A Paris Affair

A Paris Affair
28 SEP – 6 OCT 2016
Tour Leaders
Code: 21629
Christopher Wood
Physical Ratings
Over 9 days experience one of the world’s most beautiful
and exciting cities, from her medieval patrimony to cutting
edge modernity.
Overview
Tour Highlights
This tour is limited to 18 participants
Lectures and site visits by art and architectural historian Christopher Wood
Live in 'studio' rooms in the heart of Quartier Latin, near the Pont-Neuf, so you can experience Paris'
street-life, boulevards, markets, gardens and cafés: Citadines Apart’Hotel Paris Saint-Germain-desPrés
Learn to read the urban structure of this great city, and explore the ways in which its urbanism, its
great monuments and its vibrant political, social and cultural life made it the quintessential world city
Enjoy a series of walks designed to illustrate the story of Paris and take a private interior tour of the
Opéra Garnier
Visit magnificent religious architecture including Paris' Notre-Dame, Sacré-Coeur and SainteChapelle
Make excursions to the grand Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte with France's finest gardens designed by
André Le Nôtre and Le Corbusier's recently restored Villa La Roche
Explore some of the world's major art collections at the Musée du Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay,
Musée Rodin, Musée Marmottan, the Pompidou Centre and the Fondation Louis Vuitton - a
contemporary art museum designed by Frank Gehry.
Visit a number of smaller and little known museums and galleries that provide snapshots of Parisian
history including the Musée Nissim de Camondo housed in a former private home of the early 20th
century, and the Yves Saint Laurent Foundation which includes Yves Saint Laurent's studio and
library
Sample the very latest in design at spaces like Philippe Starck's Cristal Room Baccarat
Dine at famous places, such as Le Train Bleu, the grand Belle Époque restaurant at Gare de
Lyon; the oldest restaurant in the world Le Procope and Les Ombres, designed by Jean Nouvel with
unique views of the Eiffel Tower.
9 days in Paris
Based in the Citadines Apart' Hotel Paris, Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Overview
Experience one of the world’s most beautiful and exciting cities, from her medieval patrimony to cuttingedge modernity. Medieval masterpieces include the renovated Musée de Cluny displaying the Unicorn
Tapestries, exquisite La Sainte-Chapelle and Notre-Dame Cathedral. We visit the 17th-century Baroque
masterpiece of Vaux-le-Vicomte, displaying one of France’s finest gardens designed by André Le Nôtre,
inspiration for Versailles, and in central Paris, the Place des Vosges and the Palais Royal. We explore the
interior of the 19th-century Opéra Garnier, view the Eiffel Tower and walk the Bohemian quarters of
Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur. The 19th century fostered avant-garde communities which attracted writers
such as Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway and Oscar Wilde – whose last home, L'Hôtel, we visit. We
explore the genesis of architectural modernism at Le Corbusier's restored Villa La Roche and visit the studio
and library of the great fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. In the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Musée
Marmottan, Musée Rodin and the Pompidou Centre we view Paris’ great art treasures. The Musée
Carnavalet is devoted to the story of Paris and the Musée Nissim de Camondo, maintained as if it were still
a private home, contains 18th- century French furniture and art objects. We also visit Frank Gehry’s new
Fondation Louis Vuitton, an amazing contemporary art museum that opened in October 2014 in the Bois de
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Boulogne. We sample Paris’ wonderful cuisine at the Belle Époque restaurant Le Train Bleu, Paris’ oldest
dining establishment Le Procope and at the Cristal Room Baccarat designed by Philippe Starck. We lunch at
Les Ombres, designed by Jean Nouvel and view the nearby 'Living Wall' vertical garden designed by
Patrick Blanc. This tour explores Paris through extensive walking tours. We travel by Métro and shop at
produce markets near our self-catering studio apartments located in the heart of Paris.
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Leaders
Christopher Wood
Founded ASA (1977) after teaching
at Melbourne & LaTrobe
Universities. He has led over 160
tours, pioneered cultural tourism &
written books, chapters & articles on
architectural history & tourism. He
leads tours to France, Romania,
Croatia & the Caucasus.
Christopher Wood founded Australians Studying Abroad (ASA) in 1977, after having taught art history at La
Trobe University and the University of Melbourne. Since then he has pioneered and personally led some
160 tours to over 45 countries in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Chris is an expert in
reading diverse cultural landscapes and synthesising vast bodies of knowledge from a variety of disciplines.
His multi-disciplinary approach to educating people about 'being in the world' has earned Chris a huge
following among ASA travellers, and he leads on average four to six tours a year, ranging from the Silk
Route to the Midi Pyrénées.
When not travelling Chris lectures to many organisations on the delights of the different destinations he
visits and, to date, he estimates he has probably delivered in excess of 1,000 public lectures in Australia and
the USA. A passion for travel photography, initially begun as a means to illustrate his lectures, has resulted
in the publication of his photographs in over 250 books, and in newspapers and magazines including The
Times and The Guardian, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Time, The Washington Post and the
Los Angeles Times.
