ÉCU-The European Independent Film Festival

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 17th
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 19th
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.