Behind the Paris Street Signs-Series 3: Le Quartier de l'Europe

In the beginning of October, I had a doctor’s appointment on the rue de Turin in the eighth arrondissement. Far from the commercial and luxurious side we associate the eighth arrondissement with, which includes the Champs Elysees, the Four Seasons Hotel and other five-star hotels, and designer boutiques on Ave. Montaigne, this particular part of the eighth arrondissement where my doctor’s office is, is a quiet, semi-residential, middle-class neighborhood of Paris. 

The name rue de Turin (Turin means Torino, the city in Italy) is part of a set of streets named after European capitals in an area named Le Quartier de l'Europe. I discovered this quaint area in 2010 and was fascinated by how the area came about historically. I only found some basic facts about the area online, but I was hungry for more details. I asked my friend Thirza Vallois, the historian and author of a series of books about Paris, if she had more information about Le Quartier de l'Europe. Not only did she have more information about it, she generously wrote a comprehensive article about it for Eye Prefer Paris in 2011. After my doctor’s appointment, I took photos of as many of the streets I could find, and I thought it would be fun to feature them as part of my Behind the Paris Street Signs Series. 

One notable change form the last time I was in the area, is the Place d’Europe, an intersection where many of the streets converge, has been renamed Place Simone Veil.  A Jewish concentration camp survivor, Simone Veil became one of the most influential women in France, as a lawyer, human rights advocate, and the Minister of Health of France. Her most significant accomplishment was that she was instrumental in the passing of the bill to legalize abortion in France in 1975. Veil was buried in the Pantheon, after she died in 2017 at the age of 90 and was the fifth woman to have been buried there.  

Here’s a complete list of the streets named after European capitals in the Le Quartier de l'Europe- Rue d’Amsterdam, rue de Bruxelles, rue de Bucarest, rue de Constantinople, rue d'Édimbourg, rue de Florence, rue de Liege, rue de Lisbonne, rue de Londres, rue de Madrid, rue de Milan, rue de Moscou, rue de Naples, rue de Rome, rue de Saint-Petersbourg, rue de Stockholm, rue de Turin, and rue de Vienne. 

Click here to read the original post with the Thirza Vallois article about the Le Quartier de l'Europe. 

Coming Soon: My Emily In Paris Video Tour

I’m excited to tell you I am launching an Emily In Paris Video Tour, starring me, not Emily, next week.

In the 30-minute video I visit the many of the locations where the show was shot and tell you the history plus give you some insider scoops about Paris. I also make my onscreen singing debut in the video, singing a verse from a classic French song. I used to sing sometimes at open mike piano bars when I lived in New York.

If you have been living under a rock, and don’t know what Emily in Paris is, it’s the new hit TV series on Netflix, about a beautiful, smart, young, American woman who is suddenly whisked away to Paris for a new job at a French marketing firm, and her adventures, challenges and mishaps, trying to make her way in the city. Click here to read my review and details about the show.

The price to watch the video will be $12.

 

Comments

[Kathy S.]

I love your posts. Wonderfully written with excellent photos. I confess however that they are extremely difficult to read on my phone due to the layout of your pages.

I share through Facebook groups almost every one of your posts that you write for other sites but rarely those that are exclusive to your page. This is a huge shame as they are gems that many travellers to France are missing out on. I hate to sound ungrateful for all the knowledge and expertise you provide freely but I am convinced if you used a programme that automatically formatted for both browsing by computer and mobile that you would attract more readers and subsequently more demand for your tours (when we can travel again) and for your website and magazine contributions. Your warm, personable writing style accompanied by your immense knowledge, passion and wonderful storytelling is sadly hidden from many. Don't worry I am not a website developper trying to sell my services just a passionate francophile who also loves French French language.

[Richard Nahem]

Hi Kathy
Thanks so much for your kind words about my blog and my other articles. I'm sorry that my blog doesn't come across clearly on your phone. I looked into changing the format, but the only way to do that is if i migrate to another platform besides Typepad, which I have been using since I started the blog. It would be a major expense and effort to change platforms, and almost impossible to incorporate all of my past posts. I have a partial solution where you can get my blog posts in a much clearer format. If you go to my front page you will see a box that says subscribe on the right side. fill in your email address and you will receive a confirmation link by email. Once you do that, you will receive the blog in your email every time I post something. The format lis much clearer and you will see my photos in a full size. Thanks again for posting this.

[Diane]

Thanks for your Paris blog. Looking forward to the LaChaise book.

[Michele Kurlander]

Would LOVE to read the Pete LaChaise book. Been there many times- sometimes to enjoy Helpise and Abelard finally together, once to leave a copy of "The Idiot" on How he Whitmans grave, sometimes to visit the Jewish section at the back, sometimes just wander the lanes. One of my favorite Paris places