Through ASA Chris has maintained a strong association with tertiary education, and he has periodically
returned to teach in courses at Melbourne, Monash and RMIT universities and the Rhode Island School of
Design. His development of cultural tourism has resulted in co-developing and writing the curricula for postgraduate cultural tourism courses at Monash and Melbourne universities and presenting workshops for the
annual Educational Tourism Conference in Washington DC. Chris was first president of the Cultural Tourism
Association of Victoria and co-organiser of two ground-breaking cultural tourism conferences in Australia.
As Director of ASA, Chris has been the recipient of two Australian Research Council grants and he has
published 2 books, and contributed chapters to 8 others along with many articles, centring on the theory of
tourism, and cultural, art and architectural history.
Chris has put his energies into a variety of media and art projects. He has co-produced, scripted, and
narrated two educational documentary films on the historic and cultural landscapes of Tuscany – Two Tales
of Tuscany – has appeared on television in the USA, and has contributed to a number of ABC radio
programs, including Foreign Correspondent, Radio National's By Design, Harvey Broadbent's Travellers not
Tourists (ABC RN), and the ABC Classic FM series Connections. Recently, in collaboration with Romanian
associates, he translated and recorded the English-language soundtrack for a Bucharest art installation, and
wrote a chapter for a dual language book on the Romanian Dada artist and modernist architect, Marcel
Iancu. He has produced sound–and–image productions projected at Loop arts bar in Melbourne, including
a sound and image 'poem' of Iran in which his images complemented the music of the Iranian singer
Mohammad Esfahani, and electronic music of Australian, Paul Fiocco.
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Closer to home, Chris has written the histories for two Victorian Government historic structures reports (on
the Melbourne Town Hall and the State Library of Victoria) and two regional heritage reports. He was
awarded an Australian Heritage Commission Grant to write a cultural tourism framework for the Central
Goldfields of Victoria, and has either advised on and/or written cultural tourism and ecotourism policies for
all Australian State governments, the Australian Federal government, for UNESCO (Paris) and for the
Government of Fiji. He has been a committee member of the joint Australia Council/Australian Schools
Commission task force on education and the arts. He was an early member of the Committee for
Melbourne, and a Councillor of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. He co-curated for the Victorian
Ministry of Housing a travelling exhibition of early photographs documenting the slums of Melbourne.
Combine this tour with
The Renaissance in Florence & Tuscany
13 SEP – 27 SEP 2016
Cultural Landscapes of the Midi Pyrénées and the Dordogne
13 SEP – 28 SEP 2016
Beyond Chocolate and Windmills: Cultural Treasures of the Low Countries
8 SEP – 26 SEP 2016
Hidden Rome: Private Spaces of the Eternal City
12 SEP – 27 SEP 2016
Berlin: Art, Architecture and Design
19 SEP – 27 SEP 2016
Silver Coast & Golden River: Art, Architecture & Culture of Portugal
9 SEP – 27 SEP 2016
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Itinerary
The following itinerary describes a range of sites which we plan to visit. Many are accessible to the public,
but others require special permission which may only be confirmed closer to the tour's departure. The daily
activities described in this itinerary may change or be rotated and/or modified in order to accommodate
alterations in opening hours, flight schedules and confirmation of private visits. Participants will receive a
final itinerary together with their tour documents prior to departure. 2 lunches and 2 dinners are included in
the itinerary where L=lunch and D=evening meal.
Paris - 8 nights
Day 1: Wednesday 28 September, Paris
Rue de Buci market street
Montmartre district
Participants will be required to make their own way to their accommodation in Paris (check-in time is
2.00pm).
After check-in we shall make an expedition to the nearby rue de Buci, a lively traditional market street with a
variety of shops, restaurants, boulangeries and grocery stores, where you may wish to buy provisions for
your stay in Paris. The produce market, which operates in the mornings Tuesdays to Saturdays, is a throwback to when Paris was like a set of villages, each with its own market. In the 19th century street markets,
considered dirty and noisy at that time, tended to be replaced by purpose built iron markets like the
famous Les Halles in Paris that was torn down in the 1970s.
We also take a Métro trip to Montmartre, the most famous hill in Paris and in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries a mecca for artists, writers, poets and their followers. To understand the development of Paris and
particular districts like Montmartre, you must know that the medieval city, although the largest in Christian
Europe, only occupied a small area to either side of the Seine. Places like Montmartre were autonomous
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communities in the countryside, outside the city walls. In Roman times Montmartre meant Mount of Mars,
but was Christianised to the ‘Mountain of Martyrs’ after the city’s patron saint, Denis, who after martyrdom
by decapitation, carried his head out of the city and placed it where he wished to be buried (at what is now
Saint-Denis). As the city grew, small settlements like Montmartre were swamped and slowly transformed
into urban precincts. This hill became a bohemian district in the 18th century, because it lay outside the tax
barriers at which goods entering the city were taxed. The northern length of Paris’ tax barrier ran along what
is now Avenue de Clichy, so that establishments like the Moulin Rouge were founded just outside it, where
un-taxed grog could be sold cheaply. These in turn attracted a motley crowd and gave the region, including
nearby Montmartre, a reputation for unconventional liveliness, especially at night. Bohemians have always
been attracted by cheap prices and low life, and so artists, writers, musicians, performers and others flocked
here to live, work and discuss art, life and politics in its street cafes. We shall enjoy a leisurely stroll through
picturesque Montmartre, evoking its past street life, looking for echoes of it in the present and
contemplating the role the place has played in the development of world culture. We will also admire the
view from shimmering, white, monumental Sacré-Coeur, a glorious Neo-Romano-Byzantine church begun in
the 1870s and completed in 1914. The evening will be at leisure. (Overnight Paris)
Day 2: Thursday 29 September, Paris
Sainte-Chapelle
Notre-Dame Cathedral
Shakespeare and Company (exterior)
Musée National du Moyen Age (Musée Cluny)
Walking Tour of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Welcome Drinks at L’Hôtel – Oscar Wilde’s last home
Between the Middle Ages and the 18th century, Paris was the largest Chrtistian city in Europe. It also
enjoyed a unique status compared to capitals of a comparable age such as London. Whereas the Spanish
and English monarchies were peripatetic, favouring cities throughout their lands, the French monarchy
‘created’ France from its headquarters in Paris; only during the reign of Louis XIV were the functions of the
realm concentrated elsewhere, at Versailles. Since 1789, France’s successive republics have also
concentrated power in Paris, to the extent that some scholars suggest that in the 19th century the country’s
national identity actually became that of Paris. This concentration of power and culture is why Paris
dominates France, and cities like Marseilles, Lyon and Toulouse have a strictly secondary status.
