the former water trough serving the tired horses going up and down the hill. Denys also did the stunning l’Aurore in the Orsay that is almost translucent in the right light. (she is located on the upper northern terrace. 

No 28 us the real show stopper of the Place Saint George. Built in 1840 it was given to the Marquise de Paiva, a Russian courtesan by her first husband Albino Francisco de Arauho de Paiva. The marriage barely lasted past the altar when she said it was over and she had no use for him. The facade is gorgeous in its Gothic Revival and Neo-Renaissance style and topped with allegorical statues of abundance and temperance.  However Paiva had bigger plans in mind. In 1852, a year later her next wealthy gentleman caller built her a new very lavish hotel particulier on the Champs Elysées. 

At the other corner is the Theatre Saint George, opened in 1829. Heading down the street we take a left on Rue Laferriere a once rogue street that the neighbors created and the city chose to ignore for a few decades. It's the perfectly quiet little street that backs the large houses on the Place Saint George. Poet Stephane Mallarmé was born on this street on March 18, 1842. He would play a large role in the life of Julie Manet, daughter of Berthe Morisot after she lost her mother serving as a guardian. 

Rue Henri Monnier, named after the cartoonist, actor and playwright.  Impressionist Eva Gonzalez lived with her parents at no 15 and then at no 2 over the pharmacy with husband Henri Guérard.  A quick right onto the Rue Clauzel and the Place Gustave Toudouze, journalist that lived just above. On the corner over the Cafe Pere Tanguy at no 24 lived Henri-Francois Riesner and his wife Anne-Louis who was the cousin of Eugene Delacroix. Henri and his son Louis Antoine Léon Riesner were both artists and Delacroix even captured the hunky Louis in a beautiful portrait in the Louvre. 

Guy de Maupassant lived at no 17, clearly out of the view of the Eiffel tower he despised so much. 

No 14 is one of my favorites Pere Tanguy. A man that had ties to some of the greatest artists of the 19th century.  Julien Francois Tanguy was born on June 28, 1825 in Brittany where he would spend the beginning of his life, working as a pork butcher until he married and moved to Paris. The friend to the artists first worked for the Western Railway until 1865 when he began working as a color crusher that led him to become a merchant. 

Père Tanguy as he was known to the artists opened his shop at 14 Rue Clauzel in the Saint Georges New Athens neighborhood. The streets where Toulouse-Lautrec and Van Gogh roamed and found their way through his door. Tanguy was well known as a happy fellow who loved to help the artists. When some of them couldn’t afford paint, he let them pay with paintings. Pissarro, Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec and Doctor Paul Gachet were his many customers that also gifted  him paintings. Post-Impressionist artist Emile Bernard said a visit to his store was like walking into a museum.

There was one artist that was especially touched by Tanguy, Vincent Van Gogh. Theo and Vincent Van Gogh met Tanguy in March 1886 when they lived one street over and instantly had a bond. His tiny shop would be the first one to have a Van Gogh painting for sale. In letters between the brothers while Vincent was in the south he was constantly asking how Tanguy was doing. Some artists said his paint wasn’t the best, but he was such a wonderful man that would even give food to a starving artist they always bought from him. Upon his death in 1894, the artists banded together and held an auction of their paintings to help support his family. 

As for Vincent, he painted three portraits of his friend. The first is rather dull in color, but the third is one of my favorites. With Tanguy sitting in the center, his hands crossed with a hat on, he is surrounded by Van Gogh’s beloved collection of Japanese prints. It stayed in Tanguy’s personal collection until his death, when his daughter sold it to Rodin. Rodin and Van Gogh shared a love for Japanese prints as well as knowing the paint merchant. Today it can be seen in the Musée Rodin. 

No 9, Pere Tanguy moved his shop to this larger location for the final two years of his life from 1892-1894. 

No 8, historical painter Eugene Laurent Jules Lagier lived. 

No 2, Prosper Marilhat, orientalist painter died at just 36.

Left for a short walk down rue des Martyrs, no 49 artist Théodore Géricault had his studio and died here in 1824 at just 32 years old after a horse accident and long illness. Scheffer had captured the moment he laid on his deathbed and also now hangs in the Louvre.   Géricault lived just down the street at no 23. 

Left onto Rue Victor Masse named for the composer. No 9 Paul Delaroche lived in this gorgeous building recently restored. 

