History buffs will want to check out this new Paris tour: Walking-tour operator Context is launching a new excursion that will focus on the life and history of Paris during the Nazi Occupation. (We say this new option is especially timely as this week marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day.)
The walk, entitled "Lights Out, Paris under the Occupation," takes a different approach to discussing this era, which lasted from June 20, 1940 to August 25, 1944, by spotlighting the stories of specific individuals and by visiting both well-known and hidden sites linked to the occupation.
The walk starts in the mostly residential 9th district and traces a route south stopping at the Grand Synagogue, the Centre for the Jewish Question, Place de la Concorde (a popular site for Nazi military parades), homes and underground parking garages that played a role in the Occupation and ends at the hotel Meurice, the headquarters of General Dietrich von Choltitz, the military governor of Paris.
Lights Out, Paris under the Occupation lasts three hours and is available Monday through Friday. Book early: The groups are limited to six people. Visit www.contexttravel.com for more information.