When visiting a major city (particularly a historic one), I always try to sort myself out with a walking tour while I'm there. Not one of those generic-type tours where you find yourself part of a great horde, led by a guide with a lurid umbrella or gaily-coloured scarf on a stick, mind. I'm more interested in smaller tours that explore specific neighbourhoods, or historical events, or themes, in some depth. I find that on a good walking tour, I spend far more time looking around and appreciating my surroundings than I would if I had my nose buried in a guidebook half the time.
So this morning I found myself on the Paris Walks website. I discovered them during my last trip to the city in 2002, as a result of their affiliation with the absolutely excellent London Walks. On that particular trip, J. and I did a Paris Walks tour of the Père-Lachaise cemetery, and very enjoyable it was, too. This morning, I downloaded their brochure and schedule of walks for September, and damned if I don't want to do pretty near all of them!
If I do get to Paris next month, as planned, I'll definitely aim to do a couple of these. A two-hour stroll in some historic neighbourhood and a wonderful meal in an out-of-the-way bistro...what else would one require for a perfect day in Paris?
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