Paris: The Latin Quarter

// SMUDGE - Paris Part 5: The Latin Quarter //

I feel like almost every single street in Paris has been written about or featured in a movie at some point in time. Today while I adventured around the Latin Quarter, an area of Paris favored in the past by many a literary giant, I visited some fun spots that have been made famous through book and screen.

Hemingway’s Hood- At 74 Rue du Cardinal ( pictured above ) you can find the apartment where Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley lived when they first moved to Paris in 1922. This apartment and its surrounding neighborhood is where most of my favorite book by Hemingway, A Movable Feast, is set. Then wander up the street to Place de la Contrescarpe a beautiful fountain and flower filled square with cafés he often frequented and wrote about.

Cremerie Restaurant Polidor- As one of the oldest bistros in Paris, Polidor was often frequented by the likes of Victor Hugo, Ernest Hemingway, Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud. This is also where Woody Allen shot the scene of Owen Wilson’s character first meeting Hemingway in Midnight in Paris ( if you haven’t seen this movie do so NOW ).

Saint-Étienne-du-Mont- Not only is this church containing the shrine of St. Geneviève absolutely gorgeous but Saint-Étienne-du-Mont also contains the steps where above mentioned Owen Wilson is whisked away into the 1920′s past at midnight.

Jardin du Luxembourg- Built in 1611 this breathtaking garden and palace is a stroll you can't pass up when on the left bank. Hemingway often found refuge in the Luxembourg Garden's when broke and hungry saying it was the perfect place for inspiration where you couldn't see or smell food. He even strangled pigeons here to feed his family in super hard times. In Victor Hugo's classic tale Les Misérables this is where characters Marius and Cosette first meet. More recently Chloé’s F/W 2015 campaign was shot in the iconic gardens.