Dimanche 23 Août
After breakfast I went down to the Paul boulangerie et patisserie on the corner of Rue de Buci and Rue de Seine to have a coffee and meet up once again with a gregarious octogenarian David - from Miama, Florida - who lives for 5 months of the year in Paris and breakfasts every morning at Paul, striking a conversation with everyone who happens to sit on one of the tables near his - he was a wealth of knowledge. This morning he was chatting to his friends, a couple - Janette and David - from Camberwell, Australia - it's a small world!
For our last day in Paris, Penny and I decided to visit the Jardin du Luxembourg (I have lovely
memories of a leisurely stroll through the gardens with Murray and Sam back in April 2010) just a 10
minute walk from our apartment so no excuse not to see them again!
The gardens of the Palais du Luxembourg, now housing the French Senate,
are said to be the heart of the Rive Gauche or Left Bank and also the lungs of Paris.
In fact, I was reading that compared to other large cities Paris has a relatively small percentage of green space, with only 9.8% parks and gardens, less than London and Sydney with 38% and 46% respectively!
Some lovely roses we saw along the way.
Les macarons in a macaron chocolate specialty boutique on Boulevard St Germain called Maison Georges Larnicol - Meilleur Ouvrier de France - where we ventured into for some delicious
chocolate treats - make a selection from their extensive range and pay 5 euro per 100g (I wanted to
sample some of their chocolates that look like green and brown olives - they turn out to be chocolate-coated sultanas - to enjoy later.
Seeing the macarons reminded me of Zimt back home!
While we were walking along tree-lined Boulevard St Germain, luckily Penny noticed a sign for the Place Maubert antiquites brocante - so we stopped for a look of course! It was similar to the flea market at Vanves, stalls set up on the footpath, but all were covered with awnings which was handy as it was lightly raining. We both bought a one or two small items, such as antique tea towels, some old medallions and a green glass with gold etching.
Our walk to the gardens took us past the Pantheon with its superb grey metal dome,
Then on to the tranquility of the gardens - no traffic, just people taking a leisurely stroll or sitting and relaxing on the sage green metal chairs around the fountain/lake, playing tennis, groups of men playing cards and chess, lots of people jogging and sailing small boats on the lake.
The gardens were decorated with huge urns filled with pink and red geraniums and petunias - gorgeous!
The palace was built for Marie de Medicis, Henri IVs widow, but she only lived there for about 6 years until exiled to Belgium by her son King Louis XIII who was sick of her meddling ways!
After taking a few shots, Penny went back to the apartment and I stayed on to soak up some more of the Paris atmosphere - I ordered a delicious French crepe with citron et sucre from a small kiosk and sat on a chair admiring the view of Marie de Medici's Palace and the floral displays - mainly red geraniums in massive urns on top of the Italianate balustrade.
I then sat for a while and relaxed by the Fontaine de Medicis - Marie Medici's grotto - very peaceful, and pretty with large urns filled with pink impatiens and the sound of running water from the fountain. So shady and cool!
A photo of me taken by an obliging French woman
On my way back to the apartment, I visited St Sulpice Church, with its 'muscular Classical edifice', erected around 1700.
Besides its recent fame as the church in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, with its S and P stained glass windows and meridian line on th floor, it is also well known for its stunning Delacroix murals - now being repaired - and its huge organ, one of the finest in the world.
The interior is simple yet stunning.
The bell towers are not a matching pair - the tower on the right being shorter and narrower than the tower on the left, indicating incomplete work in its later renovation over the years.
The gardens were decorated with huge urns filled with pink and red geraniums and petunias - gorgeous!
The palace was built for Marie de Medicis, Henri IVs widow, but she only lived there for about 6 years until exiled to Belgium by her son King Louis XIII who was sick of her meddling ways!
A photo of me taken by an obliging French woman
On my way back to the apartment, I visited St Sulpice Church, with its 'muscular Classical edifice', erected around 1700.
Besides its recent fame as the church in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, with its S and P stained glass windows and meridian line on th floor, it is also well known for its stunning Delacroix murals - now being repaired - and its huge organ, one of the finest in the world.
The interior is simple yet stunning.
The bell towers are not a matching pair - the tower on the right being shorter and narrower than the tower on the left, indicating incomplete work in its later renovation over the years.
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