Thursday, September 22, 2011

Une belle perspective

The central feature of the Luxembourg garden in Paris is the bassin (fountain pool). It sits in a section of the park that is sunken below street level, creating the illusion that the trees in the park above are taller and that you are even more secluded from the city than you are.

A late summer morning in the Luxembourg garden. The leaves on the chestnut trees have begun to turn.

The park is filled with sculpture. The statue atop the column in the photo is of David, Killer of Goliath. The sculptor is unknown. According to my research, this statue is a copy made in 1993; the original is back inside the palace where it was before being moved into the garden in 1840.

From the eastern side of the bassin (where I'm standing to take this picture) there are great views of the two tallest towers in Paris. The first is the Tour Eiffel, seen here. The second is the Tour Montparnasse. More about that tomorrow.

6 comments:

  1. The Luxembourg Gardens hold a very special place in my heart - especially the bassin. That`s where I met my husband, in July 1964. Three children and many moves across the Channel later
    we`re still together. I`m hoping very hard that we`ll be able to move to live in France some time soon.

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  2. Love the Luxembourg Gardens! Last weekend during Journees du Patrimoine, I toured the Palais du Luxembourg as well as Val de Grace nearby. Both are magnificent!

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  3. Those trees near the water look Tropical.
    m.

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  4. Isn't "maronnier d'Inde" known in English as horse chestnut? They are two different species?

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  5. I can't believe I never made it to the top of la Tour Montparnasse.

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  6. benisilli, thanks for the comment! I hope your plans work out!

    anon (bettyann?), I've never been inside the palace. One of these days!

    mark, indeed they are. You may have noticed that they're in large planter boxes. They're moved into a greenhouse for the winter then brought out again in the spring.

    chm, I think so. I looked this up once but now I've totally forgotten! lol

    starman, on a nice day it's very cool. They have an indoor observation lounge with access to the outdoor deck on the top of the building.

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