Wandering

Our second walk of the day was geographically one of the longest we’ve had and my feet are feeling a bit hammered tonight, but I enjoyed this one also.  Called Seizième Arrondissement: Guimard and Monet, this walk focused on three things, Art Nouveau architecture; an art museum that focused on Monet, Manet, and impressionist painters; and 3 parks.

This walk actually started with a walk across this bridge.  Everyone but me got incredibly excited because they recognized this as the bridge in the movie "Inception."

These are the moments I feel old, when I can't keep up with the popular culture.  Luckily these are nice girls and they don't make fun of me, they actually try and help.

Mr. Eiffel shows up everywhere!

Oh, so sad this is an unfocused picture, because the notes in my book say "take this walk with Jim."  It's just crosses a beautiful island on the Seine

The Statute of Liberty copy!  She just appeared at the end of the island, it was kind of fun!

Like I said, this walk was through a bedroom community.  I liked this juxtaposition of architecture.

Here is some of the first art nouveau....interesting, but not terribly impressive to me.

But then we came to this apartment building built by Hector Guimare.  This is the building that jumpstarted his career.  (It was common during the Art Nouveau period for architects to "sign" their buildings.

Cool front door

But this side view was awesome! The roof top gardens, the different colors, the windows.  

Lunchtime!

A sweet walkway on the way to Maison de Balzac

Playing with the birds.

A beautiful apartment complex.

More apartments

The house of Monsieur Balzac the writer.  I admit I wasn't sad to find out that the tours are cancelled till September.  I'm suffering a bit of museum fatigue.

We just stumbled across this.  Scrabble is alive and well in France!

And this was delicious.  I'm so glad they also sell them at Bear Lake now!

I just liked this in a store window.

France makes just about everything more quaint and shopping more fun, except for the malls, a mall is a mall is a mall.....

This is just a wonderful little city park--that I guess isn't really so little. It was formerly the site of Royal parties, including parties with hot air balloons--as in the Three Musketeers. 

I liked this old Merry-go-Round, and it made me smile to see all the grandparents there.  I totally get that now!

This museum of the impressionists was formerly an Old Hunting Lodge.  It's hard to imagine that with all the building around it now

They didn't let us take pictures in the museum, but this was the exhibition this spring, and I quite enjoyed it.

This is Jean de la Fontaine, the writer of all the French Fables such as the Fox and the Cheese, or the Cricket and the Ant.

By now we were getting a bit weary and no one was really watching the map so we took a little detour down this path, which was incredibly pleasant.  These enormous park was formerly the hunting grounds of the kings, going back to Clovis in 495.  Since then it has been the hiding place for bandits and those fleeing the French Revolution.  Now it is the largest park in Paris and includes several race tracks, restaurants, tow lakes, a children's zoo etc.

more park

more park

more park

And another random statue on the way back to the metro.

If you're still reading this, let me know and I'll bring you some chocolate from France!!