I am into my fifth year in Paris, so I can safely say I have uncovered all the "touristy" secrets of this city. Raison pour laquelle I signed up for a French tour. The company tempted me with a guided visit up the Tour de Saint Jacques which is usually closed to the public but unfortunately it was full.
Well, moving on swiftly I choose the next best item in the menu. On our walk through the Marais the guide unveiled some spectacular green areas and I will say I did discover two new spots!
As the story goes, the aristocratic Marais was saved by André Malraux in 1962 who introduced the law on protected sectors. The kings of France had decided the fate of this district: King Charles V by including it into the city walls of Paris and King Henri IV by giving it its pedigree through the construction of Place Royale, now known as the Place des Vosges.
Today, this protected area grants us the opportunity to discover the French elite lifestyles that built its mansions in the narrow streets of the Marais during the fifteenth and eighteenth century.
We criss-crossed from one "hotel particulier" (private residence) to another, all erected around sumptious courtyards and whose gardens are now open to the public allowing to access the architecture, admire the decor and discover the mysteries of the historical heart of the capital.
Square de la Place des Vosges
Indian summer in Paris
Jardin de l’hôtel de Sully
Facade of Hotel de Sully
Parisian reality today: a food truck...
... and a clochard
Paroisse Saint-Paul Saint-Louis
Rue de Sévigné
A patisserie long succumbed to modern retail
Facade of the Carnevalet Museum
Jardin du Musée Carnavalet
Intellectual lunch break
Square Georges Cain
Jardins des Rosiers - Joseph Migneret
Jardin des Archives Nationales
The ultimate secret garden
Teatime at "Le Loir dans la théière"
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