Hotel L'Empire Paris in Paris, France
My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go," Oscar Wilde said in lying on his bed in this hotel room in 1900. The wallpaper won and Wilde died soon after. The 20-room L'Hotel is a five star luxury hotel with all the trimmings - a little different from its star rating in Oscar's day, when it was a fleapit called Hotel L'Alsace. Wilde was flat broke when he stayed here. The Jacques Garcia designed hotel does have a suitably flamboyant decor but Oscar would no doubt be relieved to know that the current walls are no longer covered with offensive wallpaper but framed letters written by the hotel management of the day asking Wilde to pay his bill. We advise you to think of something witty to say before you check in; you never know who might ask for a quote.
Hotel Meurice's Bar Fontainebleau: Raise A Glass To Paris And General Von Choltitz
When you're in Paris surrounded by the city's rich history and countless architectural treasures, it's easy to forget that but for the unlikely courage of one German officer, Paris would not be what it is today.
Its landscape might resemble something more akin to Berlin's, a city that was almost completely obliterated by aerial bombings in the last weeks of World War II.
That's why each time I'm at Le Bar Fontainebleau, I raise a glass (or two) to my favourite place on earth and to General Dietrich von Choltitz.
Located on the rue de Rivoli directly across from Jardins des Tuileries, l'Hotel Meurice became the headquarters for the Wehrmacht throughout the German Occupation of Paris during WW II. It is precisely in this spot that General von Choltitz cleverly devised ways to frustrate Hitler's plan to destroy the entire city in the event of a German defeat.
For a detailed account of his bravery, The Luxe Chronicles highly recommends the classic historical text Is Paris Burning? How Paris Miraculously Escaped Adolf Hitler's Sentence Of Death In August 1944 (2000, Castle Books) by authors Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. So, the next time you're in Paris, I urge you to pop into l'Hotel Meurice's Bar Fontainebleau, one of the best watering holes in Europe, and raise a glass to Paris and General von Choltitz. Without him, Paris would not be Paris.
My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go," Oscar Wilde said in lying on his bed in this hotel room in 1900. The wallpaper won and Wilde died soon after. The 20-room L'Hotel is a five star luxury hotel with all the trimmings - a little different from its star rating in Oscar's day, when it was a fleapit called Hotel L'Alsace. Wilde was flat broke when he stayed here. The Jacques Garcia designed hotel does have a suitably flamboyant decor but Oscar would no doubt be relieved to know that the current walls are no longer covered with offensive wallpaper but framed letters written by the hotel management of the day asking Wilde to pay his bill. We advise you to think of something witty to say before you check in; you never know who might ask for a quote.
Hotel Meurice's Bar Fontainebleau: Raise A Glass To Paris And General Von Choltitz
When you're in Paris surrounded by the city's rich history and countless architectural treasures, it's easy to forget that but for the unlikely courage of one German officer, Paris would not be what it is today.
Its landscape might resemble something more akin to Berlin's, a city that was almost completely obliterated by aerial bombings in the last weeks of World War II.
That's why each time I'm at Le Bar Fontainebleau, I raise a glass (or two) to my favourite place on earth and to General Dietrich von Choltitz.
Located on the rue de Rivoli directly across from Jardins des Tuileries, l'Hotel Meurice became the headquarters for the Wehrmacht throughout the German Occupation of Paris during WW II. It is precisely in this spot that General von Choltitz cleverly devised ways to frustrate Hitler's plan to destroy the entire city in the event of a German defeat.
For a detailed account of his bravery, The Luxe Chronicles highly recommends the classic historical text Is Paris Burning? How Paris Miraculously Escaped Adolf Hitler's Sentence Of Death In August 1944 (2000, Castle Books) by authors Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. So, the next time you're in Paris, I urge you to pop into l'Hotel Meurice's Bar Fontainebleau, one of the best watering holes in Europe, and raise a glass to Paris and General von Choltitz. Without him, Paris would not be Paris.
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