Jardin du Really Big

(Sorry. Blogger won't let me upload. No pictures posted tonight.)

So I finally made it into the Jardin du Luxembourg. My original plan had been to take the bus the Le Grand Epicerie, get some sandwich fixin's and have a picnic while I draw and take pictures. But, I got on the wrong bus and ended up getting off at the Eiffel Tower, the last stop. I figured I'd walk. But I was on an angled street so instead of walking directly east, I was walking directly southeast. I kind of almost had to double back. And, not knowing how long until I navigated my way to my destination (plus the temperature and wind were making a picnic sound less and less appealing), I stopped in a boulangerie and picked up a ham and cheese baguette to eat on my adventure. So plain and yet so really yummy. I made it to Le Grand Epicerie just as I finished my sandwich. I was cold and needed to pee, so I went up to the cafe in Le Bon Marché to warm up and well, pee. And caffeinate, of course. 

Then, I ventured out to find the park. I bought some grapes at a little fruit stand to eat should I ever make it there. (My germaphobia seems to go away when I cross international borders. I wouldn't eat organic grapes from Whole Foods without hosing them down first in citric acid fruit wash and a lot of water.) 

So I found Jardin du Luxembourg. Ate my grapes. Took some pictures. Drew a picture. Wandered around. It is huge. They have the biggest playground I've ever seen. Tennis courts. Petanque courts. (Looks like shuffleboard without the sticks or the disk thing. Or numbers. But it was old guys throwing stuff trying to get close to other stuff.) There was also a museum. The Senate. (I know. Right there. In the park. So it's the Louvre. Wrigley Field. The French Senate.) 

I understand why people want to live near it. It really is the Paris version of Hyde Park and Central Park. Though I like my neighborhood better. It feels smaller. Less populated. (Not counting Sundays. Have I mentioned how the entire city descends on the Marais on Sundays? Most stores in Paris are closed, but here, the shops stay open because Saturday is the Jewish day of closing stores. So everyone comes here. Yay Jews.)

Speaking of, I had a falafel for dinner. The falafel place is kosher, and I don't know if they'll be open come Passover. I'll probably have one tomorrow too. Got to get it while I can.