Life Is A Park

First a little side note - I'm still new to this whole blogging thing (and yes, I realize how OLD that makes me sound).  I just noticed all the comments that everyone had written me - THANK YOU!  They've all been published now, and I figured out how to change my settings so I will get an email when I receive a new comment.  I'm slow but I get there eventually.

OK, on to the real post...

As you know, I've been on a quest to find the perfect cafe: ideal setting - busy but not too loud, free wifi, reasonably nice waiters who speak to me in French even when they realize I'm American, and of course happy hour specials.  Well, believe it or not, I think I've found someplace that I like even more than cafes.  The parks of Paris.

I can't tell you how gloriously startling it is to be in the midst of a busy, dirty, crowded city like Paris and then suddenly be in the midst of green, wide open space, beautifully maintained and groomed, and free to everyone!  And I mean everyone - everyone goes to the park.  In Jardin du Luxembourg, for example, there are people of all ages - alone and in groups, children playing with sailboats, adults playing tennis, kissing couples, kids on pony rides, sunbathers, lunch break-ers, smokers, joggers, dog walkers, class field trips, tour groups, artists, musicians, photographers, writers, and people just trying to read.  I walk through this park 3 times a week on my way to French class, and it's where I go jogging in the mornings or late evenings. And every time I'm there what never ceases to amaze me is that this "jardin" - that makes you feel like royalty with its majestic trees, marble statues, trimmed hedges, and blooming flower gardens - is one of the most egalitarian places in Paris.  Everyone is equal and everyone is a king - just by virtue of being there.

I could go on and on, and that's only one park!  I've also been to Parc de Monceau and Jardin des Plantes this past week, and if you check out my photos, you can see each one is magnificent in its own right. Now if only I could figure out a way to get a cute French waiter to serve me a glass of white wine while I'm sitting in the park, then it would be perfect.

Thanks for reading!