Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Paris - Day 4 - Day 26 Virtual Europe

30 Day Blogging Challenge

Aug 26th Paris

Happy 60th Birthday to our wonderful tour guide!!!!
I make sure I wish Lyn's a Witchy Woman a very happy birthday... I still can’t believe she is sixty! I would say a spicy 40, at most! A bunch of the group is going to do a movie tour. I am interested in hearing about it, but it's not for me, I am more interested in walking the Paris of writers... so I make my own way....

La Place Contrascarpe
I found my way to Rue Moufftard, a street bustling in the early morning shuffle of both Parisians and tourist alike hunting for their first croissant and espresso of the day. At the peak of this street you’ll find La Contrascarpe, a bubbling fountain encircled by quiet cafes. Described as the “cesspool of Rue Moufftard,” it’s not hard to imagine young writers and artist quietly staring into their cups while scribbling their thoughts. I made sure to take some time to get a coffee and croissant and write here.

Having signed on to a Literary Walking Tour I went to meet my small group and begin the full adventure...
https://www.localers.com/our-tours-in-Paris/paris-literature-tour?gclid=CjwKEAjw...

“Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté, luxe, calme et volupté.”
"There all is order and beauty, luxury, peace, and pleasure."
Les Fleurs du Mal – Charles Baudelaire

"What bookworm wouldn’t give just about anything to follow in the steps of their literary heroes? For instance, comparing the description of the Hôtel de Lazun, evoked by Baudelaire above, with the actual structure provides an insight into the workings of his artistic mind and his unique worldview.
Paris is rife with opportunities for such experiences. The city has lured writers and poets, such as Ernest Hemingway, for example, for centuries. Today you can still walk in the footsteps of many a literary genius. All you need is someone to show you where to go."
Our guide was an expert in French literature and is also head over heals in love with the city. I was taken back in time to 'seek out those mythic spots where the pulse of these geniuses beats on.' This tour covered the Romantics of the 19th century, the Lost Generation between the wars, and the Beat Generation of the 1950s and 60s. My favourite of course is the Lost Generation - Hemingway.

The Rendez-vous was at Place Colette around 1800, where our guide’s first mission was to catapult you a few centuries back in time by re-constructing the world around you as great writers like Balzac would have experienced it. Our guide to stripped the Carrousel du Louvre down to its state before the Haussmannian reconstructions—back to when it was the epicenter of bohemian life in Paris.
Then we followed the Seine to the Île de la Cité, where big names such as Anatole France found many of their inspirations. We continued over to the Rive Gauche the intellectual nerve center of Paris and stomping ground of Lost Generation personalities such as Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, and Scott F. Fitzgerald. After visiting Oscar Wilde’s place of death, we passed by the Beat Hotel—the famous hangout of Beat Generation writers such as William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg.
We continued on to the Odeon area, where Sylvia Beach founded her legendary bookstore and artistic paradise, Shakespeare and Co. The shop no longer exists. However, the spirit of regulars such as James Joyce, Paul Valéry, and André Gide still lingers in this cozy cave of literature.
On your way out of Shakespeare and Co., we were plunged into the worlds of Baudelaire and Flaubert as we followed the meandering streets and alleys to the Hôtel de Lauzun on the Île St. Louis. It is this structure that moved Baudelaire to write L’Invitation au Voyage.
We walked about 4 km and I still wasn't done.

I made sure to see Hemingway & Hadley’s Apartment - the third floor of number 47 Rue Cardinale Lemoine. It is pretty unassuming - the only clue we even had to base this on (besides Hemingway’s book) was a little plaque on the side of the house. Just around the corner I found a little tavern, which Hemingway stayed in to write when he felt overwhelmed or unfocused at home - I take a break for some food, drink and a little more writing.

I continued on and taking a sharp right onto Boulevard Saint Michel. I passed many shops, bookstores and cute cafes. Off a bit and squeezed and leaning in all angles, stands one of my most favorite stores in all of Paris, Shakespeare & Company. The original bookstore was run by Sylvia Beach and it is mentioned quite a lot in “A Moveable Feast,” but its legacy continues to give a unique and safe space for English speaking customers to read and relax. There are still pianos, typewriters and beds for those feeling adventurous to stay there a while. This is my heaven.. I buy a few more books - some new... old authors, I've never had the priveledge of reading and then sit at the cafe to write for awhile. When I need to stretch my legs, I make my way through the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank to Luxembourg Gardens.

Afterwards, I wandered down the stone walls of the Siene to find some vintage Parisian prints and second hand books stored in the aged green metal boxes cemented to the stone walls of the Seine. I scored some vintage postcards that I absolutely love! I won't send these ones - they are too precious.

I also found my way to Jardin Du Luxembourg. This was a favorite destination between Hemingway's apartment and Gertrude Stein’s apartment. It is just lovely! I could not resist finding a spot to just sit and take it all in - writing more, watching the people.... sigh.... I sat in the shade of a huge oak tree, surrounded by marble statues and manicured gardens. I also wandered to where Gertrude Stein lived.

I made sure to go to Les Deux Magots for my dinner and more writing and people watching. It is a well visited cafe of artists, writers and philosophers of the 1920’s, including our man Hemingway himself (as well as Picasso and Sartre, to name a few others). This little cafe serves an amazing Croquette Madam. It was seriously good. The ambience was fabulous.... I almost did not want to leave.

http://www.roamandgolightly.com/blog/a-walk-with-hemingway-touring-pariss-latin-...

What to do with the rest of my night? Lyn had said we would not be leaving until 9am so we could celebrate our last night in Paris... I did not want to miss a moment.