AHA’s Paris in Springtime is Fast Approaching
arthisto April 30th, 2009
By the time you read this post, some very excited AHA alumni and I will be about one month away from our Springtime arrival in Paris!
Our tickets are bought, our car and driver reserved, and as I write, Monet’s garden is just beginning to show off. The azaleas, tulips, and the wisteria on his Japanese Bridge, are beginning to pop in Giverney. All the shades of pink and purple that you can imagine, and some that you can’t! Ooh la la!
I am now in the final stage of checking and double checking our reservations in that beautiful city. So, if you have ever wanted to experience “The City of Light”, in a very up close and personal way, come and do Paris with us! We still have space in our little group of like-minded friends-to-be, and we would love to have you along. Simply contact me, (soon) and the more the merrier. Air prices have not been this low in a decade, I have never flown to Europe for so little!
Keep this in mind for the Art History Alive trip to Tuscany and Amalfi coming up in September.
Below is our itinerary for six days in, under, and around Paris, and at the very bottom are some suggestions for pre-reading and watching. These are great whether you are going or not, but if you are traveling with AHA, these will whet your appetite and front-load your knowledge and appreciation for what you are about to experience. This is a part of the uniqueness of Art History Alive. I will encourage you to be in that “Paris state of mind” before we ever leave home. Ready, set, go!
PARIS IN SPRINGTIME
JUNE 3 – 9, 2009
7 DAYS GROUP SIZE: 6-8
PRICE PER PERSON $3,700.00
I love Paris in its prettiest season, springtime. Of course we will spend a week exploring this gorgeous city; its museums, shops, and bistros, but pictured here is Claude Monet’s garden in the season in which we will visit. Who of you have stood in front of a Monet painting, of his beloved garden, and wondered if it was as beautiful as he saw it? On this trip we will stand in his garden and you will see for yourselves. For those of you, like me, who have been to this marvelous place before, together we will spend a few leisurely hours wandering not only his enormous garden, but his home as well. Left as it was, it appears that he has just stepped out to pick some herbs to be incorporated into the family dinner. The dining room table is set, fresh flowers abound, and all is ready for a family gathering. Here in this beautiful and gracious home, Monet thrived from 1883 until the time of his death in 1926. I never, never tire of Giverny.
While in Paris, our home will be a tiny, very French hotel on the Left Bank, where I have been staying for years. I am well acquainted with the neighborhood and its restaurants and really look forward to showing you around. The Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and on and on and on.
Below is a sampling of how I like to spend my days in Paris. Why not join me? Apply to travel to Paris and let’s start planning.
Physical Level: Moderate
DAY 1
Arrive Paris and check into our hotel, Calais des Pais, in the late morning. This day will begin in the center of historic Paris with a visit of Notre Dame Cathedral and the pristine Gothic chapel of St. Chapelle. We will enjoy a relaxed evening with a delicious dinner within walking distance of our hotel.
DAY 2
A slow morning with breakfast at the famous Café Flore. We will travel to the outskirts of Paris to visit the Palace of Versailles, and its beautiful gardens. Then onto Monet’s beloved home and garden in Giverny. Another easy evening.
DAY 3
This morning we will explore the Musee de Cluny. This museum holds the foremost collection of medieval art in the world within a renaissance mansion, built over the ruins of a huge Roman bath. Extraordinary! Free afternoon wandering the streets of Paris.
DAY 4
In the morning, we will visit the Musee d’Orsay with its collection of paintings and sculpture beginning in the late 1800’s. Monet, Renoir, VanGogh, and Latrec are all here. In the afternoon, we will enjoy the Eiffel Tower, its magnificent views of Paris, dinner, and 
a night time boat ride on the Seine.
DAY 5
This will be a free morning. At midday we will meet for lunch in the famous Tuillerie Gardens of the Louvre Palace. After lunch we will visit this most famous museum. We will enjoy the museum’s highlights including, of course, DaVinci’s, Mona Lisa. Following this experience of inside art immersion, we will go outside on to Place de la Concorde, where the guillotine stood during the French Revolution, and walk the beautiful Boulevard Champs-Elysees.
DAY 6
Today we will have another lazy morning and then decide how we would like to spend our last day in Paris. We might want to travel to Chateau Vincennes, a leisurely day trip, we might decide to split up with some returning for a second dose of a favorite museum and others doing some shopping. No matter what we choose to do, we will all be in Paris together for our final evening, that might just call for some Champagne.
DAY 7
Travel back to the United States or elsewhere. I am going on to Rome, care to join me?
Shopping and rest time are built into this itinerary, and all is done at a leisurely pace.
Suggested movies: Charade, the 1963 romantic thriller, and Amelie, the 2001 romance. Both will give you a strong sense and beautiful views of where we will be walking.
Suggested book: Capturing Paris: A Novel
