Ernest Hemingway, a profound writer and expatriate, found inspiration, comfort, and a home among the residents and streets of Paris, France. In escape of the illusion of freedoms and disillusionment his generation experienced while in the United States of America, Hemingway and many others as the so-called “lost generation“ went to Europe to discover a new meaning to life. Today, June 7, 2025, we set ourselves out to walk the steps Hemingway took from his house to various cafés and locations he often was found.

At 11 in the morning, give or take a few minutes, we all met as a group at Closerie des Lilas. We started our lecture with contextualizing the place. Most conveniently, this restaurant was located steps away from what once stood as Ernest Hemingway’s residence. Our professor stated that because writing at home was not ideal, Hemingway went to cafés and restaurants where he could order inexpensive beverages or food and spend hours writing. After all, in the 1920s the euro was more favorable to the USD in terms of conversion rate. Specifically, Hemmingway wrote most of his novel, The Sun Also Rises, in Closerie des Lilas. However, this restaurant was not exclusive to Hemingway. Other notable figures such as Pablo Picasso and Jean-Paul Sartre to name the least, were also avid patrons of the restaurant. Now, this restaurant has a reputation and stands in history as an important landmark as evident by its prices.

On the topic of John Paul Sartre, we took the metro to Mont Pana Cemetery to see his tomb. As we entered, the mood and atmosphere suddenly changed. We all collectively lowered our voices and slowed our movements as we ventured towards the tombs. A slight breeze kept us cool and peaceful as we viewed Jean-Paul Sartre’s tomb. The tomb was engulfed in flowers and various miscellaneous offerings. We all stared at it, reminding ourselves that these people once had stories and ambitions as we do. The legacy these people leave in France and the whole world outlive their mortal bodies that lay in front of us as we attempt to leave our own legacy in Paris with the time we were allotted. Our professor gave us advice about leading our lives with the intention of ever evolving. He compared our lives to a moving body of water that is in constant motion and does not accumulate sediment and other unfavorable things as a stagnant body of water would.

Another place we visited that has connections to Hemingway was La Select. This restaurant was featured in The Sun Also rises as a key setting for character and plot development. The characters of the story were often in this setting having a drink and discussing about their lives. Whether it be revealing true feelings they had for each other, or sparking up gossip to incite drama, socialization for the characters occurred in these places.

After concluding the walking tour, Veronica and I searched for a place to eat. After scouring the city for the best food for the best price, we decided on a Vietnamese pho restaurant. We learned that the owners were actually Cambodian and thus we were able to communicate to them in Khmer. This just goes to show how diverse Paris is and how various groups of people other than the lost generation sought refuge, intellectual escape, and a new home in Paris. We enjoyed our meal and our ability to connect with Cambodians from across the Atlantic.

We ended our day with a ride to the Eiffel Tower via Metro line 6. The view from the Metro was as cinematic as a Disney movie. Music played within the metro the second the Eiffel Tower appeared in view. Crossing the Seine river with the Eiffel Tower as the backdrop tied the day and the experience we’ve had so far up satisfyingly and nicely.