It's such a pleasure to wake up with no particular plans, just find a place on the map to visit and GO. We have purchased a 2-month metro pass so we feel free to just go anywhere (within Paris) and go again if it is good.
One of my wanderings landed me at the Jardin les Plantes which is the main botanical garden in Paris. There's lots to see, but what caught my eye were 4 wooden statues with animal heads.
Another day we picked a park on the map in an area we were less familiar with. Not far from Montmartre was Parc Clichy-Batignolles. There are 2 parks, really. One is new and still under construction and we saw interesting buildings. The second one is nearby and more classic.
We then walked to Montmartre to catch the metro at Abbesses. It has the distinction of being the deepest metro at 36 metres (118 feet) below ground. Access to the platforms is usually by elevators, but they can be accessed by decorated stairs. Paris is quite flat generally and Montmartre is the biggest hill. We saw a charming wall in Place des Abbesses called Le Mur des Je t'aime. There are over 311 written declarations of "I love you" in 250 different languages (notice Hebrew near the middle of the picture).
And now for something completely different:
La Défense is a major business district of the Paris Metropolitan Area. We were impressed by the modern skyscrapers and public art.
And what is Paris without the open air farmer's markets? We hit the mother lode with Marche Richard Lenoir. Considered the largest outdoor market in Paris, this market has
essentially everything you could want - food, flowers, housewares, clothes and even sea urchins.
One of my wanderings landed me at the Jardin les Plantes which is the main botanical garden in Paris. There's lots to see, but what caught my eye were 4 wooden statues with animal heads.
Jardin les Plantes sculptures
Another day we picked a park on the map in an area we were less familiar with. Not far from Montmartre was Parc Clichy-Batignolles. There are 2 parks, really. One is new and still under construction and we saw interesting buildings. The second one is nearby and more classic.
Modern apartment house near new Parc Clichy-Batignolles
Classic Parc Clichy-Batignolles
We then walked to Montmartre to catch the metro at Abbesses. It has the distinction of being the deepest metro at 36 metres (118 feet) below ground. Access to the platforms is usually by elevators, but they can be accessed by decorated stairs. Paris is quite flat generally and Montmartre is the biggest hill. We saw a charming wall in Place des Abbesses called Le Mur des Je t'aime. There are over 311 written declarations of "I love you" in 250 different languages (notice Hebrew near the middle of the picture).
Le Mur des Je t'aime
And now for something completely different:
La Défense is a major business district of the Paris Metropolitan Area. We were impressed by the modern skyscrapers and public art.
This skyscraper reminded us of Starship Enterprise from Star Trek
Modern art sculpture in La Defense
Flowers at Marche Richard Lenoir
Fresh fruit
Miles enjoying a cheese quiche at the market
Best Market in Paris! LOVE Richard Lenoir. So glad you enjoyed it. La Defense is like entering another world; what a huge contrast eh?
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