Monday, June 14, 2010

St-Germain-des-Près


Le Procope claims to be the world's first coffee house. Founded in 1686 by the Sicilian Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, its patrons have included Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire- who drank 40 cups of coffee every day- and the young Napoleon. Today it features Canadian lobster on the menu amongst other delicious things.

This is the oldest church in Paris, originating in 542. RénéDescartes is buried here, as well as the poet Nicolas Boileau and John Casimir, king of Poland.

This is a very famous café where many post-war French intellectuals and philosophers used to hang out. Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir developed their philosophy of existentialism here.
This café, a neighbor of Café de Flore, derives from the patronage of Surrealist artists and writers including Ernest Hemingway in the 1920s and 30s and existentialist writers and philosophers from the 50s.
Candy stalls on rue St-Germain.
source:EyeWitnessTravelParis



1 comment:

  1. Wow, I can't believe there's still a church from 542. I wonder where the first church in Paris was located. This area sounds like the ultimate old-school hipster hangout. It's strange to think that back in 1919 this would be THE place to be, the hotspot. This brings me to think of all the victorian and edwardian era stuff Millen and Diane Marie were telling us two semesters ago. All of that stuff about Paris being the least uptight Party city (that's right, party ith a capital P) and the center of art. It would be fun to see the moulin rouge but I highly doubt it looks anything like it did.

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