It's not often I watch a movie but on a long flight home late last year, I had the chance to watch Midnight in Paris and was totally captivated by its plot. Can you imagine time traveling to the era of Fitzgerald and Hemingway, Picasso and Dali, Gauguin and Toulouse Lautrec? It was therefore such a treat to be in Paris and be able to see a couple of the locations from the movie. Had so much fun figuring out where the Peugeot came from to pick up Gil (Owen Wilson) and take him back to the Jazz Age.
This is where Gil was sitting, a little disoriented, when the Peugeot drove up and one of its passengers invited him to join them on what turned out to be an incredible trip to the 20's. These steps are part of the Church of St. Etienne du Mont which sits in the shadow of the Pantheon on the Left Bank.
Notice the people standing in front of the now famous steps. I had to wait a while for them to clear out so I could snap a couple of pictures.
Rue Galande
Rue Galande is a narrow street lined with boutiques with engaging window displays. Notice the giant flea sculpture above one of the shops. This location was shown at the beginning of the film. Interestingly enough, Rue Galande is a stone's throw from the bouquinistes along the Seine and across from the Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris.
The Steps of St. Etienne du Mont
This is where Gil was sitting, a little disoriented, when the Peugeot drove up and one of its passengers invited him to join them on what turned out to be an incredible trip to the 20's. These steps are part of the Church of St. Etienne du Mont which sits in the shadow of the Pantheon on the Left Bank.
The Pantheon
Notice the people standing in front of the now famous steps. I had to wait a while for them to clear out so I could snap a couple of pictures.
Interior, St. Etienne du Mont
What they didn't show in the movie is the interior of St. Etienne which has a n early 16th century rood screen with intricate tracery along the bridge that straddles the nave and framed on either side by spiral staircases. There are also beautiful glass windows. Two famous people are buried inside the church, Blaise Pascal who was a physicist and philosopher and Jean Racine, a playwright. Their remains lie in a chapel behind the main altar.
Location: St. Etienne du Mont
Rue de la Montagne
Sainte-Genevieve, Paris
Metro stop: Cardinal Lemoine
Adriana (from Midnight in Paris): "That Paris exists and anyone could choose to live anywhere else in the world will always be a mystery to me." Why indeed!
Adriana (from Midnight in Paris): "That Paris exists and anyone could choose to live anywhere else in the world will always be a mystery to me." Why indeed!
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Images by Charie