This museum (in French, la Cite de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine) piqued my interest during my last visit, but I never made it in there. It is in the Palais de Chaillot, across the river from the Tour Eiffel.
There were a lot of different exhibits, including one on population density in Singapore (which is staggering), how it is dealt with there, and how Paris approaches population density. There was also an exhibit on stained glass art by Chagall and other artists, but that required a separate ticket, which I didn't have.
So I went upstairs to the main galleries, which contain models and casts of significant monuments in France. Here are just a couple of examples; there was much more like this:
Overall, it struck me both as amazing -- what a tremendous amount of work it must have been -- and also as a little bit odd. In particular, when I looked at casts of monuments that were in Paris, I wondered why one couldn't just get on the Metro and go look at the original... But most of them were not from Paris, and perhaps preservation was a motivating factor, since these replicas are not exposed to the elements.
There were some interesting features to be seen. For example, the cathedral modeled here (I didn't note the name) included figures of oxen, as a tribute to the beasts of burden that assisted in its building:
This replica of a tomb, with the carved representation of the deceased (Jean, duc de Berry), includes a small animal curled up at his feet. Maybe it was supposed to be a dog, but it looked more like a bear cub to me. What I found strangest was the total lack of commentary on the critter in the accompanying text. So I did a little online research (later) and found out that it is indeed a bear, and that the bear was "one of his emblems". Well, it's kind of cute...
...unlike this! What in the sam hill is that god-awful horse-face-mask thing hanging from the robe of John the Baptist?? Again, nothing in the commentary! It's so creepy! Let's move on...
This is a detail taken from La Marseillaise, a sculpture on the Arc de Triomphe, in which Lady Liberty is urging on a group of weary French soldiers. The commentary (helpful this time) pointed out that the model for Lady Liberty was the sculptor's wife.
On the upper floors were displays concerned with modern architecture. One of them dealt with the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, which I had photographed on an earlier trip:
It showed that each of these panels includes several aperture-like structures that can open or close to let in more or less light:
There was a lot to see here, even though I didn't take many more photos; if you are interested in architecture, it's worth a visit.
You also get pretty great views of the tower across the river:
While I was exiting the museum... a woman asked me for information! Even after finding out that my French was limited, she persevered. Fortunately, what she wanted to know was whether there was a Chagall exhibit, and since that was the one I had been turned away from, I knew the answer!
After exiting, I cruised around the 16th arrondissement (the most wealthy in Paris) a bit. I was disappointed to see that Place Victor Hugo did not have a statue, just a fountain. But I had another destination:
I believe that the house in the middle is, or once was, Olivia de Havilland's house. I know she's still with us (99 years old), but I can't say for sure whether she still lives here. If you have never seen The Snake Pit (considered to be the first serious and sympathetic film about mental illness), check it out. She's more interesting in that than in Gone With the Wind.
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