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History of Paris

Seine River Facts & Key Moments in History

by Courtney Traub | November 20, 2023
Seine River Facts & Key Moments in History
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With a history spanning thousands of years, the Seine River flows through Paris as a concrete reminder that change is the only constant– even in […]

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The French Revolutionary Calendar: An Odd Relic From the 1790s

by Courtney Traub | July 12, 2023
The French Revolutionary Calendar: An Odd Relic From the 1790s
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One thing we take for granted, especially in the industrial era, is the keeping of time– and a stable, standardized way to measure its passage. […]

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Remembering the Paris Commune: What it Was and Why We Should Care

by Courtney Traub | July 19, 2023
Remembering the Paris Commune: What it Was and Why We Should Care
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When most people talk about the French Revolution, they’re in fact referencing the first one, which began in 1789. The famous revolt marked by the […]

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Olympe de Gouges, France’s First Revolutionary Feminist (Biography)

by Courtney Traub | November 3, 2023
Olympe de Gouges, France’s First Revolutionary Feminist (Biography)
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Despite holding a significant place in the annals of French revolutionary history, Olympe de Gouges is hardly a household name. Many will easily recognize figures […]

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The Interview: Pastry Maestro & Cookbook Author David Lebovitz

by Courtney Traub | August 9, 2023
The Interview: Pastry Maestro & Cookbook Author David Lebovitz
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It’s been years since I started following the writing and recipes of David Lebovitz, a pastry chef and bestselling author of cookbooks and memoirs such […]

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Looking for Roman Paris: Ancient Ruins From Lutetia

by Courtney Traub | August 10, 2023
Looking for Roman Paris: Ancient Ruins From Lutetia
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Hoping to see significant Roman ruins in Paris on your next trip? Probably not. Unlike Pompeii, Lyon (the former capital of Roman Gaul, once called […]

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The Curious History of the Croissant (& How It Became France’s Favorite Pastry)

by Courtney Traub | September 18, 2023
The Curious History of the Croissant (& How It Became France’s Favorite Pastry)
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There’s something mysterious– maybe even alchemical— about the qualities that have to come together to yield the “ideal” croissant. To fit the bill, it should […]

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Champs-Elysées “Garden” Project Approved Amid Wider Greening Plans for Paris

by Courtney Traub | August 15, 2023
Champs-Elysées “Garden” Project Approved Amid Wider Greening Plans for Paris
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It’s a sprawling Avenue famous not only for its expensive sidewalk brasseries and high-end shops, but also for its headache-inducing traffic, noise and air pollution. […]

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8 American Women Who Moved to Paris– & Made History

by Courtney Traub | October 17, 2023
8 American Women Who Moved to Paris– & Made History
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Many people interested in American contributions to Parisian art or literary history beeline to the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz, but couldn’t tell you where […]

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The Catacombs of Paris: History & How to Visit

by Courtney Traub | November 29, 2023
The Catacombs of Paris: History & How to Visit
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Few places in the French capital inspire the kind of morbid fascination that the Catacombs of Paris do– and that’s not a surprise. The relatively […]

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The American Revolution in France: Key Sites to Visit in Paris

by Courtney Traub | September 15, 2023
The American Revolution in France: Key Sites to Visit in Paris
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Especially since I became a dual Franco-American citizen, I’ve been fascinated by the “dialogic” nature of the American and French Revolutions. By that, I mean […]

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The Tour Saint-Jacques: An Enigmatic Treasure in Central Paris

by Courtney Traub | August 24, 2023
The Tour Saint-Jacques: An Enigmatic Treasure in Central Paris
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During my early years living in Paris, I passed a nondescript construction site in the city center on a semi-daily basis. Clad with scaffolding and […]

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Why to Visit the Victor Hugo House in Paris: An Inside Look

by Courtney Traub | August 29, 2023
Why to Visit the Victor Hugo House in Paris: An Inside Look
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Victor Hugo is a French writer whose presence continues to loom large in the city he called home for much of his life. Best known […]

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Some of the Most Beautiful Restaurants in Paris: 5 Stunning Settings

by Courtney Traub | August 29, 2023
Some of the Most Beautiful Restaurants in Paris: 5 Stunning Settings
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Recent trends in food have tended to de-emphasize the importance of the dining room from an aesthetic point of view– or at least pretend to. […]

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Voices from Drancy, one of France’s Most Important Holocaust Memorial Sites

by Courtney Traub | February 8, 2022
Voices from Drancy, one of France’s Most Important Holocaust Memorial Sites
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In March of 2020, I made a short trip from Paris that was a long time coming. I boarded a train, then a bus, to […]

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The History of Bastille Day (and a Few Weird Facts)

by Courtney Traub | July 11, 2023
The History of Bastille Day (and a Few Weird Facts)
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On July 14th, Paris will once again celebrate Bastille Day, or the Fête Nationale (National Holiday) with all the pomp, circumstance and vibrancy we’ve come […]

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The Forgotten History of Paris’ Wine Market (Halle aux Vins) & Warehouses

by Courtney Traub | June 8, 2020
The Forgotten History of Paris’ Wine Market (Halle aux Vins) & Warehouses
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The area around the Quai St-Bernard at the edge of Paris’ Latin Quarter is strikingly contemporary– in contrast to most of the 5th arrondissement, where […]

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Inside Le Train Bleu, One of Paris’ Most Beautiful Brasseries

by Courtney Traub | October 2, 2023
Inside Le Train Bleu, One of Paris’ Most Beautiful Brasseries
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During the heyday of train travel in the late nineteenth to early-twentieth centuries, rail stations in major cities were places where wealthy travelers showed off […]

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An Elegant Paris Building– With a Dark History of Nazi Collaboration

by Courtney Traub | July 28, 2020
An Elegant Paris Building– With a Dark History of Nazi Collaboration
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On the Place des Petits Pères in central Paris, a sense of calm abounds these days. The Basilique Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church graces the square, and the […]

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10 Famous French Quotes, Followed by a Quiz: Who Said It?

by Courtney Traub | September 12, 2023
10 Famous French Quotes, Followed by a Quiz: Who Said It?
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While the art of the witty quotation is often attributed to English-speaking writers and thinkers– from Wilde to Swift– comparable quips in French tend to […]

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