This morning, therefore, we explore the development of Royal Paris and its artistic and architectural
heritage. We walk to the Île de la Cité, medieval centre of the city, to visit the Louis IX’s (1214 – 1270)
exquisite Sainte-Chapelle, considered one of the finest architectural treasures of the Western world. Built in
1248 to house the precious relic of the Crown of Thorns, this chapel is conceived as a great, luminous stone
and glass reliquary. Its stone structure is reduced to a light frame of thin stone piers and its walls are
opened up into vast, richly coloured sheets of stained glass through which coloured light floods this
unearthly place. Its stained glass windows seem like the scintillating jewels adorning the small reliquaries
that inspired it.
From here it is but a short stroll to Notre-Dame. Pope Alexander III laid the first stone in 1163, marking the
beginning of a construction project that took nearly 200 years to complete. The Cathedral is a remarkable
transitional Romanesque-Gothic structure and features some superb stained glass and stone carving. The
Gothic style’s cradle is Paris and the Île de France, whence it spread out across Europe. It expressed the
intimate link between the Church and the French monarchy until the 1789 revolution, when it
understandably became a target of the revolutionary mob. It took its place in French – and world –
literature, when Victor Hugo (1802 – 1885) made it the setting of that great and extremely influential novel,
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Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) (1831). Hugo in fact wrote the novel, of which the
cathedral itself, rather than Quasimodo or Esmeralda, is the true hero, in a desperate attempt to save this
wonderful building, then in such a parlous physical state that some even advocated its demolition.
Next, we take a walk though the Latin Quarter to the Musée Cluny, via Paris’ legendary English language
bookshop, Shakespeare and Company. Originally established in 1919 by Sylvia Beach, an American, in the
1920s the store was a popular gathering place for literary ex-pats. Sylvia lent books and money, allowed
impoverished writers to stay, and promoted their works. James Joyce’s Ulysses was published by her in
1922. Henry Miller called the shop “a wonderland of books”, Hemingway wrote of it fondly in A Moveable
Feast and Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Lawrence Durrell and Anaïs Nin dropped in often. Sylvia’s
original bookshop closed in 1940, but the right to use the name and idea was given to George Whitman
(great grandson of Walt). Today the shop is run by his daughter Sylvia.
The magnificent Musée National du Moyen Age at the Hôtel de Cluny (1485-1498), Parisian palace of the
powerful Order of Cluny, is a fine specimen of late Gothic secular architecture. This museum holds a huge
collection of medieval sculpture and tapestry and countless other objects as diverse as fine chests, stained
glass windows, precious reliquaries and bejewelled ornaments. A highlight of our visit will be the Unicorn
Tapestries that express the extraordinary richness of the late Gothic style, a vehicle for the expression of
courtly power and grace. Here we enter the world of conspicuous consumption that underpinned French
royal imagery.
After lunch, we take a walking tour of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés quarter which captures the essence of
Paris on the Left Bank: the old abbey church of St Germain, charming streets lined with bookstores and
literary cafés, old squares, artists’ studios, the famous Paris Fine Arts school, and the beautiful St Sulpice
church, mentioned in The Da Vinci Code. We end our walk at L’Hôtel, Oscar Wilde’s last home, where you
may wish to enjoy a welcome drink in its chic bar designed by Jacques Garcia.(Overnight Paris)
Day 3: Friday 30 September, Paris
Pompidou Centre – Musée d’Art Moderne
Beaubourg & Les Halles
Musée Carnavalet
Le Marais & Place des Vosges
Dinner at Le Train Bleu Restaurant
This morning we take a special private tour of the Centre Pompidou Musée d’Art Moderne, a magnificent
collection of 20th century art which takes up where the Gare d’Orsay collection ends, with masterpieces
from the School of Paris to the New York School. The view from the Pompidou’s rooftop is wonderful,
because a feature of Parisian urbanism is the restriction of building heights throughout the city. You can
therefore look across Paris to the Eiffel Tower, which escaped such restrictions because it was initially
intended as a temporary entrance arch to the 1889 World Fair.
