Right bank Court of Miracles, Passages, Abbeys and Medieval houses
When we arrive opposite a gothic bell-tower in the heart of the city it will be time to say good bye - but what on earth happened to the former church next door?
For our next stop we will linger in a street lined with numerous beautiful old houses. It was here that John Law's Ponzi system collapsed in 1720 after a bloody murder had taken place.
Then we will discover the third most important Parisian abbey where the last legalized duel took place in 1386 and the winner was..., as well as hearing some turbulent stories about the Knights Templar.
See description of
St Jacques Tower (1523)
Apse of St Martin-des-Champs (in-the-fields) abbey(12th C.)
"Egyptian" style building (1829)
"en lan de grace mil quatre cens et sept" (1407)
You can be sure you will learn what most Parisians totally ignore when they hurry by these places daily.
A few narrow streets and medieval private buildings later, we will learn about a famous alleged alchemist in front of his house, the oldest in Paris, dating from 1407.
Did you know that up to twelve “Courts of Miracles” once existed in Paris? We will pass just by the spot where the largest of them used to stand. Disreputable villains used strange techniques to fake their diseases there. Nearby, we’ll walk through an old astonishing passage in a quarter where you’ll see evidence of the Parisian Egyptomania following the Napoleonic campaign of 1798 to 1801.
TOUR 3
All tours are organized in the historical heart of the city and comprise an overview of how Paris evolved: a quick summary takes you from pre-historic times to the 13th century. Tours do not cover the famous tourist monuments such as The Louvre or Notre-Dame but they focus on charming, off-beat places, from the 13th to the 20th century, covering their history and accompanying anecdotes, be they funny or tragic.
Tours are entirely on foot, and last from 2 to 3 hours depending on your level of interest and questions asked. Rain is never a cause for cancellation (although we prefer sunshine to umbrellas!)
The TOURS