#Medium alternate (BUTTON) Get started Open in app Mikaela Wilkes 19 Followers About (BUTTON) Follow Sign in (BUTTON) Get started (BUTTON) Follow 19 Followers About (BUTTON) Get started Open in app Tour Paris like Anna and The French Kiss Mikaela Wilkes Mikaela Wilkes Nov 26, 2016·7 min read (BUTTON) “Anna and The French Kiss” is a confectionery, coming-of-age romance that takes place at an American boarding school in Paris. Our narrator is Anna, a senior who has reluctantly been sent there by her father. She’s unhappy about leaving her perfect life in Atlanta but soon becomes intoxicated with the city of light, its food, its cinemas and most of all — fellow student and friend, “Boy Wonder” Etienne St. Clair. Map by Mikaela Wilkes Don’t let the cliche-sounding title put you off — Anna’s story is rich with character, witty dialogue and description that’ll drop you right into Paris. Of course you’re also able to actually visit the novel’s locations. Most of the novel takes place in the Latin Quarter. Touring the area like Anna will make sure you see a mixture of world-famous monuments and off the beaten path gems that would never pop up in a Top 10 Places in Paris listicle. Feel free to pop on the author’s Anna playlist while you make your travel plans: The Latin Quarter Blue markers Image for post Image for post Image for post Photo by Mikaela Wilkes Image for post Image for post Image for post Image for post Image for post Image for post Photos by Mikaela Wilkes Notre Dame “And there, as we’re turning our attention back toward the river, I see it. Notre Dame. I recognise it from the photographs, of course. But if St-Etienne is a cathedral then it is nothing, NOTHING compared to Notre Dame.” Notre Dame is one of the most famous locations in Paris. In the final chapter Anna and Etienne climb up to the top. I recommend starting your day with this. Get up early to avoid the worst of the crowds and for some of the best views of the city. Image for post Image for post Image for post Image for post Image for post Image for post Photos by Mikaela Wilkes Point Zero “We both got our Point Zero wishes―each other. He said he wished for me every time.” Look carefully on the ground opposite the main entry of cathedral square and you’ll find the Paris Point Zero marker. This small, octagonal plate set is considered the official center of Paris and, as mentioned, it marks the exact spot from which all distances throughout France are measured. Urban myth is that if you make a wish on Point Zero it will come true and you’ll be destined to return to Paris. Image for post Image for post Image for post Flickr: Loic Lagarde / Creative Commons St. Etienne Du Mont “Oh! You have to see this first.” He grabs my arm and pul s me across the street. An angry scooter honks its puny horn, and I laugh. “Wait, what — ” And then I’m knocked breathless. We’re standing in front of an absolute beast of a cathedral. Four thick columns hold up a Gothic facade of imposing statues and rose windows and intricate carvings. A skinny bel tower stretches all the way into the inky blackness of the night sky. “What is it?” I whisper. “Is it famous? Should I know it?” “It’s my church.” Etienne’s church is tucked in beside the streets near the Pantheon. Etienne brings Anna there on her first tour of the city before they go to see Notre Dame. He tells her that his mum used to go there to do drawings. The gothic architecture is absolutely stunning. Image for post Image for post Image for post Flickr: Dennis Jarvis / Creative Commons The Pantheon St. Clair glances at me from the corner of his eyes and smiles. “A pantheon means it’s a place for tombs — of famous people, people important to the nation.” “Is that all ?” I’m sort of disappointed. It looks like it should’ve at least crowned a few kings or something. “I mean, there are tombs and monuments everywhere here. What’s different about this one?” We climb the steps, and the full height of the approaching columns is overwhelming. I’ve never been this close. “I don’t know. Nothing, I suppose. It’s a bit second rate, anyway.” “Second rate? You’ve gotta be kidding.” Now I’m offended. I like the Panthéon. No, I LOVE the Panthéon. “Who’s buried here?” I demand. “Er. Rousseau, Marie Curie, Louis Braile, Victor Hugo — ” “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame guy?” “The