The Marais is a small Paris neighborhood filled with winding streets and BEAUTIFUL 17th & 18th century buildings. This part of town is one of Diane’s favorite haunts and many of the buildings have been converted to wonderful museum spaces. The Picasso Museum is one such museum, located in the resplendent Hôtel Salé – a “hôtel particulier” (mansion) with a lovely garden. It houses the largest collection of Picasso paintings in the world but it’s been under renovation for over 5 long and controversial years. However the wait is almost over! The official re-opening date, set by the new head of the museum, Laurent le Bon, is October 25th, 2014. In addition to this exciting news, the museum is having a special opening on September 20th and 21stso that visitors can see the spectacularly renovated mansion sans artwork. Diane is lucky enough to be in Paris during this exciting time and she is over the moon about getting to see the collection in its new space! For more information about this collection, visit their official website by clicking here. You can also read an article by the New York Times about the museum’s re-opening by clicking here.