February 16: Musée des Plans-reliefs (Museum of Relief Maps)

Talk about hyper-specialization: this is a museum (really, just a couple of large rooms in the attic of the Invalides) dedicated solely to a collection of scale models of French fortresses, made mostly in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Think really obsessive model train landscapes, only minus the trains. Actually, think model trains in a submarine – the models loom out of almost complete darkness, with place names shining in neon green, and so the general visual atmosphere is similar to the climatic scenes in Das Boot. “Mildly interesting” is about the best review I can give.