very one. Voltaire. Dumas. Zola.” A pivotal scene in Anna is when she returns from Christmas break and sees St. Clair on the steps of the Pantheon. This is the moment when she starts calling him Etienne and we see a dynamic shift in their relationship. Anna and Etienne also explore the crypt together on Thanksgiving and there you’ll find the graves of France’s most noteworthy people. Image for post Image for post Image for post Wiki Images Shakespeare and Company Here books totter in wobbly stacks, fall from the seats of chairs, and spill from sagging shelves. There are cardboard boxes overflowing with books, and a black cat naps beside a pile on the stairs. A must-visit for any bookworm. Shakespeare & Company is one of the most famous bookstores in the world. It’s also where Etienne buys Anna a copy of Pablo Neruda’s poems. In the 1920s, it was a gathering place for many then-aspiring writers such as Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway and Djuna Barnes. The first location closed in 1941 during the German occupation of Paris. The store reopened on 37 rue de la Bûcherie in 1951 and is still in operation today. In addition to being a public library, Shakespeare & Co. houses aspiring writers and artists in exchange for their labour. More than 30,000 people have slept in the beds found tucked between bookshelves. Image for post Image for post Image for post Photo by Mikaela Wilkes Le Champo And then the darkness gives way to white neon. An Art Deco font, burning into the night, announces our arrival at the CINEMA LE CHAMPO. The letters dwarf me. Cinema. Has there ever been a more beautiful word? My heart soars as we pass the colourful film posters and walk through the gleaming glass doors. The lobby is smaller than what I’m used to, and though it’s missing the tang of artificial y buttered popcorn, there’s something in the air I recognise, something both musty and comforting. When I first read Anna I thought that the cinema was fictional, but I stumbled upon it by accident when I was walking around! Anna is an aspiring film critic and she frequents Le Champo regularly to feel more at home. Paris is full of small, artisan cinemas and if you want to catch a flick look for the marking VO, which means Orginal Version/English. VF means the film is in French. Image for post Image for post Image for post Image for post Image for post Image for post Photos by Mikaela Wilkes Jardin Du Luxembourg If you ask me to kiss you, I will. On a rare sunny day you’ll find the locals sprawled out on the Luxembourg palace lawns, taking in the rays. It’s free to walk around and nearby are a selection of bakeries where you can pick out some treats for afternoon tea. After Etienne finds out that his mom’s cancer is in remission he skips Mer’s football game to laze in the gardens with Anna. Other places Blue markers There a couple of spots that will take you out of your way. You could visit these in any spare time you find, or plan to trek around them all in a day. Image for post Image for post Image for post Flickr: Neil Howard / Creative Commons Pere Lachaise “Victor Noir. He was a journalist shot by Pierre Bonaparte,” St. Clair says, as if that explains anything. He pul s The Hat up off his eyes. “The statue on his grave is supposed to help . . . fertility.” “His wang is rubbed shiny,” Josh elaborates. “For luck.” An obscure cemetery isn’t usually on people’s Paris to-see list but if you have some morbid curiosity then it’ll suit you well. Anna, Etienne and their gang of friends have a picnic in Pere Lachaise on Halloween. Eiffel Tower Image for post Image for post Image for post Photo by Mikaela Wilkes Anna only mentions visiting the Eiffel Tower in passing, but a trip to Paris wouldn’t be complete without it. Remember that some of the best views of the city are from the top of Notre Dame and The Arc de Triomphe, so you could just walk around the base if you don’t want to spend the extra money to go up. Champs Elysees Image for post Image for post Image for post Photo by Mikaela Wilkes Anna doesn’t talk about Champs Elysees much, but it’s the main thoroughfare in Paris and runs directly to the Arc De Triomphe. If you want to soak in Parisian culture and take a stroll, then this is the street to do it on. Have fun travelling, Bisous! 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