Accompanying Person Programme Monday May 9th 10am to 13:00

10:00 Departure of the Maison de la Chimie - 28 rue Saint Dominique 75007 . Transfer by bus to the Passage Jouffroy, 10/12 boulevard 75009 Paris 10h15/30 The Return is on the Place Colette to the metro station "Musée du Palais Royal Wolf" at 11:30 This is where the bus will take the group to transfer to Saint Germain des Pres at 11:30 (arriving at St Germain 11h45/12h00 maximum) Removing front of Eglise Saint-Germain located at 3 Place St Germain des Prés 75006 Paris to 11h45/12h00 13:00 End of tour returning the group by bus to 3 Place St Germain des Prés 75006

THE COVERED GALLERIES AND ARCADES OF PARIS

Typical for 19th century architecture, the “Passages Couverts” are located in the districts of the right bank. From more than a 140 registered in the 1830, only about 30 still exist today, mostly situated between the Palais Royal and the Grands Boulevards. Offering not only protection from bad weather, but also cafés, shops and theatres, these covered galleries invite the visitor for a leisurely stroll in a fashionable place. The galeries Vivienne and Véro-Dodat, the , Jouffroy or Verdeau have preserved the ancient splendor and charm of these “Salons du Tout Paris” of the 19th century. Their tall iron work and glass roofs, hand carved woodwork, wrought iron gas lanterns and mosaic or marble floors are simply fascinating.

SAINT-GERMAIN-DES-PRES

St-Germain-des-Prés was originally a little market town formed around the abbey of St. Germain. At that time, it consisted mostly of fields worked by the Benedictine monks. The church, which dates from the era, shelters the tombs of the Merovingians and St. Germain, bishop of Paris. The current building has been reconstructed and added to over the years, starting in 990 after the Norman raids. The abbey gave a piece of its land along the Seine to the University Pré-aux-Clercs. Marguerite de Valois, Henry IV's first wife, also managed to get a piece of the Pré-aux-Clercs, where she built an enormous mansion overlooking the Seine. She got the land under the condition that the banks of the river would have the name "Malacquis" (ill-gotten) - the name has since been transformed into "Malaquais". Many big statesmen lived here around the end of the 17th century, and their mansions and courtyards are today the seat of many governmental ministries. After the Revolution, the neighborhood would not come back into style until after the Second World War. Ultimately, it came to be known as a center of intellectualism; the Café de Flore and the Deux Magots were popular hangouts for such minds as Vian, Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir. The church, the oldest in Paris (built ca. 1000), is all that remains from the powerful Abbey of Saint- Germain-des-Prés that played such an important role in the intellectual and artistic life during the Middle Ages. Mediaeval faith, the Age of Enlightenment, the French Revolution... mix together in this district where the picturesque “Place de Fürstemberg” houses the “Delacroix Museum; The famous “Café Procope” (Paris’ first “Café”) still stands in the paved “Cour du Commerce Saint-André” and the quiet “Cour Rohan” seems to be ignorant of modern times...Those are the very places you will discover with our enthusiastic guides.