Across from the Centre Pompidou is the Café Beaubourg where we shall enjoy a morning coffee break.
After the legendary and now defunct Café Costes, designed in 1980 by world-famous designer Philippe
Starck, the Costes brothers commissioned prize-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc to build and
design this stylish yet welcoming cafe.
We next explore the Beaubourg district and Les Halles area, which once housed the iron food markets of
Paris. The initiation of a huge shopping area on the old market site, and the erection of Richard Rogers’ and
Renzo Piano’s revolutionary Centre Pompidou (1972-7) in a run down city district, was attended by huge
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controversy. Such arguments are a leitmotif in the history of Parisian urbanism. Paris, along with St
Petersburg, Berlin and New York, has a powerful history of the construction of grand, highly innovative,
often challenging architectural statements. These accord with its status as a city of spectacle. Often initially
controversial, such great monuments, like the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, eventually take their
place in the celebration of the unique orchestration of period styles that is the city. Rogers’ and Piano’s
building, an attack on the Beaux-Arts tradition, and totally at odds with the style and scale of the traditional
architecture of its precinct, is now accepted by even its most hostile critics.
We next walk through the Marais Quarter where we will stop for lunch and visit the Musée Carnavalet,
which occupies two adjoining mansions and is devoted to the story of Paris. Its copious collections include
interesting objects like inn signs and even a beautiful 4th century bottle used for perfume, wine, or honey.
The museum’s greatest collection, however, is of images of the city and city events from the Renaissance to
the 20th century, including Jacques Louis David’s famous image of the Tennis Court Oath. The
topographical images and cityscapes will allow you to ‘read’ the physical development of the city as it rose
to world prominence.
The day’s program concludes with a short stroll to the Place des Vosges, a magnificent Renaissance square
considered by many to be one of the most beautiful in the world. Its architectural harmony is matchless.
Surrounded by lovely Renaissance brick buildings with stone dressings and quoins, and steep mansard
roofs, this square was originally designed as a royal and aristocratic refuge from the densely packed, dirty,
noisy city. At one end is a magnificent art bookshop. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure. You may
wish to further explore the Marais and some of the excellent designer shops located here.
One way in which Paris changed the way we live was by ‘inventing’ the restaurant during the French
Revolution. This in part occurred because fleeing aristocrats left behind their chefs, who found an
alternative outlet for their art. This evening we shall experience one of the great delights of Paris as we dine
at ‘Le Train Bleu’, the famous restaurant at Gare de Lyon. Built in the Belle Époque architectural style, this
luxurious restaurant was constructed for the great Universal Exhibition at the turn of the twentieth century,
and in 1972 it was classified as an historic monument. Today, diners enjoy delicious food in an environment
reflecting a by-gone era. (Overnight Paris) D
Day 4: Saturday 1 October, Paris
Fondation Le Corbusier: Villa La Roche
Musée Marmottan
The Fondation Louis Vuitton
Trocadéro
This morning we depart by coach for an architecture tour of the Fondation Le Corbusier, located in the 16th
arrondissement. Cradle of early modernism, Paris is especially noted for the architectural experiments of Le
Corbusier and his colleagues. Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret conceived the Villa La Roche, in which the
Fondation Le Corbusier is now housed, in 1923-25. Designed for Raoul La Roche, a Swiss banker and
collector of avant-garde art, the whole house is the art gallery, an ‘architectural promenade’ – a theme
inspired by Le Corbusier’s visit to the Acropolis in 1911 and repeated most strikingly in his Carpenter centre
for the Visual Arts nearly forty years later. The promenade goes up and down staircases, leads you through
tight spaces, in-between balconies, open surveys, down ramps and into a beautifully lit library. This idea of
a spatial sequence was re-invented by many modern architects, after Le Corbusier.
Next we visit the Musée Marmottan, a wonderful art collection that occupies a mansion on the edge of the
Bois de Boulogne, which was owned by the collector Paul Marmottan. He presented his house along with
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his Renaissance, Consular and Empire collections of paintings and furniture to the Institut de France and the
museum was opened in 1934. In 1971, Michel Monet presented 65 paintings by his father, Claude Monet,
to the museum. Part of Monet’s personal art collection has also been added, making the collection the
largest corpus of the artist’s work in the world. The Musée Marmottan also has works by Berthe Morissot,
Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Paul Gauguin, Paul Signac and Pierre-Auguste
Renoir. A highlight is Monet’s Impression, Sunrise which gave its name to Impressionism.
After time at leisure for lunch, we discover the much anticipated new art gallery in Paris. The Fondation
Louis Vuitton for Creation has entrusted architect Frank Gehry (Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Vitra Design
Museum, New York 8 Spruce Street) to design a new contemporary art museum and cultural centre, set in
the Jardin d’Acclimatation, a children’s park in the Bois de Boulogne. Frank Gehry has imagined the
building inspired by the glass dome of the Grand Palais. Using innovative technological developments, the
museum takes the shape of the sails of a boat vessel inflated by the wind.