No 12, was the 2nd location of Le Chat Noir and was also the atelier of Alfred Stevens on the first floor. 

No 13, Degas lived, one of his many within a few blocks and at no 19 Mary Cassatt lived in the 1870’s. 

At no 25, was once the gallery of Berthe Weill, the first woman to own a gallery in Paris in 1901. She had a keen eye for new artists including Picasso and was his first supporter when he arrived in Paris. She also supported the women artists like Susanne Valadon and Jacqueline Marval. Weill held the first and only exhibition of Modigliani and as she staged his paintings the full length nude in the window with pubic hair shocked the neighbors and the police shut it down. Giving in after she was arrested she agreed to move the painting from view and could reopen. The bad publicity was great for traffic but not a single painting was sold and shortly after Modigliani died. She was an amazing woman, check out the episode we did about her life on Paris History Avec a Hemingway on La Vie Creative podcast. 

And if no 25 wasn’t historic enough Theo van Gogh was living there in 1886 when his brother Vincent crashed the party in Paris and moved in. They stayed in the very tiny room for just two months from February to April 1886 before moving to Rue Lepic.

Back to Rue Henri Monnier at the very end at no 34 Théodore Chassériau had his atelier, he also moved around a lot in this area. 

Rue Frochot leads to Place Pigalle and where Degas lived at no 4 in 1870 and also had his atelier on the first floor. His neighbor at no 6, Desire Dihau was a bassoonist in the orchestra and friends with Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec and he sat for each of them a few times.  

Across the street at no 5, Toulouse-Lautrec had his second to last atelier and another at no 15 (which the number no longer exists) 

Up in Place Pigalle at no 3 was the former Le Rat Mort, the dead rat. And it got that name, you guessed it, the hard way. The day it opened a dead rat was discovered floating in the beer pump that had been there for days leading to a horrid smell. A patron walked in and said “it smells like a dead rat”, thus the name

At no 7 once lived the beautiful Apollonie Sabatier who was a model for Auguste Clésinger for his Woman Stung by a Serpent statue that shocked the Salon as they thought it was woman in the throws of passion. She had been the bell of the artists and author set and first met Baudelaire at the Hotel Lauzon where they both had a room. She inspired him to write a few poems in the Flowers of Evil. Many other artists painted or captured her essence in marble and clay but she just might be all over Paris as well. 

In 1860 she was the lover of Richard Wallace, the wealthy Englishman that decided to use his wealth to combat the public drunkenness of Paris. Inspired by the monument for the heart of Henri II in the Louvre he worked with sculptor Charles-Auguste Lebourg to create the beloved fountains that still quench the thirst of Parisians. Take a closer look at the face of the statue compared to a few images of Apollonie. I haven’t found any info saying it is her but you be the judge of it. I think there is an uncanny resemblance.

And lastly at no 9 there once stood the Cafe de la Nouvelle Athène where all the artists and writers hung out. Degas found his way here many days and had an idea for a painting of a coupe and a glass of absinthe. Unable to find anyone fitting his vision he had two friends sit for him. She looks destitute and stares off into the distance. It is both beautiful and heartbreaking and hangs in the Musée d’Orsay. The cafe was open from 1855 to 1903 and in 1920 became the Sphynx and was the spot for many of the American expats, the Lost Generation. The building was destroyed in a fire in 2004 and sadly none of it remains.

Live from Paris - The Streets Around the musée d'Orsay

Live from Paris - The Streets Around the Musée d’Orsay 

23 Janvier, 2022 

Watch this week's walk here and subscribe to my channel and never miss a video 

Places we visited and notes today: 

The Passerelle Léopold Sédar Senghor was named for the Senegalese poet and politician on October 9, 2006 on what would have been his 100th birthday. The former member of the French Academy and promotor of all things French died on December 20, 2001. 

The life of the bridge first began in 1861 under Napoleon III when the Pont Solderino was built for cars, not just people as it is today.  A hundred years later in 1961 it was replaced with a metal frame bridge covered with wood from Africa. The bridge that connects the lower level of the Seine to the upper quai has won numerous design awards. 

At the end of the bridge on the left bank side stands the Jean Cardot statue of Thomas Jefferson. The former ambassador to France whose love of Paris inspired two of his future homes. In his hand, the founding father holds the design of Monticello that was created to resemble the front of the Hotel de Salm that he is looking at. 

