Visiting the Latin Quarter in Paris (France) with Savvy Mom Ruth Paget
On one of my first visits to the Latin Quarter in Paris, I went with one of Laurent’s cousins to get my hair cut and styled like a Parisian woman, which meant a “bob” like Princess Diana wore without the bangs.
All
you had to do was wash that cut and toss it to the left to be media ready,
which included asking questions at commercial development meetings in
Paris. (Always have about 5 questions to
ask at events like these to publicize your firm and do not wear grubby
clothing.)
I
liked going to the Place Contrescarpe once a month to get that cut tidied up
and check out places like the Musée Cluny (Cluny Museum) about the French
Middle Ages.
Laurent’s
cousin was a schoolteacher and historian.
She gave me a tour of the Latin Quarter:
“In the third century, Paris was called Lutèce and inhabited by the Gauls (ancestors of the modern French).”
“In the third century, Paris was called Lutèce and inhabited by the Gauls (ancestors of the modern French).”
I
listened as she described the Roman invasions into France, the evangelization of
Paris by Saint Denis, and the establishment of the University of Paris in 1215
by Pope Innocent III.
“Until
the eighteenth century, all the university people spoke Latin. That is why this area is called the Latin
Quarter,” Laurent’s cousin continued on with her history lesson.
I
wanted to visit the lecture halls at the Sorbonne University, but Laurent’s
cousin mentioned that there was an antiques fair at the Grand Palais. We went to that and looked at Art Nouveau
lamps and golden Sèvres vases. The word “antiques”
can mean anything in France from the pagan era to the 19th century.
I
do not want French antiques to leave the country. I am happy to buy good reproductions. Almost all of France’s châteaux lost their furniture
and other decorative arts during the French Revolution when they were sold as “national
goods” to pay to run the country while the guillotine was falling.
Then,
we went to the Institute du Monde Arabe and looked at an exhibit about
Palestinian homes and women’s clothing.
On
subsequent trips to the Latin Quarter, I smiled when I saw a plaque on a
building that said “Auguste Comte was Born Here.” Comte is considered the father of social
sciences with his “Positivist” philosophy.
I
used to sit in this café and read Libération (Communist Newspaper) and Le
Canard Enchainée (Written by journalists of the opposition who were out of
power at the moment it seems).
I
could not buy these newspapers in the Hauts-de-Seine where I lived across the
Seine from Neuilly-sur-Seine, where I worked.
However, I learned as a kid to read about 4 newspapers and tons of
magazines to get the real news between the lines in Detroit (Michigan).
The
French language was my Latin-language.
I
loved knowing what all the French political parties were and the history of
various French companies. This knowledge
helped me with sales and planning trips around Paris of places to visit.
By
Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
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