To close the day, we visit the Trocadéro, an area that took its name from an island off Cadiz (Spain), site of a
great French victory over Spanish liberals in 1823. Trocadéro occupies the hill of Chaillot, which was the site
of a number of important international exhibitions. The two arcing wings of the present Palais de Chaillot
were built for the Exposition Internationale of 1937 and inscribed with quotations by Paul Valéry. Sculptural
groups at the attic level are by Raymond Delamarre, Carlo Sarrabezolles and Alfred Bottiau. Eight gilded
figures on the terrace of the Rights of Man between the two wings are attributed to the sculptors Alexandre
Descatoire, Marcel Gimond, Jean Paris dit Pryas, Paul Cornet, Lucien Brasseur, Robert Couturier, Paul
Niclausse and Félix-Alexandre Desruelles. This terrace is aligned to the Eiffel Tower across the Seine; the
Tower was the entrance arch to the 1889 Exhibition that occupied this axis. The majestic axial view of the
Eiffel Tower from the Trocadéro terrace brings home to us the secret of Parisian urbanism. The city has
monuments from all periods, and these are often linked by axial views, like that which runs from the Louvre
up the Champs Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe and beyond to the Grand Arch at La Défense. The
boulevards and gardens on these axes create sight lines linking the monuments visually across the city,
giving Paris a sense of monumentality and completeness rarely experienced in other cities. (Overnight Paris)
Day 5: Sunday 2 October, Paris – Maincy – Paris
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, Maincy
Musée Rodin, Paris
Dinner at restaurant Le Procope
This morning we travel out of Paris by private coach to the famous Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte. Nicolas
Fouquet, Louis XIV’s Superintendant of Finances built this great house in 1641. Fouquet’s grand Baroque
château, with its splendid formal gardens created by André Le Nôtre, raised the jealousy of the king and
Fouquet fell from grace. Louis XIV subsequently commissioned Le Nôtre to create an even greater vision at
Versailles. Our visit will illustrate how the landscape was modified to achieve the grand vision for the
magnificent formal garden. We shall also explore the sumptuously furnished apartments, decorated with
beautiful tapestries, as well as the kitchen with its row upon row of gleaming copperware.
After lunch we return to Paris where we spend the remainder of the afternoon visiting the Musée Rodin.
Housed in the elegant 18th century Hôtel Biron, this was the residence of the sculptor Rodin from 1908 to
his death in 1917. The Rodin collection in the sculpture garden and within the mansion itself is the most
comprehensive Rodin corpus in the world. Your group leader will explain how Rodin developed his
sculptural forms, after which you will have time to enjoy the works at leisure.
This evening we dine together at the most literary of all Parisian restaurants, Le Procope. First opened in
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1686, it is one of the oldest dining establishments in the world. It is said to have introduced coffee to the
Parisians and is famed for its sorbet. Voltaire’s regular table is on display (he drank 40 cups of coffee a day),
but other regulars included Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin (said to have revised the US Constitution
at one of its tables), Rousseau, Beaumarchais, Diderot, Longfellow, Hugo, Oscar Wilde, Balzac, George
Sand, as well as leaders of the Revolution, Robespierre, Danton and Marat. (Overnight Paris) D
Day 6: Monday 3 October, Paris
Opéra District
Opéra Garnier – interior
Walking tour of Palais Royal & Galerie Vivienne
Musée du Louvre
Tuileries gardens
Place de la Concorde
Paris’ leadership as the world’s major entertainment centre rested in part on its fame for opera
performance, captured in Degas’ marvellous images of dancers, musicians and their audiences. In 1858 the
Emperor Napoleon III commissioned a new theatre to house Paris’ opera and ballet companies. Charles
Garnier (1825–1898) won a subsequent design competition and construction commenced in 1861; after
many setbacks, including the fall of Napoleon, the building opened in 1875. This morning we undertake a
walk to explore the sights around the monumental Opéra Garnier, and a guided tour of its sumptuous
interior.
Next we continue our walk to Palais Royal, which originated as Richelieu’s Palais Cardinal, passing to the
Crown when he died. We shall explore its beautiful gardens and marvellous shops. Surrounded by beautiful
17th century buildings, for four centuries this magnificent precinct has been a seat of power, focus of
French leadership of the world’s intellectual life, and a place of recreation and pleasure; it is here that the
world’s first purpose built restaurant opened when the French ‘invented’ this mode of public eating. It is
also the home to the Comédie Française. Its peaceful garden is now enlivened by contemporary sculptures
by Buren and Bury. The fountains in the lake in the middle of the garden fan out over two vast greens
skirting the flowerbeds designed by American landscaper Mark Rudkin. The Palais Royal shelters numerous
designer fashion shops, art galleries and antique shops which we shall explore, as well as the 19th century
shopping arcades, Galeries Vivienne and Colbert.
From here it is a short walk to one of the world’s most famous museums, the Musée du Louvre, which
arguably houses the world’s greatest art collection. It started life as a fortress, but over the centuries Kings
and Emperors have added new buildings. One of the most controversial additions was the glass pyramid,
designed by I. M. Pei, which opened in 1989. The Louvre’s art collections have been a vehicle through
which governments established and reinforced Paris’ status as the world’s art centre in the 19th and early
20th centuries. Our visit will take in selected collection highlights as well as exploring the building itself.
Once the formal tour is concluded, group members will have some time at leisure to further explore the
museum’s vast collections.
