Sure, this museum (in a wing of the Invalides) has some problems. Too much of the exhibition design is amateur-hour-central – e.g., much of the signage is the love child of a laser-printer and a laminating machine. Too much historical knowledge is expected of the visitor – e.g., rooms dedicated to particular military units (which isn’t really helpful to, say, me, whose knowledge of historical events gets really sketchy after the fall of the Roman Empire). But that said… boy, this place is cool. It focuses on individuals and their stories, told with photographs and personal belongings. Imagine digging through old trunks in the attic with your grandparents while they reminisce – if your grandparents were members of the French Resistance who parachuted in to sabotage trains in Vichy France, were arrested and sent to concentration camps, and then made it back to Paris to celebrate liberation with homemade flags.
Bourbon-Ginger Pecan Pie
6 months ago