Heading straight down the Rue de Solferino we are walking next to the Hotel de Salm that was built in 1781 for Frederick III of Salm-Kyrburg. Designed by Pierre Rousseau that would later live there for a period when the owner sealed his fate during the Revolution and his life ended by the guillotine. In May of 1804 it was purchased by the state for the chancellor's office and the future home of the Legion d'honneur created under Napoleon Bonaparte. 

In 1871 just like it’s neighbor the Palais d’Orsay it was also partially destroyed by the Commune fires but much of it was able to be saved. The inner courtyard side with its tall columns also inspired the American White House. Today it is the Musée de Legion d’honneur and is free to visit and worth a stop. 
Opened Wednesday - Sunday 1:00pm - 6:00pm

Between the two museums on Rue de Lille is a favorite cafe, Les Deux Musées, I always  stop for a cafe before visiting the Orsay. They have the BEST pain au chocolat I have found in a cafe. It is always warm and buttery and it is soooooo delicious and the perfect fuel for a day at the Orsay. 

On the terrace of the Orsay we can find nine bronze statues that were once a part of the 1878 Universal Exhibition at the Palais de Chaillot at the Trocadero. Until 1935 these statues stood there until they were moved to Saint-Cloud. In 1985 with the upcoming opening of the newest Paris museum, the Musée d’Orsay.  

On the Seine side of the terrace you can find three stunning animals.  Emmanuel Fremiet’s Elephant. Pierre-Louis Rouillard’s horse pulling away from a trap and Henri-Alfred Jacquemart’s Rhinoceros. Get as close as possible to really see all the details. 

On the opposite side are the statues of the six continents. Each created by a different artist and each with elements of the continent they represent. From left to right: 

Alexandre Schoenewerk, L’Europe with a horse on the shield and an artist's palette to her side. 

L’Asie by Alexandre Falguière, with two elephants behind her 

L’Afrique by Eugène Delaplanche with a turtle at her feet and a basket of fruit 

Ernest Hiolle’s L’Amerique du Nordl, on the oar to her left the names of Washington, Lafayette, Franklin and Jefferson. 

L’Amerique du Sud by Aimé Millet who also did the golden statue on the top of the Palais Garnier 

Mathurin Moreau’s L’Oceanie with a sweet little kangaroo 

Heading down the Rue de Lille just opposite the museum at no 67 is the former hotel de Pomereu and Hotel Duret built after the former Hotel de Maillebois was destroyed in 1871. Davide de Perianrue, student of Victor Baltard, designed the Louis XV style building that would become the home of lifetime politician Robert Pomereu. Pomereu lived there until his death in 1937 and ten years later his heirs sold it to the State.  

Today it is part of the Caisse des Depots et Consignations which takes up much of the rest of the block on both sides of the street.  Created on April 28, 1816 by Louis XVIII to combat the Banque de France that was created by Napoleon, Louis was a bit worried trusting the Banque de France and had the Caisse created that would eventually oversee a vast portfolio of French institutions including insurance, real estate and business development. 

On the northside of Rue de Lille is the grand building for the Caisse that was built on the former land owned by architect of Louis XIV Robert de Cotte. As the rail lines were being installed in the mid 19th century below the building became damaged and had to be destroyed leaving a vast open plot. Eudes and Pierre-Felix Julien designed the large building with courtyards and iron balconies between 1890-1896. 

Taking a left on Rue de Bac there are a few great restaurants to add to your list. Les Antiquaires is always a hopping spot any time of the day and has a great menu and lovely staff.  

Walking towards the Seine on the right is Cocorico, the French word that is the most fun to say. They specialize in chicken of course and it is all fantastic.  

On the edge of the Quai Voltaire is the rather touristy La Fregate which may not have the top rated food, but for an apero and small snack it is one of the best, mostly for the view. Sitting at the base of the Pont Royal and looking at the Flore Pavillon of the Musée du Louvre, how can you really go wrong? 

The current Pont Royal was built in 1685 of wood by Mansart and had 5 spans across the Seine. In 1632 the first bridge that marked this spot was known as the Pont Saint Anne for the mother of Louis XIV didn’t last long and was shortly rebuilt this time of redwood and was known at the Pont Rouge. It lasted until February of 1684 when it was destroyed and floated down the icey Seine.  

