Fly Away Cafe - Where travel is a way of life

Paris in the Fall

by Mary Jo Manzanares on November 1st, 2006

Today I have a guest post from a new writer and friend, Lynn Rodriguez.   Lynn has lived as an ex-pat for more than half of her life, visited over 60 countries around the world, living in seven of them.

I think you’ll see Lynn’s love of Paris is evident in her writing.  I have never been to Paris (maybe next year), and now Lynn provides me with just one more reason to go.

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So it’s Autumn and you happen to be in Paris! Lucky you! It is the best time to see Paris. The tourists have all gone home and the city once again belongs to the Parisians. The weather is usually nice and there’s a whole different feeling in the air.

Spend an afternoon in the Luxembourg Gardens and you’ll see how the French enjoy the mild days before Winter. If you come into the park through the Rue de Vaugirard (it’s the longest street in Paris, the entrance is near # 46-48 ) you’ll see groups of people, mostly men, playing chess. Anyone can play a game, but most of them play with a timer; so you not only need to be good, but fast! If you don’t play chess, it’s still fun to watch.

Stroll further along and you can pull up a chair and see some really good tennis matches. Several courts are taken up with beginners learning how to play, but other courts have some pretty good action going.

Continue along the pathway and you can see a small replica of the Statue of Liberty. Be careful where you walk, though, as you pass the ponies taking children for a ride! You’ll know you’re coming to their section of the gardens when you can hear the kids laughing and playing on the slides and swings, or taking a ride on the carousel, or watching a puppet show. The same Desarthis family has been putting on this marionette show featuring Guignol since 1933.

In the back, near the Rue Guynemer entrance, you’re more than likely to see little old men who meet there every afternoon for a game of pétanque. It’s interesting to watch and, believe me, they take their games seriously. You’ll know that when you see one of them pull out his measuring string to see, within millimetres, whose steel ball is closest to the little rubber ball.

Turn and walk up toward the main entrance on Blvd. Saint-Michel and you’ll come to the octagonal pond known as the Grand Bassin. In front of it is the Palais du Luxembourg, which was built in the 17th century by Marie de Medici, which now houses the French Senate. You can watch children sailing boats in the pond under their parent supervision, as generations have done before them.

By this time, you’ll want to sit and have a drink! Climb the steps and on the left you’ll see a little chalet. Take a seat under the trees and order a café like a Parisian. (Café au lait is for the tourists and those not on a budget.) If a French espresso is too strong for you, you can order a “noisette” for the same price. It’s still an espresso, but they add a little bit of cream that takes away the bitter flavor. You can sit there for hours and watch the people stroll by, write your post-cards, or strike up a conversation with a local.

Isn’t it great to be in Paris in the Fall?!

Photo credit:  flickr

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POSTED IN: European Travel, Things to See & Do