Jefferson in : the man of the Enlightenment

A program especially designed by Decouvertes

Follow one of the United States most important Founding Father in the “City of Lights”. In his footsteps, re-live important episodes of young America in the making; taste 18th century dishes, meet descendants of people directly in contact with , visit in the company of true experts the places where he truly worked at making History for his country.

Day 1 –

Departure from the USA

Day 2- (C)

Independent arrivals at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport: In the afternoon, meet your local resident guide who will escort you throughout your stay and enjoy a panoramic drive introducing Paris and focusing on the early American Delegation to . Highlights include 4, Place de la Concorde, where the Treaty of Friendship was signed in 1778, the site of Benjamin Franklin’s residence, and Jefferson’s on the Champs Elysées, the Hotel de Salm which inspired the dome of his home at . Check into a 4-star hotel. Welcome Presentation of the program by our expert lecturer and brief lecture on the Popularity of the American Cause in the late 18th century. Copious welcome cocktail at a private room of the hotel. Overnight at a 4-star hotel

Day 3- (L/D)

Breakfast in hotel; Depart for an excursion to Versailles: We shall first visit the building normally not open to public that housed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Louis XVI’s time. Its elegant salon recalls the time of Vergennes and Montmorin who met here with Franklin and Jefferson, when the treaty of America’s Independence was elaborated. Enjoy a special tour of this historical monument by the curator. Lunch at a local restaurant whose Chef is famous for his vegetable recipes. He buys vegetables from the Jardin du Roi, the King’s kitchen garden. His gourmet dishes are a special treat! Proceed to the chateau de Versailles, famous in the life of Jefferson for having seen the signature of America’s Independence, in 1783. Visit the Queen’s private apartments (including several backdoor rooms not normally open to the public). Enjoy a walk through the magnificent classical gardens created by Le Nôtre for Louis XIV. Return to the hotel at the end of the afternoon. Gastronomic dinner in one of Paris’ most famous restaurants. Overnight at a 4-star hotel

Day 4- (B/L/C)

Breakfast in hotel; Today will be devoted to discovering what Thomas Jefferson found so attractive and pleasant in Paris life. We start with a visit to the Louvre, focusing on18th and early 19th century painting. Like Jefferson, we shall admire works of David, Hubert Robert and Elizabeth Vigé-Lebrun. Lunch at Paris’ oldest café and meeting place of people like Voltaire, revolutionaries like Robespierre, and many famous Americans including Jefferson, Franklin and John Paul Jones. This afternoon visit the former residence of Jefferson’s friend Condorcet, guided by the curator (to be confirmed). It was in this very house that Mrs Condorcet used to organise intellectual “soirees” where Jefferson was invited to join Benjamin Franklin, Mirabeau, Chamfort, or Beaumarchais... Special reception organized in the American Embassy in Paris. Overnight at a 4-star hotel

Day 5- (B/D)

Breakfast in the hotel Departure for a morning special visit of a magnificent chateau near Paris, of which the 19th century owner, Mr Daniel Parker, was a friend of , Thomas Jefferson and La Fayette. His castle used to be a must in the Parisian life for numerous American travellers; the parties he gave there were famous and often narrated in local and American newspapers. After lunch at leisure, the day continues with an afternoon visit to the Hotel Carnavalet, museum of the history of Paris. Our visit, especially guided by the museum curator, will focus on revolutionary Paris, in the early days of the and the fate of America’s friends during the turbulent time. In the evening, enjoy a cocktail while listening to a lecture by a famous French writer (to be confirmed) and professor at the Paris History University, who wrote an exceptional book about Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson and the origins of the friendship between France and the young America. Gastronomic dinner where you will taste some of the 18th century specialties served at the time of Jefferson’s stay. Overnight at a 4-star hotel

Day 6- (B/D)

Breakfast in the hotel. Today, you will visit La Fayette’s castle, today a private domain. Meet there the owners who will introduce you to the estate. La Fayette lived the last 32 years of his life, and the castle still shows the library as it was in his time, where numerous extraordinary documents related to America’s Independence are to be seen. Return to the hotel in the afternoon, the remaining of which is at leisure. In the evening, meet a renowned archivist of Paris, whose ancestor, special wine provider of the Royal Court, accompanied La Fayette on his journey to America. He will join you during a gastronomic farewell dinner. Overnight at a 4-star hotel

Day 7 – (B)

Breakfast in the hotel and check out Independent transfers to the airport and departure for the United States.

NB: We can also organise a visit to a place which Jefferson visited with , the woman he wrote so beautiful letters to and whose beautiful portrait hangs in Monticello.