In addition to all the changes in time zones we’ve been through over the past week and a half – just now getting over jet lag – we’ve been through two time changes. France set their clocks back last weekend, while we were there. And now, we’ve set our clocks back.
No wonder we’re a bit off!
Back to Paris. I’m going to spend a bit of time on Marie De Medici’s Fountain, simply because it’s so exquisite.
The beautiful swoops of ivy. Isn’t this gorgeous? I don’t mind telling you I was entranced.
Reflections and leaves. Another reason I love to visit Paris in autumn.
We stood here for the longest time, trying to figure out who the figures were. Since we stumbled upon the fountain and hadn’t done any research, we could only guess. We were wrong, of course. The fountain originally had a statue of Venus, along with some nymphs, but in the 19th century – the fountain was originally constructed between 1623 and 1630 – it was moved thirty meters (about a hundred feet) to its current location and these figures were added. Sculpted by August Ottin and added to the fountain in 1866, they are the giant Polyphemus, in bronze, and Acis and Galatea, in white marble. You can find all the details about the fountain on Wikipedia.
The coat of arms of the Medicis is at the top.
We sat on two of those chairs, staring at the water and the beauty surrounding us.
Eventually, we left – rather reluctantly – and walked toward the pond.
That’s the Panthéon in the distance. Originally a church dedicated to Sainte-Genevieve, it eventually became a mausoleum, where many famous Parisians are buried. Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Louis Braille, Marie Curie, Alexandre Dumas and heroes of the French Resistance are buried there. We didn’t get to it this trip, but we will next time.
Children were sailing sailboats in the pond.
This dog was quite interested in the fish.
The playground is so wonderful! Kids are allowed to climb and hang upside down and ride through the air on a seat that travels from one point to another. That little girl in the foreground is on it. It’s incredibly well designed and what we loved most about it was that it hearkened back to the playgrounds of our youth, though obviously much better, and to a time when the powers-that-be weren’t so darned ‘careful.’ Kids need to play. They need to explore. They need to take a few risks. There were many parents there and I’m sure they were keeping a careful eye on the kids. It’s magical.
It’s right next to a carousel and the Marionette Theater that we visited last year.
And finally, to our favorite place to while away some time, the Pétanque courts. We discovered them last year and fell in love with the game and the players and the conviviality of the whole thing. I’m going to write more about Pétanque later because I think it’s worth writing about. We came back to watch this game, with an ever-changing cast of characters, at least 3 more times while we were in Paris.
On this particular day, the young gentleman in the foreground noticed us, found out we were Americans, and took the time to explain the game to us. After each round, he would come over and explain what had just happened, how many points each team had, and the strategy of the game. He was so kind. Everyone was. But this man was delightful. We were so grateful for his willingness to pass on his knowledge.
Everywhere we went in Paris, we met kind, generous, friendly, and courteous people. I don’t know where the idea that the French are rude to Americans started, but I have never experienced it. Nor has Don. Sometimes people are busy and only have time for a short reply but that happens anywhere; in my little town here in the Hudson Valley, in New York City, in London. As I said last year, if you make an effort to communicate, if you are respectful and aware that you are a visitor in another country, if you are a bit humble, you will be embraced. We were embraced last year and it happened again this year.
More tomorrow. I sure hope you’re finding this interesting!
Happy Sunday.
very interesting! thanks again for sharing about your time in paris … very happy for you and don to have spent it in such a lovely, leisurely way … and it’s very inspiring to me. like, “get a part-time job (in addition to my full-time job) to save money faster to get to sweden and paris faster” inspiring.
agree with what you wrote about the kindness of people.
and whew! that’s a lot of time changes. glad if the jetlag is gone.
happy sunday.
kathy in iowa
Save that money if you can, Kathy! Thank you.
Love hearing about your trip. You make me feel as if I took the trip with you.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful adventure.
You’re most welcome, Cathy!
Please continue Claudia! I look forward each day to the next adventure. I agree with your age old premise that if you treat others as you would like to be treated you will find kind, caring people no matter where you are in the world. Again, thanks for sharing. ☺
It’s the way to approach anyone, I think. Thank you, Janet.
Loving it! Please do continue. How did you feel seeing the damage to Norte Dame?
I too have stumble on the Medici fountain and was entranced. It being in a shady part of the Gardens too is great in summer.
Cindi
I was okay. I think seeing the actual film of the fire was worse. I felt good, seeing that the restoration has begun.
Thank you, Cindi!
I have never seen a rude Frenchman in my life, except for one. We lived in a neighborhood in France when I was a kid, my dad was stationed there in the army. My brother was 3 at the time and the neighborhood ladies thought my mother was crazy for not sending him to school, told her to put him in the school at the end of the block. He went to the french school for awhile. The men of the neighborhood did get rude one day when a drunk man came and was wandering around, a local man ran him off, away from the kids.
Everyone was lovely.
Thanks, Jane.
Really enjoying your photos and observations of Parisian life. People used to say the French don’t like the English but
I’ve visited France many times and been shown great acts of kindness. In our twenties my ex and I with another couple used to stay in gites which I suppose were the forerunners to air bnb. Once we were staying in the Pyrenees and couldn’t find a waste bin for the rubbish . There was a group of villagers chatting nearby so I asked where could I buy one. This resulted in several offers to lend us one and one elderly gentleman took us back to his home to sample his own made liqueurs! No one spoke English and my French accent would have been dreadful but they were so kind to us.
