France Through Eyes of Faith in March

Join me in a small group immersion in the spirited mind of the middle ages in Paris, Chartres, Angers and Reims. France Through Eyes of Faith explores great gothic cathedrals, museums with exceptional medieval religious art, the luminous Apocalypse Tapestries and Jean Lurcat Chant du Monde tapestries in Angers and more. We learn to 'read' the ancient stained glass and the Cathedral statuary telling stories and teaching lessons. Finally, a day trip to Champagne to visit Reim's Notre Dame cathedral, a gothic gem where the Kings of France were crowned and the lesser known St. Remy Basilica. And a champagne cellar tour to toast our trip!

March 17 to 24. Details on www.yourgreatdaysinparis.com This tour is fun and 'enriching'. Call Sally at 781 391 6183 or email s.peabody@mac.com

Holiday Season Concerts at Notre Dame

Holiday Concerts at Notre Dame Cathedral? Here are three concerts in December.

Tuesday, December 13, 8:30PM, Tickets 18 euros- Organ recital of Bach, Dupré, Messiaen, and Reber by organist Pascal Reber from the magnificent Strasbourg Cathedral
Tuesday, December 20, 8:30PM, Admission free - Christmas concert with organist Olivier Latry
Friday, December 29, 8:30PM,Tickets 18 euros- Gregorian Chants

http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/spip.php?article1198

Check Pariscope for other concerts during the holiday season. Paris is always a musical feast and the holiday season is especially rich.

Some October PARIS images

Paris in October. Palais de Thés tea and macarons from Pierre Herme at the hip Hotel des Academies et des Arts, cakes at Arnaud Delmontel on rue de Martyrs, an impossibly blue clear day with late-season roses by Notre Dame, and images of impossibly chic women who surely eschew chocolate and patisserie.

For travelers to Paris the fall is a robust season with a full cultural calendar. Go see the Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese show at the Louvre or the smaller, but fascinating Rodin-Matisse show at the Rodin museum. The Grand Palais has a major Renoir exhibition. News for Orsay lovers: in 2010 large portions of the museum will close for renovation. Go now. And finally, make it a point to visit the extraordinary Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in Trocadero. I'll be posting a full article on this remarkable place shortly. For now, the historic plaster casts of the great architecture features of chateaus and cathedrals, the frescoes and 'wall paintings' exhibits and the fascinating contemporary architecture presentations present a heady view of past informing present informing future. And thru the end of November there is a remarkable show of 14 leading architects who have been invited to rethink how Paris should 'grow' including master planning to improve the suburban areas, thinking about how to be a 'green' city, looking at what tangibles and intangibles make for a great urban space. Wonderful stuff. And killer views over to the Eiffel Tower too.