Parc Life

Hubby and I found ourselves with a week off work - and with funds being a bit on the low side, a relaxing holiday to sunny climes was out of the question, so hubby came up with the brilliant idea of spending A WHOLE WEEK IN PARIS !! - the cheap way of course at a Eurocamp Campsite situated just on the outskirts.  We have stayed here before (you can read if you wade through my archives which are now situated at the bottom of the blog), but always with the kids.  This time was a little different as the young man is now at Uni and the dancing queen is sharing a house with friends.

 The idea was that with a whole week to explore this gorgeous city, we wouldn't need to exhaust ourselves like we had in the past - but it didn't quite work out like that and we still found ourselves on the go for almost all of the day - every day! And so we really relished our breaks in the very beautiful Parc's - along with the Parisiennes.   Everything in Paris is "off the scale" and they not only plant for colour, but for perfume too.  The Jardin Tuilleries is a lovely place to sit and soak up the atmosphere and the fragrance.

 I wish we could buy these chairs in England - the reclining "Chaise Luxembourg" is the most comfortable chair in the world.  You cannot help but sink right to the back of the chair, and the pressure on your achy feet is instantly relieved.  A quick nap often ensue's and they are also excellent for a spot of people watching.

 Parisiennes love their Parc's and Jardins.  Office workers spill out in their droves and nannies with their charges make the most of these wonderful spaces. We enjoyed our baguette here in the Place des Vosages one lunchtime.  I loved the beautiful houses that lined all 4 sides of the parc and the gorgeous shops and galleries underneath them.

 The French are such a sociable race.  We spotted these chaps playing Boules everyday.  Unlike their English counterparts, these fellas talked and talked and talked - they chatted away all the time they played - each and every one of them.

 Since we became an alcohol free zone at the start of the year, holidays have been missing a little something, but we discovered that almost all the bars and restaurants in the Parc's sell very decent "Bier sans alcohol" - most refreshing and welcoming on a hot afternoon.

 We made our way to the Jardins Luxembourg one late afternoon.  The parc filled up with families - mothers and children straight from school, then dad straight from work.  They snacked, and played and enjoyed precious time outdoors together - it was lovely to watch.

 Autumn is just starting to tinge the trees in each parc - you cannot shift for conkers! Everywhere!

 The reason the spaces are so well used is that there are plenty of seats - something we don't have in our parks.

 Another favourite park is the huge one at the Palace of Versaille.  We were going to look inside the Palace this time, but the queues and the lovely weather had us quickly formulating plan B - a long walk through the parc.

 This is one of my favourite photo's that I took on our holiday - I think it captures the atmosphere perfectly.

 Parisian Parc Life is wonderful - it is one of the loveliest things about this fabulous city.  I wish we had it here.