"...take a guided tour. This can turn mystery into mere history, but it's the only way to get inside the sole townhouse whose interior is accessible to the public, the Hôtel de Lauzun." - David Downie
I think Mr. Downie has perfectly captured one central aspect of my aversion to guided tours. On a tour, mystery is nearly always transformed into a sterile or sobering dose of history.
For this reason, it was particularly refreshing to read about the Hôtel de Lauzun (or Lausun) long after I'd visited Paris and photographed its pretty portal, simply because it is pleasing to the eye. It has been much more enjoyable, I think, to have spent a great deal of time fantasizing about the building's past rather than knowing something of it outright. Though now that I do know a bit of its history, I am happier for it.
So perhaps on my next visit to Paris I'll take that guided tour and learn a little more.
Location: Paris, France ★
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