Why I love Le Jardin du Luxembourg

Paris is full of gorgeous gardens and parks and the Parisiens very much enjoy them.  My first experience in one of these gardens happened because of a case of bad luck.

I was traveling on the metro per usual and decided to get off at a new stop so that I could stroll and see a different section of Paris.  It was a beautiful Sunday and people were out and about enjoying the weather.  I found a table at a quaint sidewalk café and began looking at the menu.  I had just received money from my parents to cover all of my expenses for my stay in Paris and I had it all with me.  For some reason, I still decided to check my money prior to ordering.  That's when things went wrong.  I began digging through my purse and soon became aware that my wallet (a very big red wallet!) was missing.  How could this be?  Where could it have gone?  I was holding my purse the entire time on the metro, wasn't I?  I never let go of it at all, right?  Did I talk to anyone?  Did anyone bump into me?  Evidently, I must have looked away long enough for someone to have slipped into my purse, take my wallet, and walk away with all of my funds for the entire year, as well as my license and my emergency credit card.  I had nothing.  Not even any money for the metro ride home.  This was not good.

I began to walk.  Thoughts were flying through my head.  "How will I get home?"  "How will I call for help?"  "How am I going to break this news to my parents?"  Before I knew it, I was miles from that little café and was at the entrance to Le Jardin du Luxembourg.  I entered, sat down on a bench, and began to cry.  I soon realized that crying was not going to solve the problem.  And as I looked around on this beautiful day, I became aware that I was in a very special place.  Not only was there a palace here, but there were beautiful flowers, statues, fountains, and monuments.  There were children sailing model boats and older men playing boules and chess.  There was a vintage carousel and a puppet theater.  And the original model of la Statue de la Liberté (the Statue of Liberty) was here, too!  Time seemed to stand still and I was surrounded by beauty and happy, happy people.  How could I be sad?  Who needed money?  I was in Paris!

A nice woman sat next to me on the bench and offered money for my ride home.  Once home, I called my parents who, of course, wired new funds to me and canceled my credit card and license.  No big deal.  Life was good.

And do you want to know something a bit odd?  My wallet was mailed to me two days prior to me heading back to the United States.  I'm not sure how, after many months, it was miraculously sent to me, but it was.  My license, my credit card, my little notes and photos were all there.  The money was gone. 

So, here's a clip of one of my favorite places in the world.  I hope you get to enjoy a beautiful place like this someday, too!

Yes, Virginia...the Eiffel Tower IS in Paris!

Are you finding it odd that I haven't mentioned the Eiffel Tower yet?  I mean, it's Paris!  The Eiffel Tower (La Tour Eiffel, I should say) is what everybody in the world pictures when they think of Paris -- perhaps even when they picture France -- and yet I've not said a thing about it!  Sorry to disappoint you, but I won't be discussing it in this post, either!  Pourquoi?  Parce que...

You see, I became a Parisienne.  I did not necessarily always do the "tourist thing", but rather soaked in the daily life of Paris.  I'd stroll along the Seine and watch artists create their paintings; I'd sing with a group of musicians every Sunday outside of Le Centre Pompidou; I'd play cards with friends at a local cafe; I'd go to the flea market and bargain for items that I couldn't live without; I'd visit the local flower shop; I'd sit in the Luxembourg Gardens and watch men play "boules" and children float their model boats in the fountains; I'd go to the kiosques and discuss politics with the vendors -- life was good. 

Paris was so very interesting to me that I almost forgot that the Eiffel Tower was there.  I was fortunate to realize that I wasn't in France just to run around and snap pictures of famous buildings and monuments.  I was there to experience their way of life -- to really listen to their stories, their values, their beliefs.  I may not have seen the Eiffel Tower as early I as I would've thought, but I did meet very many interesting people along the way.  Guess that's what they mean by "taking time to smell the roses"...

So what should we discuss next?  My stolen wallet?  My train ride with bag pipers?  My singing with musicians?  My trip to the Loire Valley?  The Eiffel Tower?  So many stories, so little time...

"Paris" is in the word "pâtisserie", so...

And now I must confess.  My grammar class was next door to a pâtisserie.  A pâtisserie is a pastry shop and well, if you're going to eat a pastry, Paris is most definitely the place to do it!  While looking in the window of the pâtisserie one day, I made a little deal with myself.  I decided to make it my mission to try to eat every type of pastry served at this particular pâtisserie before I left France to return to the United States.  Now, this shop was known for having hundreds of types of pastries!  I did the math in my head and realized that at some point, I would be eating two pastries a day!  It seemed worth it to me, however.  Who knew when I'd ever return to Paris?  Wasn't I there to experience everything?  Wasn't Paris the pastry capital of the world?  (I had thought I heard that somewhere before...)   Wasn't it my duty to get as much as I could out of my time living in Paris?  And so I entered the pâtisserie one day and never looked back -- pain au chocolat, croissant, pain au raisin, macarón, napoléon, petits fours, éclair  -- these words rolled off of my tongue better than any words I ever had to pronounce in that grammar class of mine...and no one asked me to squish my cheeks!

Please note that I accomplished my goal.  Please also note that I walked a good ten miles every day because that's what many people do who live, work, and study in big cities.  Were there times that I tried a pastry and didn't finish it?  Oui.  Were there times when I tried a pastry and wanted five more of them?  Bien sûr!  But I did not do that.  I would order my one pastry a day (or two towards the end!) and that was that.  If I enjoyed it, I savored it.  If I didn't particularly care for it, I was still happy that I tried it.  I'm not saying that we should all start eating pastries every day in order to get the most out of life nor am I saying that we all must walk ten miles every time we want to treat ourselves to something.  What I simply mean is this: there are times in a person's life when he or she should just experience "joie de vivre" and this was one of my times.

I still cannot believe that I never took a picture of this special place, but I guess I was so caught up in the smells and wonder of the pastries, that I never once thought to take a photo.  Thanks to google images, however, you will be able to see all kinds of treats.  Simply type in "patisserie" and you'll be amazed with the photos!  And guess what?  I have a former French student who is studying to be a pastry chef!  Maybe I'll be visiting her pâtisserie one day soon...