Sunday 13 October 2013

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.

16 comments:

Rowan said...

Looks just fabulous Diane. You obviously had wonderful weather. I think that next year a trip to Paris is definitely on the cards!

Elizabethd said...

That took me back to our last visit some years ago. The parcs are stunning at any time of year. So nice that you had good weather.

Lyn said...

Gosh this is a lovely post, I love those photos they capture parc .life so well. Missed you! Xxx

Miss Holly said...

Well one year ago I was there too!!! Oh do I love Paris...my husband says......" ..the French are just so civilized!!!"
That was my fifth trip....never run out of wonderful things to see..do...eat...
Just wonderful!!

menopausalmusing said...

This looks like it was THE most wonderful start to autumn for you both. Such a lovely post.

Diane said...

I would love a week in Paris. We have only spent 3 days there and we rushed around like a pair of lunatics trying to see everything which was impossible!! Have a good week. t'other Diane

Rosie said...

How lovely to have the time to sit and watch the world go by - you certainly get a feeling for every day Paris by watching how the locals interact with their surroundings. It looks as if you had wonderful weather too:)

Amanda said...

What a fantastic holiday. We once went to an area in Turkey were the French go too and had many a nice afternoon playing boules with the holiday makers. Usually we play with Russians and Germans in other areas so it was a nice change to be among the 'professionals'. Lovely post.

Anonymous said...

What a super way to spend a week. Great pictures too.

Shortbread and Ginger said...

Looks amazing and sounds like you had a wonderful time!
Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

Jan said...

What a great way to spend a few days in Paris. The weather looked perfect for lots of exploring. Jx

Mad about Craft said...

Paris is lovely.

We stayed on this site for one night in September on our way to Italy.

Helen said...

Gorgeous pictures!
I spent a very cold and damp weekend in March in Paris, we still enjoyed Jardin Luxembourg though, even in the drizzle
I think a lot of city parks in the UK are quite well used too, perhaps not for as wide a range of activities though
http://ahandfulofhope.blogspot.co.uk/

Curtise said...

What gorgeous photos, Diane, Paris looks wonderful. xxx

HippieGirl said...

Wow, it blows my mind how beautiful it is. Just curious :D is "parc" how the word we spell "park" over here in the States spelled that way in Europe? Just curious. I know things are spelled differently in Europe. Just curious :D But, anyway, love the photos. So beautiful

Lisa said...

I have Blur's ParkLife going round my head now!
What a beautiful bundle of photos, so much colour and green lushness.
Lisa x