In the late afternoon we shall walk through the nearby Jardin des Tuileries, an extraordinary open space
surrounded by a magnificent architectural panorama. We end today by walking to the superb Place de la
Concorde, one of Europe’s most powerful expressions of urban planning, designed, like so much of the
city, to establish Paris’ reputation as the world capital. You will have the option of returning to the hotel or
continuing on to discover further delights of the city into the early evening. (Overnight Paris)
Day 7: Tuesday 4 October, Paris
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Musée d’Orsay
Quai Branly Living Wall by Patrick Blanc
Lunch at Les Ombres Restaurant by Jean Nouvel
Afternoon at leisure
This morning we visit the Musée d’Orsay, Paris’ Museum of the 19th century. It is housed in a former railway
station, which was converted to a great museum by ACT Architecture (Renaud Bardon, Pierre Colboc and
Jean-Paul Philippon) and the Italian architect, Gae Aulenti. It holds the world’s greatest collection of French
Realists, Impressionists and Post Impressionists (1848–1914). Masterpieces include Manet’s Le déjeuner sur
l’herbe (1862-3) and Olympia (1863) and Renoir’s Le Moulin de la Galette (1876). Such paintings document
two poles of Parisian life, those of Bourgeois recreation, and the alienation of the individual in a
burgeoning, crowded, ever changing, modernist city. Not only was Paris the city of spectacle, but it was
also the city where modernism as ‘state of mind’ was invented. We shall begin with a tour of the collection,
followed by ample free time to view your favourite works.
We next take the Métro to reach the Quai Branly Museum designed by Jean Nouvel and view the Living
Wall by Patrick Blanc, an extraordinary vertical garden rich in verdant textures. We don’t visit the Museum,
dedicated to indigenous art from Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas, but do have lunch at its restaurant
Les Ombres situated on the museum’s terrace. The restaurant’s decor, furniture and crockery are signed
Jean Nouvel, architect of the museum. The play of shadows from the Eiffel Tower throughout the restaurant
is a tribute of the architect to the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose major work has become the universal
symbol of Paris. A magical place, this domed restaurant offers an unforgettable view of the Seine and the
Eiffel Tower. Scattered with ponds, the terrace is accessible only to the restaurant’s patrons.
The remainder of the day is at leisure. You may wish to visit the Quai Branly Museum and admire the
Australian indigenous paintings specially commissioned by Jean Nouvel as permanent installations of the
museum, or stroll along the Champ de Mars to see the Eiffel Tower and the nearby Australian Embassy
designed by Australian architect Harry Seidler. (Overnight Paris) L
Day 8: Wednesday 5 October, Paris
Musée Nissim de Camondo
Baccarat Gallery Museum and its Cristal Room
Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent Foundation including Yves Saint Laurent’s studio and library
We begin this morning with a visit to the Musée Nissim de Camondo, one of the most sumptuous private
homes from the early 20th century in Paris. Built in 1911 by the Comte Moïse de Camondo, a banker, with
architect René Sergent, to set off the count’s collection of 18th century French furniture and art objects, its
design was based on Versailles’ Petit Trianon, with modern conveniences. Today the house is maintained as
if it were still a private home preserved in its original condition. We are able to visit three floors: the lower
ground floor (kitchens), upper ground floor (formal rooms), and first floor (private apartments).
One of the most extravagant spaces in Paris, the Galerie-Musée Baccarat, with a collection of Baccarat
crystal dating back to 1816. This extraordinary collection documents the drive to make Paris the centre of
the world of luxury that was initiated centuries before by Louis XIV. We start our visit of the Galerie-Musée
Baccarat with a lunch in the Cristal Room, designed by Philippe Starck. After lunch we take a tour of the
Gallery Museum.
Our last visit today is to the studio of the great fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, where each collection
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April 2015
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was born. Our guide will narrate anecdotes while presenting several original sketches and emblematic
haute couture prototypes that bear witness to Mr. Saint Laurent’s creativity. Yves Saint Laurent sensed,
perhaps better than any other designer, the movements of society. If Chanel gave liberty to women, Saint
Laurent gave them power. By making use of masculine codes, he brought women security and audacity
whilst accentuating their femininity. Finally, it is in the rich library before the bibles of the YSL collection,
that you will understand the functioning of such a fashion house. (Overnight Paris) L
Day 9: Thursday 6 October, Depart Paris
Your tour ends today in Paris. Those returning to Australia will need to make their own way to Paris CDG
airport (contact ASA for information on private transfers). Participants wishing to extend their stay in Paris
are advised to contact ASA for information about extending their stay at the Citadines Paris Saint-Germaindes-Prés.
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Accommodation
9 days in Paris
Citadines Apart'Hotel Paris Saint- Germain-des-Prés
53 ter, quai des Grands Augustins, 75006 Paris
www2.citadines.com
Chosen for its ideal location on the Left Bank, the Citadines Apart'Hotel Paris Saint-Germain-des-Prés, is
located just opposite the Île de la Cité and a stone's throw from the Sainte-Chapelle, Notre-Dame and the
buzzing Saint-Michel quarter with its maze of quaint little streets lined with restaurants, antique dealers and
fashion boutiques.
