rue Mouffetard

Rue Mouffetard is a tourist's dream. It's a small cobbled street that climbs up a hill and is lined with varied shopping opportunities and multiple restaurants serving just about anything you could ask for. I've seen French, Greek, Mexican, and Asian offerings. It's usually jammed with tourists, but Thora and I usually visit in the morning before many shops are open to do some serious window shopping and looking around.

At the bottom of the hill in the Square Medard are a couple of cafes, our favorite boulangerie (bakery), a fruit stand, a children's playground, and the St. Medard church. I love any place with a historical marker. Here's the one outside Saint Medard.

You probably know more French than I do, but when I see a date like 1163,  I am in love. Apparently an abbey called Saint Genevieve stood on this site. The basic church that stands here today was begun in the mid-16th century.

Surrounding the church are gardens, a playground, and a small cafe.

cafe and fruit stand

As you begin to walk up Mouffetard, look to your left. There is the most amazing mural on the building there.

The following will give you an idea how charming the street is. Maybe when you come to Paris you'll stroll rue Mouffetard.

Jardin du Luxembourg or Luxembourg Gardens

One post cannot begin to show you Luxembourg Gardens, Paris's second largest public park. I think it is one of the most lovely public spaces I have seen. People come to stroll as I did with Thora one afternoon, or they read, sun bathe, or meet with friends.

The park is named for the Duke of Luxembourg who sold the land to Marie de Medicis,  widow of France's King Henry IV in 1615.  Missing her native Florence, Marie had an Italianate palace built on the land with a 50 acre garden surrounding it. Interestingly enough, Marie never lived here. Her son, Louis XIII, had her exiled from France when he found she had been plotting against him. After the French Revolution, the land was made into a public park. Obviously the aristocrats would not be needing it anymore. (This information comes from a wonderful book entitled, Chronicles of Old Paris-Exploring the Historic City of Light by John Baxter.)

There are plenty of chairs and benches. You can be in the sun or shade. There are a few kiosks for buying a drink or toy for your child. There is a lovely cafe under the trees where my sister, daughter-in-law, and I ate last summer.

Thora and I arrived at the Boulevard St. Michel entrance to the gardens after a strenuous uphill walk on a sunny warm day. I find it small comfort when they say uphill walks have downhill returns. I was very relieved to step into the shade at the garden's entrance.

After a short walk the view of the gardens open up and it is breathtaking.

Look at what is in the distance on the left side of the picture.

The park is surrounded by 20 statues of French queens and other important women.

All were real women except this one, Clemence Isaure, who only exists in stories from the Middle Ages.

My favorite statue right now is the statue of Artemis with her stag. This may change as I explore the Gardens more thoroughly. 

Next time I will take the bus to the Luxembourg Gardens so I can more time and energy to check out the parts I haven't seen yet. What you see here is just the beginning.