Matrimoine in Paris: A Guide to Women Who Made French History
Cherchez la femme? Even in Paris that’s not an easy task from a historical standpoint. Psychologist, author and feminist Edith Vallée sets out to rectify that in Le Matrimoine de Paris, a new guidebook that tracks the city's female history-makers through 20 itineraries, 20 arrondissements.
Arcs of War and Triumph
The France Revisited Newsletter: I write this in the wake of two major events in Paris over the past month that occurred by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe. On Nov. 11, the gathering of leaders of the belligerent nations of the First World War to commemorate the centennial of the armistice.
On Dec. 1, the vandalization of the arch by some affiliated with the Yellow Vest movement.
Paris Love Locks Sold for Charity
This is for all the lovers out there—at least for those who attached locks to Paris bridges over the Seine and for those who are disappointed that love locks have been banned from the city center. On May 13 bunches of them will be up for auction at Paris's official pawn shop.
ArchiTrip: Tours of 20th- and 21st-Century Paris
An encounter with Christine Hoarau-Beauval, cofounder of ArchiTrip, a Paris-based company offerings tours of 20th and 21st century architecture and urban planning that help travelers and residents understanding the evolution of Paris beyond the 19th-century upheavals of Baron Haussmann.
Off-Beat Touring: Paris Hospitals and Medical Museums, Part 1
Paris has a rich if sometimes horrific hospital and medical heritage. Hitting the medical trails of the capital allows the off-beat traveler to encounter peaceful courtyards, beautiful chapels, a magnificent crypt, troubling and enlightening history and much medical knowledge along the way.
Off-Beat Touring: Paris Hospitals and Medical Museums, Part 2
Part 2 of an article about hospital and medical heritage in Paris, including Louis Pasteur, Marie and Pierre Curie, military medicine and George Orwell.
A Year Ends, A Year Begins in a Hopeful Little Paris Garden
The year 2015 ends on a bright and hopeful day in Paris. I’m relieved to feel no compulsion to come up with resolutions for 2016; I can simply reuse those of 2015 since none of them was realized. Something about this makes me happy.
Fluctuat Nec Mergitur and the Coat of Arms of the City of Paris
Fluctuat nec mergitur, the motto that appears on the heraldry or coat of arms of the City of Paris, came to the forefront as Parisians and others began to rally around slogans in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of November 13, 2015. This is the occasion to recall the history of the city’s heraldry and the significance of the elements that make up the city’s coat of arms.
Do the Rooftops of Paris Have “Outstanding Universal Value”?
Looking out over the rooftops of the city the view is romantic for some, lusty grey for others, a commercial dream for roofers—altogether Paris. In recent months the most attractive view over the capital has been from District Hall of the 9th arrondissement, where District Mayor Delphine Bürkli is spearheading the committee to present the rooftops of Paris as a candidate for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.