Happy Sunday
I found everyone more than willing to help us, whether with directions, with food orders, or just willing to engage in conversation.
Thanks, Dee Dee.
Just delightful, Claudia!! I know you will keep that beautiful fountain in a very safe and handy place in your mind so you can escape to one of those chairs when the weather and / or the news of the day becomes too much.
Thank you so much for sharing with us. ♡
These pictures are going to keep me sane this winter, Chris! Thanks.
wonderful. on every level!
thank you. xo
Thank you, Tammy!
Thank you Claudia. These photos are just gorgeous. If anyone asks me what I did this weekend I’m gonna tell them I went to Paris!
Yay! Thank you, Deb!
The fountain is beautiful and it’s history is so interesting (went to Wikipedia). Sculpture is an art form that just fascinates me. I’m so enjoying the tour of Paris with you, Claudia!
I’m glad you are. Thank you, Karen!
I am indeed finding all of this interesting! I love it. You have a great knack for story telling, along with the gorgeous photos.
Thank you, Melanie!
Oh, I do love that fountain. I agree with what Chris said about the handy place in your mind. I think we all have that place, just different locations…our Escape Room if you will.
I’m curious to hear more about that game. That was nice of that man to explain things to you. I had heard many years ago, that the French did not like Americans. (where did that come from, anyways?). I am glad to hear you only had wonderful interactions.
Enjoy your evening! ;)
I’ll do my best to explain the game in a later post, as well as why we love it so much.
Thanks, Donnamae!
This morning I watched ‘Lady Be Good’ on Turner Classic Movies. Ann Sothern sings the ‘The Last Time I Saw Paris’ in it. It was very poignant. The movie would have come out not long after Paris fell to the Nazis. It made me cry!
Very, very poignant, Cheryl. Thank you.
So much to learn about this amazing city.
I feel as if I could visit 10 more times and still not know everything about it, Linda.
Hello Claudia, I read every day but rarely comment. I just wanted to emphatically agree with you that although I have only been to Paris twice and the surrounding countryside on one other visit, we were always treated most graciously and kindly by the people there. I adored wandering the streets of Paris, although we did have one evening where we unfortunately wandered into an area that we shouldn’t have been in while trying to find our hotel. A very kind person gave us perfect directions and gently chided us for being somewhere a bit dangerous.
I didn’t, and still don’t, speak a word of french and yet everyone was most kind to us. My husband and I have found in our travels around the world, that most people treat you the way you treat them. We love meeting new people and discovering new places and if I can get some health issues taken care of, I’ll be in London or Tokyo again by spring!
Thank you for the beautiful photos and the stirring of memories.
Blessings,
Betsy
I hope you make it to London or Tokyo, Betsy!
Thank you for commenting!
It seems like this trip you really. had time to linger or return to special places. That certainly deepens the connections. Your photos are beautiful Claudia! Capturing details and moods and lighting in such an individual way. When we’ve been lucky enough to visit friends in France, from the small towns to Paris, we’ve virtually never run into rudeness, even when people knew we were crummy Americans, and I’m talking even in the Bush years. In fact, most of the people went out of their way to be kind to us, even in the non-touristy places. But then we didn’t act like many of the Americans we saw, who were embarrassingly pushy, rude, loud, and disrespectful. I saw that way back in 1976 when I visited Europe for the first time. My traveling companion and I could spot the ugly Americans a mile away. We started saying we were from Canada. If you take the time to visit another country and you don’t expect it to be just like the one you left, you come with a spirit of adapting and learning and appreciating differences. Isn’t that what travel is for? Anyway, what I’m trying in a long-winded way to say is that you and Don are respectful of others here and there and curious and appreciative and that shows in whatever environment you are in. So of course Paris loves you back. I’m very happy to hear you say that you will check out something “next time”!! You have another anniversary coming up after all. XO
I must admit I was a bit wary, as the whole situation with Trump has become so much worse than it was last year. I wondered if our being American would make things a bit more awkward. It didn’t. It never came up. Everyone was just as warm and welcoming to us as they were last year.
Thank you, Nora.
I’m so enjoying the photos and your memories. I don’t travel a lot, especially since a couple of illnesses hit, so this was lovely. When I do travel, I love sitting in a local town square or park and watching people stroll by, settle on benches, chat with friends, read, and play games. I don’t feel as if I’ve really seen a place until I’ve done that.
I love to do the same thing, Linda. Thank you!
Good morning Claudia. I feel I just stepped into another time looking at this days’ blog. Nice start to the morning. Thank you.
I just published Part 4, Verna. Thanks!
One of my favorite spots, and oh! Your photos make me feel like I’m right there! It is indeed lovely. Jardin du Luxembourg is my favorite of all the parks, I think. And that’s saying a lot, for they are all so lovely.
My favorite, too! Thanks, Jeanie!
Yes, agreed with everyone – Interesting.
xo
Very interesting posts! Thank you.
We watched people from Quebec playing Pétanque here in Florida at our campground. I wish we had joined in.
It’s really cool, Kay!