After teaching "A Tale of Two Cities" for 20 years to high school freshmen, I am able to finally visit these two cities for a week each. Any Revolution era places to visit in either city. I've been reading this site often and certainly have a long list of great places to go, but would like to make a Dickens connection.

For Paris, the Conciergerie, where the aristos were imprisoned before their trials and beheadings. Marie Antoinette was incarcerated there.

The Place de la Bastille, where the Revolution began.

I don't know where Mme. Defarge sat knitting.

If you are a Dickens fan, I highly recommend the Dickens walking tour in London. I took it a couple of years ago and it's time and money well-spent.

Here's the schedule for all walking tours offered by this company. I'm finding Dickens walks on Wed. at 11, Fri. at 2:30, and Sunday at 2. The meeting places are on this web page also.

http://www.walks.com/Homepage/Timetable/default.aspx

There is a real guillotine in the bar at Caveau des Oubliettes, on rue Galande in the 5th arrondissement.

my memory is a bit fuzzy on the details, but...we did a self-guided one years ago...and it was pretty good- think it was one from of the big travel book companies (fodors, frommers, etc) i bet you could do a web search and find it-you can peer into one of the places Dickens did his writing, etc...

The Dickens Museum should interest you; they also offer walks.

http://www.dickensmuseum.com/

Have you seen the Dickens' London map? Click on an area and infromation will be displayed explaining how it pertains to Dickens. There's lots of other info there too.

http://www.fidnet.com/~dap1955/dicke...ondon_map.html

From London you can take a 45 minute train ride to Rochester and visit the Charles Dickens Centre.

There are a number of other places to visit: the cathedral, the castle and the Chatham Historic Dockyard

Speaking of Dickens and London.....

What are some top places in London to go and have Dicken's era food?

I sooo love reading Sherlock Holmes and some Dickens and I love the idea of the types of food in the 1800s and early 1900s.....

What are some places that serve such fare in London?

Brockbank, here's a better link for the Dickens' London map:

http://tinyurl.com/h2836

Birthdaygirlstrip, I can't help you with the food but you might enjoy the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street, naturally. It's a little hokey but fun for a fan. Be sure to read the guest book, it's a hoot.

As I recall, the Defarges and their friends lived in the Faubourg St-Antoine, the hotbed of republican sentiment. You'll find the rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine running between the Place de la Bastille and the Place de la Nation on the border between the 11th and 12th arrondissements.

And I think Madame Defarge continued her knitting while watching the heads roll in what is now the Place de la Concorde.

Of course! Time to read the book again...

London Walks has a Dickens walk. Jean does a good job. http://london.walks.com/

That brochure features a Dickens & Shakespeake walk, but in the Winter I took an all Dickens walk.

Not totally Dickensian, but on the corner of rue du fbg St Antoine and (I think) Ave Ledru Rollin, there's a memorial plaque to someone who fell on the barricades in the revolution of 1848; and the place de la Bastille itself actually commemorates those who fell in the "July days" of the revolution of 1830. Both of which could have had some influence on Dickens's perceptions for the Tale of Two Cities. Dickens did visit Paris on several occasions - here's some information (in French):
http://www.terresdecrivains.com/arti...?id_article=51

Brockbank;
In Thirza Vallois book titled "Around & About Paris" Vol.One, she refers to Charles Dickens on pages 40 & 52, indicating where he stayed whilst penniless etc.
In Vol.Two "From The Guillotine To The Bastille Opera", Dickens is referred to on pages 97,99,140 & 155. These references tell of portrait sittings, his introduction to George Sand, his account of July 14th when King Louis XVI had returned from hunting, and so on.
Two worthy books with very interesting historical information about Paris past & present.