Maison de Vicor Hugo, Paris, France

I read both Les Miserable and The Hunchback of Notre Dame when I was a teenager, my era of doing deep and thorough dives into the classics, and love Victor Hugo as a result. When I was looking for a museum that was small and hopefully not too crowded and not too far from our hotel for a recent Paris trip (I was trying very hard, maybe too hard, to avoid being jousled as I was less than two months past a shoulder replacement--I did not want to give up the trip, but also didn't wan an unforced error), this one was suggested. This intimate museum is located in the southeast corner of beautiful Place des Vosges. Stroll around the square to number 6 and look up to the second floor to see the windows where Hugo once lived. The buildings surrounding the Place des Vosges were inaugurated in 1612 in honor of Louis XIII’s wedding to Anne of Austria, and they’ve always been a fashionable address in Paris. Victor Hugo moved into an enormous 3,000 square foot apartment in October 1832 with his wife Adele, and it is here that Hugo wrote much of his most famous work Les Misérables and many other important works. The entire building was converted into a museum dedicated to Hugo’s life and works, and is now managed by the City of Paris. Inside the museum, visitors can explore a reception hall with family portraits, a salon (my favorite room) with an impressive collection of Chinoiserie, or Chinese style art and design, a family dining room, and Hugo’s bedroom with his original writing desk. Hugo’s creativity and passion extended well beyond writing, and the museum displays some of his drawings and the Gothic-style furniture he designed. It’s such an unique experience to be so close to where Hugo lived and to see the moments of daily life frozen in time. Hugo had the unusual preference to write standing up, and you can see how high his writing desk was compared to a nearby chair--ahead of his time. I very much enjoyed this and it takes very little time to see thoroughly and completely.