I am now getting dressed and going out to the Museé Rodin.
It’s late afternoon here in Paris and I am enjoying a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Today was the first real nice day with sunshine all day. I just got back from the Art District and find myself in a more energetic neighborhood with fewer tourists.
In the morning my hostess Maéva (Jean-Marie’s brother’s girlfriend) found out she did not have to work so we had a delightful breakfast together of French press coffee, yogurt, bread with jam, and fresh fruit that I had picked up yesterday–blueberries, raspberries, and cherries.
Afterwards I headed out the door to the Jardin des Plantes,
at most about five blocks away. Nearby there was also the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle,
and Le Grand Galerie De L’ Evolution.
Maéva said she would join me after she took care of some of her business and running errands. Once I found the gardens I busied myself gathering photos of the many different varieties of flowers. There were lots of roses and statues spread out along well thought-out garden paths, including a statue of a gentleman named Buffon (1707-1755).
Buffon was Count Buffon (7 September 1707 – 16 April 1788), a French naturalist, mathematician, cosmologist, and author of encyclopedias.
The place was very large and covered about four city blocks (if not more).
I was simply enjoying my time with such beauty surrounding me. I took a lot of photos for design ideas for my future coloring book on the flowers of Europe.
The garden had Lavender, Cosmos (at least 20 different kinds) Magnolias, Black-eyed-Susans, Artichokes, Allium, and a very beautiful Japanese flowering tree (that was Maeva’s favorite). There were blooms of white flowers in the springtime. The beauty of nature gracing our presence.
In the park there was L’Ecole de Botanique, a school where they study botany.
Yes, and they had a piano that anyone was allowed to play also. This is pretty common over here, to just let people sit down and play the piano in public places. I personally think that is so cool. It brings a smile to my face and in my heart.
There was some kind of National strike going on and in the background of these gardens you could hear police sirens going off a lot. (To be honest, France always has some kind of national strike going on…)
At one point they seemed to be controlling the flow of people in the park. They were also cutting bike locks to clear the street in case of a riot, so Maéva left early to recover her bike before anything happened to it. But before that we had a lovely walk around the park and it was very special to get a personal tour of such a place of magnificent beauty.
I walked back by the street of Rue Mouffetard (the place I had a hard time finding yesterday). I finally located the Maison de L’Autre Thé tea shop where I did some shopping,
…and then I went to find a place to get a pedicure. At the Nail Bar the young woman behind the counter asked me to come back at three. So I came back after lunch, but they didn’t have time to really do anything but remove the old polish off my beaten toes. All I really wanted was a foot massage after all the miles I put on my feet during this past month, plus.
I had a quiet dinner, showered, and then retired for the night. I did call Jean-Marie to touch base and wished him a happy birthday, knowing that tomorrow we would get together and celebrate.
Peace.
Journey Janet au Jardin 