Accommodation is provided in 'studio' rooms, equipped with an en-suite bathroom (with hairdryer), a
separate toilet, and a fully-equipped kitchen area complete with stove, microwave/grill and dishwasher and
fridge. All rooms have TVs with Canal+ and satellite channels, safe deposit boxes and direct-line phones.
Linen and towels are provided. Studio rooms are cleaned and linen and towels are changed once a week
free of charge. Additional house-cleaning service is available on request and is charged according to your
requirements.
Other facilities include: 24-hour reception, breakfast room, launderette, gym, meeting room, business
centre and high-speed internet access.
Breakfast is not included in the tour price, however, close by, you will find one of the best markets in Paris,
located in rue de Buci. This traditional French food market operates in the mornings Tuesdays to Saturdays
(note: in France, most shops and stores are closed on Sundays) and offers a wonderful opportunity to
experience the lively atmosphere of a Parisian market with its wide variety of stalls selling everything from
seasonal fruits and vegetables to cheese, roasted chickens, freshly baked breads and pastry, and fresh
flowers! Alternatively, a continental breakfast can be purchased from the breakfast area located in the main
lobby.
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Tour Map
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Tour Price & Inclusions
AUD $TBA Land Content Only
AUD $TBA 'Studio' room for Single Use Supplement
For competitive Economy, Business or First Class airfares and/or group airfares please contact ASA for
further information.
Tour Price (Land Content Only) includes:
Accommodation in twin-share 'studio' rooms with private facilities in the Citadines Apart'Hotel Paris
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
2 lunches and 2 dinners indicated in the itinerary where: L=lunch and D=evening meal
Drinks at welcome and farewell meals. Other meals may not have drinks included.
Transportation by air-conditioned coach on Day 4 and Day 5
Lecture and site-visit program
Porterage of one piece of luggage per person at the hotel
Tour Handbook
Entrance fees
Use of audio headsets during site visits
Tips for the coach driver, local guides and restaurants for included meals.
Tour Price (Land Content Only) does not include:
Airfare: Australia-Paris, Paris-Australia
Arrival/Departure airport transfers (please contact ASA if you wish to reserve a private transfer)
Personal spending money
Luggage in excess of 20 kg (44 lbs)
Travel insurance
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Physical Endurance & Practical Information
Physical Ratings
The number of flags is a guide to the degree of difficulty of ASA tours relative to each other (not to those of
other tour companies). It is neither absolute nor literal. One flag is given to the least taxing tours, six to the
most. Flags are allocated, above all, according to the amount of walking and standing each tour
involves. Nevertheless all ASA tours require that participants have a good degree of fitness enabling 2-3
hours walking or 1-1.5 hours standing still on any given site visit or excursion. Many sites are accessed by
climbing slopes or steps and have uneven terrain.
This 9-day tour involves:
Exploring Paris on foot
Extensive walking (up to 5km per day) and standing during museum and other site visits
Using the Paris Métro system where participants will need to negotiate many short flights of stairs
The use of audio headsets which amplify the voice of your guide (despite noisy surroundings). This
technology also allows you to move freely during site visits without missing any information.
It is important to remember that ASA programs are group tours, and slow walkers affect everyone in the
group. As the group must move at the speed of the slowest member, the amount of time spent at a site
may be reduced if group members cannot maintain a moderate walking pace. ASA tours should not present
any problem for active people who can manage day-to-day walking and stair-climbing. However, if you
have any doubts about your ability to manage on a program, please ask your ASA travel consultant whether
this is a suitable tour for you.
Please note: it is a condition of travel that all participants agree to accept ASA's directions in relation to
their suitability to participate in activities undertaken on the tour, and that ASA retains the sole discretion to
direct a tour participant to refrain from a particular activity on part of the tour. For further information please
refer to the ASA Reservation Application Form.
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Practical Information
Prior to departure, tour members will receive practical notes which include information on visa
requirements, health, photography, weather, clothing and what to pack, custom regulations, bank hours,
currency regulations, electrical appliances and food. The Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade website has
advice for travellers see: www.smartraveller.gov.au
Booking Conditions
Making a Tentative Reservation before the tour price has been published
ASA INTENTION TO TRAVEL APPLICATION FORM
Some ASA tours fill almost immediately. Don’t miss out! You can register your ‘Intention to Travel’ by
completing this application and returning this to ASA with a AUD$100.00 per person deposit. Once the tour
price has been published, the itinerary and ASA Reservation Application Form will be sent to you. From the
time you receive the itinerary you will have two weeks to either:
Send us a completed ASA Reservation Application Form together with an additional deposit of
AUD$400.00 per person. On receipt of this Reservation Application and deposit, ASA will process
your booking and if approved, send you a tour confirmation. At this time your deposit of $500.00
AUD is subject to the tour’s Booking Conditions.
Or
CANCEL your Intention to Travel in writing. ASA will refund your AUD$100.00 per person deposit,
less a $33.00 service fee (including GST).
