Museum of Curiosity and Magic
A friend of mine, who happens to be a magician and was married to a world famous magician, use to perform at a number of cabarets in Paris. She’s retired now and lives in Madrid, but I use to crisscross the city with her driving like a madwoman from one show to another. Along on this bumpy ride were her doves, dogs, canaries, and everything else that she used in her act! Sometimes we were a sight to behold!
If traffic was really bad, there were a few close calls where she barely had time to jump out of the car and run onto the stage looking cool, calm and collected like any professional performer would. You might not think of Paris as a small city, but in that milieu everyone knew everyone, from the Lido to the Moulin Rouge, and every cabaret or club in between.
I thought about her recently because there’s a great museum you could very easily miss in the 4th arrondissement. It’s the Museum of Curiosity and Magic. During your visit a magic demonstration is performed that is fun, not only for the children, but for the grown-ups as well.
In the museum itself, you can see all sorts of devices used in illusions and tricks. There are interactive games for the kids, which is all very entertaining, but none of the secrets are given away.
Just like my friend, she would perform a trick right in front of my eyes, but she wouldn’t tell me how it was done. Believe me I looked. Sometimes I would stand in front of her, behind her, on the sides of her while she performed the same trick over and over for my benefit, but I couldn’t see a thing! She was that good!
The museum is open every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. They even have classes on Saturdays which cost 20 € a lesson, or four classes for 60 €. The address is 11 rue Saint-Paul, 75004 Paris. M° Saint Paul. Guided tours are provided in a number of languages. For more information call: 01.42.72.13.26. Not only will you have fun, the afternoon will disappear right before your eyes!
Photo credit: flickr
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