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Blvd du Montparnasse
Blvd du Montparnasse is lined with cafes and restaurants
which are evocative of the exciting period when the area
was "hip". The large Art Deco brasserie, 'La
Coupole', at #102, which opened in 1927 with columns decorated
by different artists; the famed ëDomeí at #108, now a
luxurious fish restaurant and bar, the 'Rotonde'and the
late-night cafe, ëLe Selectí at #99. Further east along
the boulevard is the legendary ëLa Closerie des Lilasí
a favorite with Picasso and Hemingway, Lenin and Trotsky,
and still has a clientele of politicians and publishers.
St-Germain
St-Germain was a center of bohemianism and existentialism
in the glittering café society of the post-war
years. Names associated with this period are Sartre and
Camus and the singer Juliette Greco. Young French teenagers
spent nights in its jazz clubs and cabarets. Many famous
French singers sang in the clubs or lived in the area,
such as Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel, Charles Trénet,
Guy Béart, Charles Aznavour. The home where Serge
Gainsbourgh lived on rue de Verneuil has become a graffitied
shrine. Jazz greats who played here include Sidney Bechet,
Miles Davis and Duke Ellington.
Jardin du Luxembourg
Jardin du Luxembourg is the most loved park in Paris. It
is large and has fountains, flowers, statues, tennis courts,
concerts in the summer and on Sunday, Tai Chi. Within the
park is located the Palais du Luxembourg, home to the French
Senate. Next to the senate is the Musee du Luxembourg, which
often has art exhibitions. Nearby on rue de Fleurus lived
Gertrude Stein and her companion Alice B. Tokas who opened
their home to many famous expatriates, writers and artists,
including Hemingway and Picasso. |
