Same location, just zooming in on the horizon with my trusty blog camera. I actually walked to this Park from the other side of that basilica on the hill. It’s the best way to learn a city.
There is no mistaking the fact that you are still in the city when you wander around this cool park. This park is big on riverbank space, but tips a little heavily in terms of metal and concrete.
On clear days you can go up in this balloon and get a view of the city. Me, I’m looking at this expanse and thinking that it would make a neat running track.
Again, geometery. Nature is bent to the will of the French architect.
I don’t know if this is still a part of the park, but right here on the Seine they’ve got seem neat rusty art. This man was looking out pensively onto the river…probably thinking “I need to use the bathroom.” How do I know this? About a minute later he got up, walked about 15 feet and took a leak on a wall. Almost like being back in Senegal.
Speaking of Senegal. Dude playing the tam tam.
Behold Parc Monstouris, located a metro and tram line down to the 14th. I was told to visit here by some random French guy as we got talking about parks about a week or so ago. He said if I liked Buttes Chaumont, then I’d really like it down here.
After I hopped off the tram, this was the first thing I saw upon entering the park. At first I was a little taken aback a statue seemingly covered in gold lamé, but then I deemed it instantly cool when I realized that it was Thomas Paine (in gold lamé). At the bottom was inscribed “Citizen of the World: Englishman by birth, French citizen by decree, American by adoption”. I like this park already.
The lioness and the serpent are having a little discussion….and I don’t think it’s about how expansive (and conducive to running) this park seems to be.
You probably see leaves all the time, or maybe you hate the sight of these things like this guy linked here. I’m not Maple Leafs fan, but this makes me feel at home.
Even though it was an overcast day, the mid-morning light really made me feel like I was walking around in a soft neon painting.
Not only is there a refreshing lack of drunks passed out in this park (either that or they are good at hiding), but you’ve got tons of varied flora to look at- like this cool sequoia, which was just 50 meters from a stretch of rose bushes.
This guy came right up to me, expecting a morning snack. I rewarded his brazenly tame behavior by snapping his photo and moving on- because no one needs to be feeding the ducks (or swans).
I kind of warned you that this blog entry might not strike you as interesting, but I like my extreme close-up of this cedar tree. Feel free to make the obvious tree-hugger comment here- don’t worry, I won’t make fun of your unimaginative commentary.
I really love this photo, and it’s because it reminds me of the cold months back at home. There’s something about a web of winter branches framed against a white sky that reminds me of being a kid out in the woods. It doesn’t hurt that I’m also an unabashed devotée of Robert Frost– his work has a great way of bringing a New Englander back home through his use of (better worded) imagery.
I really do like this park, and if it weren’t so far away I’d come down here for a run. Just behind this tree was a guy doing tai chi. That seems to be a popular activity around the Paris parks, or maybe there are just lots of crazy people hanging out…this ain’t California, after all…
Umm…I liked this statue.
I mentioned earlier that the light was kinda crazy this morning. I swear to God I didn’t turn the pink volume up for this photo.
The black swans didn’t come over looking for food handouts. Maybe because black swans are kinda crazy, as I learned from the recent film.
And just like that again I’m back in the city. After leaving Montsouris I hopped on the first bus I saw and was brought back to the area surrounding the huge lipstick tube of Paris, Montparnasse Tower. The aesthetic appeal is nowhere to be found.