• English

By Sophie Nellis

Is it a yo yo? Is it a thermometer? No, it’s the…Pantheon

If you visit the Pantheon, you will undoubtedly marvel at its enormity but you may also ask yourself, “What is it?” This is a good question, and one that has long puzzled both tourists and the French. Built under Louis XV in the 17^th century, it was intended to be a church dedicated to one of Paris’ patron saints, Saint Geneviève.  Unfortunately, it was finished on the eve of the Revolution, and as the Revolutionaries had the habit of either wrecking churches or using them for other purposes, the Church of Saint Genevieve became the Pantheon, a Temple dedicated to the Great Men of France.

The Pantheon

For the next century, the Pantheon yo-yo-ed back and forth between Church and mausoleum, until the Third Republic drew the line in 1873 and decided it was going to remain a mausoleum. As one commentator said, “It’s not a monument, it’s a thermometer”. The remains of all the big names are to be found in here, including Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, the Resistance hero Jean Moulin, and – the only Great Woman to be interred here – Marie Curie.

Les Jardins du Luxembourg

Just down the road from the Pantheon are the pretty Jardins du Luxembourg.Modelled on the Boboli Gardens in Florence and dotted with 19^th century pavilions, this is one of the nicest parks in Paris. Especially for children, who can play in the playground, ride donkeys and rent boats to sail on the central pond.

Les Jardins du Luxembourg

Again, this has long been a favourite of the Parisian cultural elite. Both Balzac and Victor Hugo liked to stroll around the gardens, Hemingway claimed to have shot pigeons here when he was low on funds and looking for something to eat, and Simone de Beauvoir used to play here as a child. You know where to come if you’re looking for literary inspiration…

Shakespeare and Co.

(37 rue de la Bûcherie, 5th)

For anyone interested in the literary history of Paris, a visit to this famous bookshop is essential. Set up by Sylvia Beach in the 1919, Shakespeare & Co. was frequented by all the great Anglo-American writers who lived in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s, including Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, T.S Eliot, Samuel Beckett and, most famously, James Joyce.

Shakespeare & Co.

Since the 1950s, Shakespeare and Co. has been run by George Whitman and any wannabe-writers or literature enthusiasts are allowed to stay in the rooms upstairs providing that they work in the shop for a couple of hours per day. It’s a wonderfully ramshackle place, full of literary types browsing through the books and soaking up the atmosphere. Myself included. Seeing my swoons, my now-ex-but-still-French boyfriend remarked that Shakespeare and Co. was the perfect place pour drageur les anglaises (picking up English girls). Book lovers beware.

The Mosque

(2 Place du Puits de l’Ermite, 5th)

Built in the 1920s, La Grande Mosquée de Paris was, in part, a means of thanking the North African troops who had fought for France during WW1.  Decorated with mosaics, it’s a beautiful building that resembles many of the mosques in Marrakesh. As well as taking a tour of the building, visitors can relax in the hammam and enjoy sweet mint tea and an array of North African pastries in the café.

The Grande Mosquée de Paris

Studenty chic…Place de la Contrescarpe

One of the Latin Quarter’s most picturesque squares, paved with cobblestones and with a fountain in the centre. There are a number of cafés surrounding the square and this is a lovely place to sit with a glace of wine and do a bit of people spotting. There’s a lively atmosphere, mostly thanks to the students who come here from the nearby Sorbonne. Last time I was at Place de la Contrescarpe there were fire-eaters…

Place de la Contrescarpe

One of the roads leading off from the square is Rue Mouffetard – one of the oldest market streets in Paris. Although there are now a number of rather touristy cafés and restaurants on Rue Mouffetard, towards the bottom you can still find traditional market shops selling cheese, fruit and vegetables, and wine. Fans of Juliette Binoche will no doubt remember that this area was the setting ofKrystof Kieslowski‘s Trois Couleurs: Bleu. A lovely street for a stroll.