| I discovered the Jardin du Luxembourg completely by | | | | as Napoleon's first residence as First Consul of France, |
| accident. It was my first trip to Paris - my first day in | | | | and as the headquarters of the Luftwaffe during the |
| the city - and I was staying at a lovely little hotel on the | | | | German occupation of France. Today, the Palais is the |
| rue Monsieur Le Prince in Saint-Germain. I strolled up | | | | seat of the French Senate. |
| toward the Boulevard St-Michel and suddenly found | | | | More than just a spectacularly beautiful place, the |
| myself walking through the gates of a beautiful | | | | Jardin is a part of the fabric of Paris. At any given time |
| sprawling park. | | | | of the day, you'll find people of all ages gathered here. |
| Spread out along 60 acres, the Jardin du Luxembourg | | | | Students from the nearby Sorbonne studying. Old men |
| offers fountains, statues, ponds, flowerbeds, tennis | | | | playing chess. Joggers following the winding paths. |
| courts, pony rides, a marionette theatre, playgrounds, | | | | Workers eating while meeting or reading during their |
| food kiosks and open-air cafes. | | | | lunchtime while children sailed their toy boats across |
| The formal gardens is dominated by a central parterre | | | | the pond. |
| surrounded by terraces, which are in turn surrounded | | | | During my first visit to Paris, I came to the Jardin every |
| by allees of trees interspersed with towering statues. | | | | single day at around 7:00pm. The gates close at |
| Surrounded the central space are about twenty | | | | sunset and, being that it was June, it was still light out |
| figures of French queens and saints standing regally | | | | until nearly 10:00pm. I would sit on one of the countless |
| upon their pedestals. You'll also discover homages to | | | | chairs that surround the main pond for hours and |
| Beethoven, Delacroix, Georges Sand, Massenet, Paul | | | | simply absorb all of the activity around me. One |
| Verlaine and Charles Baudelaire, along with the original | | | | evening, I watched spellbound as a man shared his |
| bronze model for the Statue of Liberty. | | | | baguette with the pigeons and tiny birds that flocked |
| Of course, one can't help but notice the Palais du | | | | around him, some eating right out of his hand. It was |
| Luxembourg overlooking the Jardin, which was built for | | | | one of those magical moments that stay with you |
| Marie de Médicis (mother to King Louix XIII) in | | | | forever. |
| 1615. It served as a prison during the French Revolution, | | | | |