Participation Criteria
To participate in an ASA tour, you must be reasonably fit, in good health and able to participate in all
activities without assistance from Tour Leaders or other tour members. If you require assistance, a fit and
able travel companion must undertake to accompany and assist you with all tasks for the duration of the
whole tour. ASA’s ability to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate your specific needs, your health
and safety and the health and safety of other tour members, is of paramount importance to us. For this
reason the ASA Reservation Application includes a Medical Information section. As a general guideline, you
must be able to accomplish each of these activities without assistance or support:walk and stand unassisted for at least 2-3 hours a day in hot, humid conditions
walk confidently on and over uneven surfaces
climb at least 3 flights of stairs
embark and disembark from ferries, buses and trains
walk up and down steep slopes
walk at a steady pace and no less than 1 km every 15 - 20minutes
organise, manage and carry your own luggage
follow and remember tour instructions
meet punctually at designated times and places
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administer your own medication.
Single Supplement
Payment of this supplement will ensure a "studio" room for single use throughout the tour. This option is
extremely limited. People wishing to take the single supplement are advised to book well in advance.
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Intention to Travel Application
TOUR NAME
TOUR DATES
Booking before the tour price is available
Some ASA tours fill almost immediately. Don’t miss out! You can register your ‘Intention to Travel’ by completing this application and
returning this to ASA with a AUD$100.00 per person deposit. Once the tour price has been published, the itinerary and ASA
Reservation Application Form will be sent to you. From the time you receive the itinerary you will have two weeks to either:
.
.
Send us a completed ASA Reservation Application Form together with an additional deposit of AUD$400.00 per person.
On receipt of this Reservation Application and deposit, ASA will process your booking and if approved, send you a tour
confirmation. At this time your deposit of $500.00 AUD is subject to the tour’s Booking Conditions.
OR
Cancel your Intention to Travel in writing. ASA will refund your AUD$100.00 per person deposit, less a $33.00 service fee
(including GST).
Applicant Details (as in passport)
TITLE
Mr
Mrs
Ms
Miss
Dr
Other
FIRST NAME
Preferred FIRST NAME
MIDDLE NAME
SURNAME
POSTAL ADDRESS
CITY
TEL. (AH) (
STATE
)
COUNTRY
TEL. (BH) (
)
POSTCODE
Mobile Tel:
EMAIL address
Date of birth
/
/
GENDER Male
Female
Tour Accommodation (rooming preferences)
I/we would like:
a twin-bedded room
I am travelling:
on my own
a double-bedded room
with a friend/family member
Meals
fish
poultry
red meat
eggs
pork
nuts
dairy products
Other
Allergies: Refer to the Medical Information
Your preferred method of correspondence
Travel Companion
Please X the box if you CAN NOT eat any of the following:
I do not have any specific dietary requests
Correspondence
a room for sole occupancy
Postal Mail
Email Address
Participation Criteria
To participate in an ASA tour, you must be reasonably fit, in good health and able to participate in all activities without assistance from Tour Leaders or other tour
members. If you require assistance, a fit and able travel companion must undertake to accompany and assist you with all tasks for the duration of the whole tour.
ASA’s ability to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate your specific needs, your health and safety and the health and safety of other tour
members, is of paramount importance to us. For this reason the ASA Reservation Application includes a Medical Information section. As a general
guideline, you must be able to accomplish each of these activities without assistance or support:•
•
•
•
•
walk & stand unassisted for at least 2-3 hours a day in hot, humid conditions
walk confidently on and over uneven surfaces
climb at least 3 flights of stairs
embark and disembark from ferries, buses and trains
walk up and down steep slopes
Applicant’s Signature
•
•
•
•
•
walk at a steady pace and no less than 1 km every 15 - 20 minutes
organise, manage and carry your own luggage
follow and remember tour instructions
meet punctually at designated times and places
administer your own medication.
Dated
Intention to Travel Payment
Tour / Course Name
I have enclosed an Intention to Travel Fee of $
Payment by (please indicate):
Cheque
(including CC or bank fee if applicable)
Direct Debit (see below)
for this tour
Credit Card (see below)
By Cheque
Credit Card Payment
Please make cheques payable to Australians Studying Abroad
Credit card fees apply: Mastercard, American Express & Visa
Direct Deposit or Internet Banking
Please debit my:
You will need to:
1. Provide your bank with ASA’s bank details (see below) and
the amount you wish to transfer OR make a direct deposit
through any ANZ branch
I authorise ASA to debit my credit card for the amount due plus
the applicable fee as above
2.
Include any fees levied by the banks
Expiry Date
3.
Provide a reference number (Mobile or last name recommended).
Bank the Card is linked to (eg. NAB or ANZ)
4.
Complete section below, including confirmation no. (given
when transaction completed).
Cardholders Name
Australians Studying Abroad bank details
Bank
Branch
Swift Code
BSB
Account No
ANZ
420 St Kilda Road, Melbourne Vic
ANZBAU3M
013-423
3472-32759
Bank confirmation No.
Reference used: Mobile or last name recommended
Mastercard
American Express
1.95%
Visa
Credit Card Number
Security Code (CVC)
Cardholders Billing Address
State
Postcode
Country
Phone
Email
Cardholders Signature
Date Money Transferred
AUSTRALIANS STUDYING ABROAD
Office 6, Level 1, 1087-1095 High St (PO Box 8285) Armadale VIC Australia 3143
Phone +61 3 9822 6899 Freecall 1800 645 755 (outside metro Melbourne area only) Email [email protected]
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www.asatours.com.au
License No. 31248 ABN 27 006 589 242