For even more, be sure to watch the entire one hour visit to Paris. 

Let me know if there is a place in Paris you want us to bring to you LIVE.

To learn even more about the Musée d’Orsay and the lives it had before it became the temple to Impressionism be sure to listen to the episode of La Vie Creative - Paris History Avec a Hemingway we did all about it.

To see where we will go next week, check the event tab

Paris Christmas on the Rive Gauche

Live from the Rive Gauche, Sunday December 12, 2021 

Watch this week's walk here and subscribe to my channel and never miss a video 

Places we visited and notes today: 

It’s the greatest place in Paris, Yves Camdeborde’s L’Avant Comptoir de la Terre. The Basque inspired small plates and natural wine are fantastic and the people that work there are even better. Stop by and tell them I sent you. Open every day of the year Noon-Late at 3 Carrefour de l’Odeon. 

Also in the greatest triangle in Paris that is  the Carrefour de l’Odéon also have the Jambon Truffe crepe at Breizh cafe and the side salad with wasabi vinaigrette. It's so good! Le Hibou is a great place for petit dejeuner, the chicken paillard for lunch and apero. 

For wonderful gifts for yourself Zoé Ferdinand creates the cutest literary themed shirts, necklaces and candles including Paris est une fête, Hemingway’s Moveable Feast en Français. 

Heading down Rue Saint Sulpice, the one time brothel central for the clergy of the abbeys of Saint Germain and Saint Sulpice. 

Chez Christiane at no 26 was for those looking for an even more torturous good time, fetishes and special passions as listed in La Guide Rose. Nothing was left out of the imagination here or frowned upon. At no 15, located in a former hamman on the 2nd floor, Alys whose name is still emblazoned in tiles at the entrance ran a small brothel with a few but very popular girls. 

However there is one lady that ruled the roost on Rue Saint Sulpice. At no 36, Miss Betty was located in the very narrow building just opposite the north side door of the church. Miss Betty and her ladies would only serve  the priests of the two nearby parishes. The quick walk from one to the other up to the 2nd floor where they could take part in any fantasy they wanted just in time to return to the church to say a quick prayer and some holy water to wash their sins away. Still to this day, her name is on the floor at the entrance where if timed just right you may side right in to catch a peak, but don’t venture too high up, Miss Betty isn’t there anymore.  Remaining all these many years later is the small clue that would tip off the keen observer to find these establishments. It was decreed that they had to note in a discreet way exactly what they were and most would choose a simple way to do it. On the exterior the number of their address was normally just a little larger than any others and some like Miss Betty chose to fancy hers up just a bit. Look up at no 36 and see the light blue and gold number that the many owners since have kept as a little nod to the past of Rue Saint Sulpice. 

Rue des Canettes just off the Place Saint Sulpice has a blanket of balloons overhead that represent those lovely little champagne bubbles for the season. 

For all your French beauty needs CityPharma at the corner of Rue Bonaparte and Rue de Four is the place you must visit. Prices are 40%-70% lower than most pharmacies in Paris as the turnover is so high. If you can’t find it here, you don’t need it. 

Place de Furstemberg is a perfectly picturesque and home to the Musée Delacroix. The last studio and home of the leader of the Romantic movement, Eugene Delacroix. The small museum can be a quick visit but is a wonderful place to see on a sunny afternoon and take a little break in the back courtyard. Open Wednesday - Monday 9:30am-11:30am, 1pm-5:30pm and until 9pm on the first Thursday of each month. If you visit the Louvre, hold onto your ticket and take it to the Delacroix the next day to visit for free. 

Rue de Buci is filled with restaurants, many rather touristy so can be overpriced for not the greatest of food. It’s a very fun street any time of the day to stop and grab an afternoon apero. The Maison Thevenin patisserie has delicious pain au chocolat and croissants as well as everything else they make. They have a few more locations on the Rive Gauche. 

On the Rue de Seine on the back wall of the Institut de France is a small niche with a plaque to a life given during the Liberation.  Commander Louis Helie died on this spot on August 19 1944. The 55 year old resistance fighter that survived being captured by the Germans in WWI and fought against them and gave his life for France. I imagine the niche once held something but for the last few years  it has hidden the drawing of an angel by fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.

