November 5: Because it's free and contained in two relatively small Marais mansions, the Musee Carnavalet is a worthwhile introduction to the history of Paris, particularly the revolutionary years. The city participated in four revolutions: the biggie in 1789, and three more in the 19th century. You'll see monuments and references to all four events throughout the city, and this museum sorts them out for you. However, avoid coming between 12 and 2 PM, when many rooms are closed for lunch or on Monday, when the place is closed.
One caveat: everything is in French, so find a good tour book. The Rick Steves Paris book, linked on the right side of this blog, contains a two-hour tour, or one-hour, if you concentrate on the revolution. Many other travel guides also contain tours.
The walls were chock-full of paintings of French personalities such as Marie Antoinette, Marat and Robespierre. Two toy guillotines made of ivory were among the displays. The first highlight were the city models, particularly of the area around Notre Dame before Baron Haussmann's renovations. The location was a warren of medieval houses and crooked streets before the tore them all down to present a better view of the cathedral.
The second highlight was the full reconstruction of an Art Nouveau shop, both inside and outside, complete with bronze peacocks, stained glass accents and curved framing. I'll let the picture speak for itself.
