Paris, Paris Tour and Saint Paul’s church in the Marais

Out and about on a Paris, Paris Tour with another small group of discerning visitors, people who know and love Paris and live here part of the year… Too cold to do a full-length tour but we did explore the interior of Saint-Paul’s. Most people pass by this church and shrug. “What’s so great about it?” The facade is dirty, and some of the stone detailing is wrapped in netting in case it falls off. But St-Paul’s is Paris’ first and only true Baroque church, and when you step inside you begin to appreciate why it’s great. Atmosphere! Secrets!! Ask me about this place and its connections to the pre-Revolutionary series of Louis–especially Louis XIII and Louis XIV–and I’ll give you an earful. There are some amazing architectural details (and some totally un-PC sculptures), and each has a tale attached.
We also did my favorite stretch of what was the ancient Roman road of Paris, which morphed into the Triumphal Way, and is still around (now threatened by the rumored arrival of a McDonald’s franchise on the corner of the Rue de Rivoli–god preserve us!). I’ll be posting more on our tours here whenever I can. The tours website (also a blog) is www.parisparistours.com