Born in Casablanca in 1949, he was fascinated at an early age with military history. The fascination would transfer to fashion when he created a military jacked cut from an old blanket that would later be worn by John Lennon.

In 2002, his creations began to expand from the runways and onto the walls of Paris. With chalk in hand he would quickly draw an angel and sign with a simple +. They started as keepsakes dedicated to loved ones. A love note to family and friends, sometimes with a message and a date that would eventually disappear.  I have come across these for years and would always snap a photo. Many only last a few days or weeks, and some find a hidden spot that protects them from the elements. 

In front of the Institut de France is the temporary large installation by German artist Georg Baselitz. In conjunction with his exhibit at the Centre Pompidou, the piece has been added to the landscape of Paris to also commemorate his induction into the Academie des Beaux Arts. The piece is of 5 heeled legs that are dancing in a circle and connected to the earth. Check it out if in Paris before March 7, 2022.

Paris Christmas on the Rive Droite

Live from the Rive Droit, Sunday December 5, 2021 

Watch this week's walk here and subscribe to my channel and never miss a video 

Places we visited and notes today: 

Galeries Lafayette for almost 110 years the art nouveau dome of the Galeries Lafayette has been delighting shoppers. Each year since 1945 a large 75 foot tall tree has hung down the center of the 2nd largest department store in the world. Cousins Theophile Nader and Alphonse Kahn opened a small store on the corner in 1894 and two years later they purchased the entire block. On October 8, 1912 the store we see today was inaugurated and to this day it is still managed by the same company.

Be sure to visit the top floor for a wonderful view of Paris including the lovely Palais Garnier just below. 

As for the Palais Garnier, one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris that sits at the top of the long boulevard like the topper on a tree. Inaugurated on January 5. 1875 Charles Garnier’s design finally came to life although he wasn’t even invited to see it. Today a bust of Garnier greets you as you enter for a tour and we are all thankful for the stunning building he left behind.  

You will want to add a visit to the Palais Garnier when you are next in Paris. Be sure to check online that the theater itself is open so you can see the ceiling by Marc Chagall. Visit the Musée d'Orsay, save your ticket and within 8 days get a discount. Open everyday 10am-5pm (unless there is an afternoon performance. 

Cafe de la Paix holds the best seat on the block. Opened in 1862 it had a front row seat to the construction of the Opera house. Since then it saw the heyday of the 1920’s when the expats filled Paris including Josephine Baker and Ernest Hemingway who had a memorable Christmas dinner in 1921. Listen to a special episode of Paris History Avec a Hemingway on December 21 all about it. 

If you are a lover of a good cocktail then you will want to visit Harry’s New York Bar. The location where many of the greatest classic cocktails were born including my favorite, the French 75. American jockey Ted Sloan boxed up the interior of a New York bar and moved it to Paris, opening it on Thanksgiving 1911. Ted hired Scottish bartender Harry MacElhone who became the crowd favorite and later purchased it and renamed it Harry’s. Since 1923 they have created many of the tastiest cocktails including the Bloody Mary, Sidecar and White Lady.  Located at “Sank Roo Doe Noo”. 

Just a few doors down is the Théâtre Daunou that was opened in 1921 by actress Jane Renouardt who asked designer and friend Jeanne Lanvin to create the interior of the theater. Jeanne had such a lover of colors she created her very own and the interior still today is covered in her lovely Lanvin blue. Lanvin was a designer that paved the way for all those after her but gets none of the credit. Listen to the episode all about this wonderful lady and how she created the oldest fashion house in the world.

We finished the walk in the Place Vendome, once the Place Louis le Grand for Louis XIV.  Jules Mansart in 1699 designed the facades and at first it was the only part of the buildings in place. The wealthy Parisians moved in taking up the coveted spots on the royal square. During the Revolution the statue was destroyed and in 1810 a column was added in its place. The Vendome column topped with Napoleon was created from the guns and cannons taken at Austerlitz. Each of the rings that wind their way to the top depict battle scenes in 425 bronze plates. 

If you love fashion and want to see Paris during fashion week, there is just one person you need to know. Jenni and Belle Époque fashion week experience.

Check out the video today for even more info and join us each week for another glimpse into the streets and stories of Paris.
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