A Visit to the Home of the Man Who Saved Notre Dame

Maison de Victor Hugo 4

A great—and free!—way to spend a delightful and informative hour or two while in the City of Light is to visit the one-time home of one of the most famous of all Parisians: artist, poet and author Victor Hugo. Hugo lived in a 17th century mansion overlooking the gorgeous Place des Vosges in the Marais for 16 years, from 1832 to 1848. In fact, it was at his second-floor apartment in this very house that Hugo penned one of his most famous works, the novel Les Miserables. But perhaps his most significant work is the novel Notre-Dame de Paris (known in English as The Hunchback of Notre Dame), a book that is credited with saving Notre Dame Cathedral from possible demolition. Continue Reading →

Book a Stay Where Oscar Wilde Spent His Final Days

Oscar Wilde-2

Paris is a treasure trove for lovers of literature. The City of Light has been home—permanent or temporary—to novelists, playwrights and poets for centuries, including some of the best-known scribes of all time: Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Balzac, Victor Hugo and many, many more. And tourists can visit museums, homes, cafes and clubs linked with many of them. But one particular writer has a particular draw for many visitors to Paris: Oscar Wilde. And while lovers of other authors can dine where their heroes once ate, drink at the bars they frequented and view the buildings the called home, Wilde fans are offered a particular City of Light treat: They can book a stay in the hotel room where Wilde spent his final years—and where he died—in drunken exile. Continue Reading →

Another Fantastic Sunday in Paris

Place des Vosges 2

It’s a chilly winter Sunday in Paris, but that wouldn’t stop me from being out and about in the City of Light. From beautiful churches to what the French call “window licking,” here’s my plan for a fantastic Parisian day. Continue Reading →