Forever Paris

25 Walks in the Footsteps of Chanel, Hemingway, Picasso, and More

Christine Henry de Tessan

• Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781452113500
• Topic: Crescita personale
• Subtopic: Viaggi

Walking tours inspired by famous figures of France, from artists to chefs to historic leaders. Take a stroll through Édith Piaf's Belleville, dine at Napoléon's favorite restaurant, and explore the late-night haunts of Ernest Hemingway, Josephine Baker, and Pablo Picasso. From the author of the best-selling City Walks: Paris, this lively collection of walking adventures follows in the footsteps of more than twenty-five of the city's iconic former residents. Throughout, Paris is seen from the intimate vantage point of those who loved it best, from the bars where authors penned classic works to the markets and patisseries where food lovers indulged. Including photos and full-color maps throughout, each walk in this book guides visitors and locals through the city that inspired some of the world's most famous artists, writers, chefs, musicians, politicians, and more.

AUDREY HEPBURN

“Paris is always a good idea.”

—FROM SABRINA

Audrey Hepburn may never have lived in Paris, but thanks to the many movies she filmed on location there, she will forever be linked with the City of Light. In her movies, Paris isn’t just a backdrop but is often a central character; the films simply wouldn’t have worked anywhere else.

The most obvious example of the city’s star power is in Sabrina, in which Paris actually plays a pivotal role (even though none of the movie was actually filmed there). Sabrina goes off to Paris a provincial young girl and returns a woman of the world. She exclaims to Linus, “Paris isn’t for changing planes, it’s for changing your outlook! For throwing open the windows and letting in … letting in la vie en rose.” Edith Piaf’s signature song winds its way through the movie.

Sabrina also marked the beginning of Hepburn’s enduring relationship with legendary French designer Hubert de Givenchy, who in the 1950s was still a rising star. Rumor has it that when they met, he was expecting Katharine Hepburn to walk through the door, not Audrey. But she won him over, and it was the start of a lifelong friendship. Givenchy went on to design many of Hepburn’s costumes for later films. Givenchy couldn’t have asked for a more elegant model for his designs, and he was deluged with clients after Sabrina came out. Hepburn, in turn, benefited from having the designer help her develop her signature style.

In Love in the Afternoon, a youthful Hepburn takes up with Gary Cooper, their liaison centered in a Ritz hotel room that overlooks the Place Vendôme. She’s again wearing Givenchy (perhaps a bit of a stretch since she’s playing an impoverished student).

In the thriller Charade, Hepburn runs—sometimes literally—all over Paris until she lands in the arms of Cary Grant. The director took them both out for dinner before filming started, and Hepburn was so nervous about meeting Grant for the first time that she spilled a glass of red wine down his suit. The incident was later incorporated into the film (but with ice cream instead of wine).

Paris-set Funny Face is known to be Audrey Hepburn’s favorite film. An ode to fashion, a tribute to the city, and an enduring classic, this movie juxtaposed two contrasting worlds in Paris: the black turtleneck–wearing intellectual circle (the “Empathicalists”) and the glittering world of haute couture. Rain drenched Paris for weeks during the filming, but Hepburn probably didn’t notice; she was fulfilling her childhood dream of dancing with Fred Astaire.

Paris When It Sizzles was not a success, and is considered one of the few missteps in Hepburn’s illustrious career. Although it features scenes set at the Eiffel Tower and around the Champs-Élysées, it fizzled, rather than sizzled.

Even without a permanent address in Paris, Hepburn and the city will always share a strong association, as much to do with their shared grace and style as with the films she worked on there.

HEPBURN’S PARIS

M: KLÉBER

Exit onto av. Kléber and cross the street to the discreet but sumptuous Hôtel Raphael (1; 17 av. Kléber), where Hepburn started each day when she was in Paris. It was her favorite hotel, and she was known for redecorating her suite completely with her own furnishings down to the last detail in order to create a sense of home while she was filming here. Head up to the Arc de Triomphe (one of the sites featured in Funny Face) and descend the Champs-Élysées. Turn left on av. Matignon. To the right is the garden where the puppet theater (2) in Charade is located. It still operates today (Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays at 3, 4, and 5 P.M.). Just beyond it, along av. Gabriel, is what remains of the Marché aux Timbres (3), which plays a key role in the film. Continue through the gardens. Just beyond the Théâtre Marigny, head south on av. W. Churchill to the Pont Alexandre III (4), Paris’s most elaborate bridge, also featured in Funny Face. Retrace your steps and head down the allée Marcel Proust past the U.S. Embassy (5), another important location in Charade. Turn up rue Boissy d’Anglas and turn left on rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré to pay homage to the actress at Givenchy (6; 28 rue du Fbg. St-Honoré). This isn’t the couturier’s studio where Hepburn first met Hubert de Givenchy, but it’s a convenient place to remember Audrey’s classic style and the extraordinarily successful relationship that she enjoyed with the designer. Backtrack, and continue down the street, peeking up rue Castiglione to the Place Vendôme (7). Hepburn filmed Love in the Afternoon with Gary Cooper at the Ritz located on this square. Head south on rue Castiglione and turn left on rue de Rivoli. Stop for a chocolat chaud at Angelina (8; 226 rue de Rivoli), one of Hepburn’s favorite spots, and still an immensely popular salon de thé. As you sip your hot chocolate in this timelessly elegant settin g, consider Hepburn’s line about Paris’s influence in Sabrina: “I have learned how to live; how to be in the world and of the world…” Cross into the Tuileries and stroll up to the Petit Carrousel, where Hepburn so charmingly releases the balloons in Funny Face. Beyond it is the Louvre; Hepburn’s descent down the steps in front of The Winged Victory of Samothrace in her red dress, calling out to Fred Astaire, “Take the picture!” is one of the most iconic moments in film. Head north out of the gardens and cross into the Palais Royal (9), site of the famous, nail-biting chase at the end of Charade. Catch the metro at Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre.

