Jardin des Plantes

So the météo, weather forecast, for the weekend was only semi correct, and it end up being quite beautiful the first half of Sunday. J & I therefore decided to take a little stroll with the Wigglemonster in a garden we don't often go to, the Jardin des Plantes, literally the Garden of Plants. It was about 18 degrees out, and with the sun almost 22 degrees, so there were many strollers out and about!

The Jardin des Plantes is the main botanical garden in France and is situated not too far from the Grande Mosquée de Paris in the 5th arrondissement. It is also home to the Museum of Natural History and the Ménagerie, a little zoo. It is a great place for both adults and kids to appreciate nature and at the same time, learn the science behind it. We were here just for a little walk in the sun, but when Wigglemonster is slightly older we will definitely visit the zoo and museum.

Photos by Me

Metro: Gare d'Austerlitz

Place des Vosges

Its official! Spring is here! What do Parisians do? Head over to any green space in the city to do nothing, and this is one of the hotspots. Place des Vosges is nestled in the Le Marais neighborhood between the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. It is a square surrounded by arched buildings that houses art galleries, restaurants and stores. It remains quite local, with few tourists stumbling across this popular hangout spot.

This square was built by Henri IV in 1605-1612 and was known as the Place Royale. Well known residents of Place des Vosges include Victor Hugo, Sully, Madame de Sevigné, and Marion Delorme*. Now, the apartments around the square are homes to trendy and edgy Parisians who spend money to look like they don't have any.

If you happen to be here, don't forget to stop by Eux dans l'Eau, located at 21, Place des Vosges. It is a cute little hat shop where you can get the most cliché of french berets for under 20€, and hats that are à la mode for 13€. I must say, J.L and I got ourselves each a hat and felt oh so cool walking around the hood!


* Wikipedia
Metro: Chemin Vert, St Paul
Photos By Me

Parc Monceau

Parc Monceau is a semi-public park in the 8th arrondissement surrounded by ornate gates and gorgeous residences. It covers an area of about 20 acres. It doesn't stand out much in terms of beauty compared to the other gardens and parks in Paris, but what attracted me most were the apartments/hotel particulier (urban private houses) that surrounds it. Tall windows are draped with what I can only imagine to be the finest curtains, and I envision the apartments being decorated in 18th century furniture!

It's safe to say that it is probably way more beautiful in the summer when the flowers bloom and skies not so gray, but it was a nice way to end the weekend. On the way back to our car, we found a little museum that I will blog about next. Parc Monceau is open from 7am to 8pm in the winter and from 7am to 10pm in the summer.

Metro: Monceau
Photos by Me

Fiac! Jardin des Tuileries 2010

From the 21st till the 24th of October this year, FIAC collaborates with the Louvre in a special outdoor program at the Jardin des Tuileries. There are 28 projects scattered around this historical garden, including sculptures, installations, and ephemeral creations. Artists include:

Jennifer Allora & Guillermo Calzadilla, Carl Andre, Darren Banks, Mark Dion, Mounir Fatmi, Otto Freundlich, Bruno Gironcoli, Subodh Gupta, Thomas Houseago, Rodolphe Huguet, Rolf Julius, Yayoi Kusama, Guillaume Leblon, Jean-François Leroy, Markus Lupertz, Justin Matherly, Jonathan Meese, Richard Nonas, Not Vital, Bernard Pagès, Jean Prouvé, Ugo Rondinone, Assan Smati, Franz West, Virginie Yassef. (taken from FIAC website)

J & I went on a Sunday, with a million other people/tourists. We already expected the crowd, but it didn't curb my frustration when trying to take photos. The art was modern, random, and weird. The only ones that I truly appreciated were the pick up sticks of American flags and the woman's leg coming out of a tree. Those that include hanging baskets from a tree, and rocks arranged in a line, well, hardly amazed me. But what do I know about art huh?

Photos by Me

Jardin du Luxembourg

The French Senate


The Medici Fountain

An Ode to Homey
In my opinion, this is the most beautiful garden in Paris, and apparently also the largest public park. (I totally didn't know its as big as 224,500 m²!)It is located in the 6th arrondissement, also one of my favorite neighborhoods to eat, shop and chill. I usually read in the garden of Tuileries, but once in awhile I make my way here to read at my favorite spot in front of the Medici Fountain. In the summertime, throngs of tourist groups pass by with their tour guides and loudspeakers, so when I get too annoyed, I move to the surrounding gardens, where I never fail to grab 2 chairs (one to sit on, and one to rest my feet)... away from the noise and sweatshirts.

My best friend from KL, S.A, literally had goosebumps when she was here. (This is according to her, ok!) After awhile living in Paris, you kinda get used to beautiful things. I'm not saying this to be pretentious, just trying to say that with a non-local person, I was re-introduced to the beauty of it all. My breath was taken away once again when I see things with tourist eyes. The flowers, the properly trimmed trees, the super chic mothers and their equally chic babies in strollers, and man..the HISTORY behind it all.. you can't help but let your mind wander and imagine a little how it was hundreds of years ago...

In 1611, the widow of Henri IV, Marie de Medicis, decided to build a palace to remind her of her native Florence. She bought the hotel du Luxembourg, which now houses the French Senate, and later in 1630 bought another 30 hectares of land to build a park. The garden has over a hundred statues, fountains and monuments scattered around. Twenty figures of historical Queens and female saints surrounds the central green space. Its like a pop-up history book. I plan to dress my future children in Tartine et Chocolat and bring them here, where they can socialize and find many friends ;)

Metro: Saint Placide, Odéon
Photos by SA

Jardin des Tuileries

Friends and husband working, I find a lot of time to myself these days after the wedding. One thing I absolutely love to do is pack up a book and head over to the Jardin des Tuileries. This is not my favorite garden, but I have found a neat little corner where no one for some reason ever ventures to when I'm around!

Jardin des Tuileries is situated right in front of the Louvre. This was where Kings use to amuse themselves with their games. Lined up on the famous Rue de Rivoli, you will find Le Meurice hotel (and its outstanding 2 star restaurant), the Angelina cafe (with its super yummy but super thick hot chocolate), and many touristic stores where you can find vintage posters and souvenirs to bring back home.

Metro: Concorde, Tuileries
Photos by Me