I happened to wind up in Paris for the Journees du Patrimoine (Patrimony Days) and after walking my feet off today, I am too tired to go out to eat, so I am munching in my hotel room and surfing. I am having such a good time, I had to share it. Yesterday I took the Segway evening tour which was lots of fun. It was my first time on a Segway and the tour leader was very patient and helpful teaching everyone how to handle the beasts. Then off we sped to see Paris by night and hear Seth's really interesting tales about the famous sights. I wasn't expecting much, having been to Paris several times, but I learned some very interesting things about places I have known for years. Today, I chose to see places that are opened to the public especially on Patrimony days (most sights are open this weekend for free). The National Assembly is gorgeous and the Hotel de Ville comes very close. At the Hotel de Ville there were craftsmen in most of the rooms, demonstrating and explaning: locksmiths, parquet floor makers, flower arrangers, quite a wide range. In between I stopped at the Russian Embassy which had a special exhibition for the weekend (fabulous pieces of jewelry among many other interesting displays). Tomorrow's plan is to go early to the Luxembourg Palace (the Senate) and then to the Palais Royal. Yes, you need to stand in line for quite a while, but it is so well worth it. This event is always the 3rd weekend in September, so if you can schedule a vacation for then.. .. I think all of the European Union has adopted the practice, though each country does it a bit differently. I saw notices for Britain's celebrations when I was in London a week or so ago.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Chani: Thanks for checking in with us. Keep up the fun!
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9420 posts
Thanks for posting this great info Chani! I enjoyed reading it...I love Paris too!
Posted by
Atlanta
3250 posts
Ahhhhhh! I also love Paris! Your post was really fun to read! Thanks Chani!
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
Chani, Thank you for the information about Patrimony Days. You said you think many of the EU countries do this. Do you know if London and Paris choose the same weekend? We would love to do this in Paris and London, but it would be a little difficult if they both chose the same time.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32793 posts
London Open House days which are the same as European Patrimony days are this weekend. The rest of the UK was last week.
Posted by
OP
Tel Aviv
15585 posts
Cynthia, You will just have to plan 2 trips instead of one. Today I went to the Palais du Luxembourg which was amazing too. The line to get through security was much faster than the other places, but then there were parts of the tour that were so crowded and slow that it all evened out. Then I went out to the Jardin du Luxembourg to enjoy the warm (70-ish or 20-ish) sunny day, watching the children playing, the adults either picnicking or tanning or just lazing with a book. I had planned to visit the Palais Royal as well but my feet were in total rebellion, so I crashed in my room for an hour instead. I have posted several trip reports of my first few days here on (shhhh) Trip Advisor's Paris forum and will post more (they are more encouraging of trip reports), if you want to read more - my handle there is pitzikat.
Posted by
OP
Tel Aviv
15585 posts
In English, I think they are called Heritage Days. So much for being multi-lingual
Posted by
Atlanta
3250 posts
The last time we were in Paris we spent an afternoon in Tuileries Garden in a chair, with a book, and feet propped up on the edge of the fountain. If you need a break from touring, I'd recommend it. It's just so beautiful!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32213 posts
Chani, I also enjoyed the Segway tour in Paris. It was a lot of fun, but my ankles were "sore" after the tour, as I wasn't used to the "heel & toe" motion to control the Segways. I believe Rick also tried one of the tours recently. I'm assuming they still take an imprint of credit cards for the "damage deposit"? Cheers!
Posted by
OP
Tel Aviv
15585 posts
Yes, Ken, they ask for cc's before they let you on the machines. It seems fair, since they are expensive. Probably for someone who is physical challenged (no known disabilities, just kinda clumsy and breakable - there are stories I could tell. . . ) taking a night tour wasn't the best way to have my first segway experience. I loved being on it, but I was also stressed the whole time that I was going to run over something and tip over and go home in a cast (again - stories I could . . . ), because at night you really can't see what's coming up all that well. In fact, at one point, while we were waiting for a traffic signal, some idiot woman walked right in front of me - like 2 inches from the wheels - and if you've ever been on one, you know that it is really hard to stay motionless - you really just go back and forth while waiting - and she scared the dickens out of me. I was as sorry as I was relieved to get off it. And my feet and legs were sore from being tensed up most of the time. But Oh, it was a BLAST. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Posted by
Mentor on the Lake, OH, USA
251 posts
Thanks for sharing- I had never heard of the Journees de Patrimoine. I will try to plan my next trip to Paris around those dates. Sounds like a wonderful time.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2714 posts
In Brussels it is called Heritage Days. I happened to be there for it last weekend, by accident (not any planning on my part). They close the streets to cars, and they open a lot of buildings that are usually not open to the public. As near as I can tell, everyone who lives in Brussels was out and about, most of them on bikes. It was a fun and festive atmosphere. I was amazed that we didn't see a single drunk person. Everyone was very well behaved.
Posted by
Santa Rosa, California, USA
28 posts
We were in Arles, and moved on to Nice on the 18th, and in neither city did we see any signs of a Patrimony day. But who needs any special days when you're in such a beautiful and stunning part of the world. Maybe Patrimony Days are limited to the capital cities.
Posted by
Oak Lawn, IL, USA
94 posts
We were just in Bayeux for Heritage Day (9/19) and the museums we visited were all free!