VICTOR HUGO

“An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.”

Victor Hugo was more than just a writer. He was a poet, a politician, a novelist, a pioneer of the Romantic style, and a self-appointed ambassador for the poor and disenfranchised. He leapt to fame at an early age—earning a royal salary for his poetry by the age of twenty—and throughout his life, he used that power to bring attention to the misfortunes of others.

Born in the town of Besançon in 1802, Victor Hugo began writing as a child and was still just a teenager when he received his first accolades from the prestigious Académie Française for two poems he had submitted. By the age of thirty, with the publication of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, he’d become one of the country’s most admired writers. Not one to rest on his laurels, he continued to write prolifically, and also ventured into politics. Initially a monarchist, he switched sides, eventually becoming a vocal promoter of human rights and the poor. In fact, when Napoléon III took over the government in a coup d’état, Hugo, having vilified the new leader, went into self-imposed exile for the following twenty years, living in Belgium and the Channel Islands for most of that time.

In 1862, while Hugo was still in exile, he published Les Misérables. Hugo’s sprawling novel is an emotional powerhouse, exposing the sordid underbelly of Paris and the struggles of its inhabitants in haunting detail. The city of Paris itself is a central and defining character in his magnum opus. On the day it came out, bookstores were mobbed, and thousands of copies sold out in a single day. His books gave voice to a population that rarely had any, and he became the embodiment of hope for millions.

Indelibly shaped by the city he inhabited, Hugo in turn made a significant mark on Paris. We have The Hunchback of Notre Dame to thank for the fact that the legendary cathedral is still with us today. Hugo’s novel about Quasimodo and Esmeralda inspired renewed interest in the landmark, which led to its being restored. (In fact, this renovation sparked a new appreciation for Gothic architecture across the country and led to the preservation of many of France’s Gothic buildings.)

Later in his life, when he finally returned to his beloved city after his exile, he was elected to the Senate and continued to champion the cause of the poor through politics and writing. An unprecedented two million people turned out for Hugo’s funeral procession in 1885, which began at the Arc de Triomphe and led across the city to his final resting place at the Panthéon.

HUGO’S PARIS

M: BASTILLE

Exit the place de la Bastille via rue St-Antoine and turn right on rue de Biragues. Enter the Place des Vosges and turn right beneath the arcades to reach the Musée Victor Hugo (1), located in the square’s southeast corner. Hugo lived on the third floor (2e étage) with his wife and four children for eighteen years before his exile. It was here that he wrote the notes for what would one day become Les Misérables. The museum not only contains interesting artifacts, but also displays the author’s living spaces, complete with beautifully paneled rooms, a recreation of his elaborate Salon Chinois, his bedroom with his own bed, and an imposing sculpture of the author by Rodin. Exit the square the way you entered, turn right on rue St-Antoine, then left on rue du Pont Louis-Philippe. Cross the Île St-Louis onto Île de la Cité, then turn right onto rue du Cloître Notre-Dame, passing the Café Esmerelda (named after one of the characters in Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame). Notre Dame (2) rises before you. In desperate need of repair back in Hugo’s day, it was in danger of being demolished until the book appeared. Today, after a thorough cleaning, it’s looking more splendid than ever. Fans of the book should follow in the steps of Quasimodo and Esmerelda and climb the towers—you’ll be amply rewarded for your efforts with lovely views. Interestingly, many of the iconic gargoyles weren’t added until the restoration, fueled by the novel’s popularity. Descend and cross over to the Left Bank. Turn right on the quai to reach Laperouse (3; 51 quai des Grands Augustins), where Hugo frequently dined. It remains one of Paris’s most romantic and beautifully preserved restaurants. (If you’re not up for a full meal here, enjoy a drink in the intimate ground-floor bar.) Head down rue Dauphine, veer right onto rue de Buci, then turn right on bd. St-Germain. As you admire the Cathedral St-Germain-des -Prés (4) on your right (the oldest cathedral in Paris), give thanks once again to Hugo, who led the restoration effort. Continue down bd. St-Germain to the Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits (5; 222, bd. St-Germain). A handwritten letter that Hugo wrote to George Sand and several poems and manuscript pages penned by Hugo do a good job of bringing the legend to life. Catch the metro at Solférino.

Bonus: Backtrack ...