Sunday Stroll Through Luxembourg Gardens

I did not have any particular plans to stroll through Luxembourg gardens Sunday.  It just worked out that way.

Sunday afternoon, I was really looking forward to going to a Louisiana music and dance festival not far from Versailles.

I ended up being royally disappointed when my daughter did not feel up to making the drive.

I had offered to drive there, with her driving back, as driving away from Paris is less nerve wrecking for me than driving back into the city on a Sunday afternoon.

It was too late  to arrive by public transport. Not wanting to nurse any negative and disappointing feelings on Pentecost Sunday, I decided to take a walk.

Walking towards beauty in Paris is easy, as it is just about everywhere you look. It does not have to be a special event or festival, though there are always those going on as well.

Walking straight north from my place takes me  to boulevard Saint Michel, which divides the 5th from the 6th arrondissement.

As soon as you cross over Blvd Montparnasse, at Port Royal, just pass the Closerie de Lilas Restaurant, made famous by Hemingway, you find the beginning of the gorgeous Luxembourg gardens.

The Fontaine de L’Observatoire is at the southern entrance.

I have strolled through these gardens many times in all seasons, in misty clouds or blue skies, and I never tire of going there anytime.

Many Parisians and tourists consider these gardens to be the prettiest of all Paris.

There are fountains and pools, and many statues, which other city parks have as well, but Luxembourg also has a royal palais, built by Marie de Médicis in 1625.

It now houses the French Senate.

Marie de Medici, the nicer one of the Medici ladies from the famous Florence family,   also immigrated to France to become queen.

Marie de Medici, became the second wife of King Henri IV, after Queen Margot, (Marguerite de France Valois) finally was able to have her disastrous marriage with him annulled.

The Marie de Medici reflecting pool  is without a doubt, one of the most romantic spots in Paris to share loving glances and stolen kisses with a beloved under a canopy of shade trees or read, pray and meditate surrounded by the beauty of the shimmering  clear reflections on water.

The alleyways leading up to the large center pool are lined with chestnut trees that have practically finished blooming.

In the Autumn, when the chestnuts fall, the ground can be so covered with them, it makes for unsteady footing.

The grassy divisions are popular with picnickers looking for a shady spot to spread out blankets to feast and snooze, if you can put up with the antics of noisy kids in the background.

Sunday you could easily think that tous Paris had shown up, given that just about every available space was staked out and territorialized by families.

Doggies are allowed in these areas, but not in the rest of the park.

The quietest places  can be found on the southwestern flanks of Luxembourg.

There you will find verdant tree lined winding paths to walk around with plenty of chairs and benches for either  sun or shade.   The bee hives and apple and pear gardens line the outskirts of the garden there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flowers grown for the garden and for decorating the Senate, along with long greenhouses are in the  Senate gardens on the southeastern side of the garden, only open for visits on special occasions.

Sunday I headed straight towards the gazebos where Sunday concerts are held tucked under tall sun dappled trees.

The band was large and the huge audience gathered around were wildly enthusiastic.

I hung around till they finished before heading over to the Medici pool nearby, a favourite place for me.

The Pavillion cafe was full and all the ice cream and crepes stalls had lines.  If hungry, it is much better to go just outside the gates on the northeastern side where you can have delicious pastries at Dallayou across the street or at Angelina.

Angelina’s has an outlet with terrace next to the Luxembourg museum, occupying an enclosed part of the park just pass the Senate on Rue Vaugirard.

There are some better ice cream and gelato stands outside the main gate on Blvd Saint Michel, with roasted chestnuts in the colder months.

For French history buffs, the upper and center palisades are all lined with various statues of the  Queens of France and other prominent female personalities of long past.

I enjoy staring at them, especially their faces trying to get a read off their regards and for those not known, going home to look them up, like pretty Laure de Noves who was celebrated in amorous poetry by Italian poet Petrarque.

The park has secured playgrounds for the little ones and of course pony rides. There are tennis courts too. The most animated part of the park is around the central pool, especially during the weekends.

Sunday it was full of the renown sailboats, wobbling till the breeze caught the tiny sails, pushing them to one side.  Each one representing various countries with the national flag attached.

Little boys and a few girls with their dads were making spirited efforts to launch their boats with long push sticks, hoping  the wind would blow them to the other side, resulting in mad dashes to relaunch them again.

The sailboat rentals was doing a terrific business and had a long line of prospective customers.

Apparently all boats had been rented and they were patiently awaiting returns. Too bad if the next one available didn’t correspond to your own country’s flag.

Seems like there was a preponderance of USA, Russian and French flags, sailing around this makeshift miniature UN afloat.

I heard  a polyglot of languages spoken from little boys and their over directive dads, who regardless of nationality, all act the same.

As usual  some little sisters were complaining, even wailing that their mean dominating brothers weren’t sharing the boats with them.

Very familiar scenarios of sibling dynamics played out everyday that are the daily frustrations of parents everywhere.

Of course flashbacks of seeing my own son with his boat crept in with sadness that I didn’t want to linger, so I moved on.

It was getting late, though the sun was still brightly shining high in the sky, reminding me of how thirsty I felt.

I purchased a bottle of cold water from a seller outside the southern gate, taking long refreshing drinks watching a beefcake display by some young men bent on working out on the high gym bars.

On the way home I stepped inside Les Grands Voisins, that now occupies part of the grounds and buildings of the former Hôpital Saint Vincent de Paul that was the major maternal child hospital  since 1638.

A flea market was going on, but I stopped intently for some bread at Chardon’s Boulangerie located there.

Like most other artisanal bakers, he uses organic flours, but his are made of whole grain ancient varieties, that are stone ground.

He was there kneading up some last batches for a slow rise.  I was drawn to the very crusty and deep brown rye bread made with anise and orange.

Not that I needed anymore delicious bakery goods, as I had already relished some warm buttery brioche feuilleté and a Chausson aux Framboises(raspberries) bought after Mass.

With a small portion of the sought after bread, I continued on my way back, ready to start prepping for dinner as soon as I got home.

At least I did not have to make dessert, having already made a cheesecake earlier to be adorned with fresh strawberries and or blueberries.

My afternoon turned out to be enjoyable after all, even though I do regret having missed the Louisiana music fest.

Sometimes, we just have to make quick substitutions to save the day and placate ourselves, rather than allow disappointments and frustrations to couleur our mood.

My recounting a stroll through Luxembourg perhaps isn’t as interesting as the festival would have been, but finding joy in your surroundings is something we all have to do where ever we are.

Besides, I have lots of memories there, not only with my son, but with my likewise beloved  doggie, Potiron seen here, who loved the gardens too..

I feel very blessed and very grateful to have these beautiful gardens within walking distant, as well as all of the other beauty just around the corner.