Once a year, usually the third weekend in September, is the Journees de Patrimoine/ Heritage day and is celebrated all over Europe. It’s a great opportunity to see some spectacular Paris buildings and sites that are normally closed to the public for free. Last year I had the wonderful privilege of seeing the Hotel de Ville, the magnificent city hall built in 1892 by architects Theodore Ballu and Pierre Deperthes. One of the highlights was seeing the mayor Bernard Delanoe’s office with the surprise of having some pieces of modern furniture and contemporary art in it. This year the list of places include Hotel de Ville again, the Senat, with a fresco by Delacroix overlooking the Luxembourg Gardens, Palais Royal, and many of the hotel particuliers, which were originally private mansions built for royalty and aristocrats in the 1600 & 1700’s. Also, many of the museums offer free admission.
Last but not least, the home of President Sarkozy, the Elysee Palace, is on the list and if you decide to visit, make sure you arrive super early because of the long lines. Who knows, maybe you’ll spot Sarkozy in his boxer shorts and Carla Bruni looking ever so gorgeous with no makeup, serving petit dejeuner in her housecoat, bunny slippers, and hair in curlers.
Journees de Patrimoine
Saturday, September 20& Sunday, September 21
Friday, September 19 is a special day for handicap access
http://www.journeesdupatrimoine.culture.fr
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
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