Yale Club of France joined Brad Newfield, a French-American guide for Paris Walks. This time we explored the Two Islands. We discovered the heart of Paris along the Seine and explore 2000 years of its history on Ile de la Cité and Ile St. Louis. We hear the colorful stories of the aristocrats who first settled Ile St. Louis and built their extravagant mansions and discover the bohemian lives of artists, writers, and composers (Camille Claudel, Hemingway, Baudelaire, Chopin etc.) who also frequented the island and gave it its unique character. On the Ile de la Cité, we saw the impressive outside architecture of Notre Dame, and follow its rebuilding after the tragic fire of 2019.
Brad Newfield, a former Angelino who has lived in Paris since 1994, has a Ph.D in History from UCLA, lectured in History and Communication Studies, and develops walking tours on historical themes in Paris, in order to bring together the city's past and present in untraditional ways. On January 13 the Yale Club of France took a private tour of the Al Thani Collection exhibition at l’Hôtel de la Marine. Emilie Foyer (YC '13), Assistant Curator of the collection led the tour.