A Woman's Paris ~ Joie de Vivre

By Abby Rodgers

If April showers do indeed bring May flowers, then the many public parks and gardens in Paris should be bountifully in bloom come May. As much as I adore the Parisian scenery when it rains, I am ready for a little bit of spring sunshine and spring flowers. Lately, Paris has seen relentlessly rainy days. I have worn my winter coat more days than not, and I never leave the house without my umbrella. With the extensive winter cold, I have been dreaming of that perfect Parisian picnic at the Champ de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, or Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, the third largest park in Paris located in the 19th arrondissement.

Spring in Paris is my favorite season because you can feel the shift in energy. For me, spring in Paris means Vélib’ (the low-cost biking system with scattered hubs throughout the city), picnics (of course), reading by the Seine, and walks with fiends. Once it is warm enough, one of my favorite things to do is to bike or walk around the city in the evening.

Here are some of the many public parks and gardens in Paris:

Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, 19th arrondissement
Jardin du Luxembourg, 6th arrondissement
Parc Montsouris, 14th arrondissement
Parc de la Villette, 19th arrondissement
Jardin des Tuileries, 1st arrondissement (photos above)

Vélib’ is a low cost biking system available in Paris: http://en.velib.paris.fr/

Abby Rodgers was born in South Korea, raised in Rochester, New York and is currently living in Paris, France. She is a student of International Relations at Schiller International University in Paris and works at Art Galleries Europe/London and Paris. Abby lives in the bustling 6ème arrondissement near the famed Café Flore and Luxembourg Gardens, providing the ideal landscape for creativity. She is a self-proclaimed Francophile and dessert connoisseur.

You may also enjoy A Woman’s Paris® post, Paris in the Rain, by Parisian Abby Rodgers who writes about how Paris becomes a different place when it rains. As Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” comments, walking through Paris in the rain can be a magical experience because you have the ability to discover the city from a whole new point of view. Including Abby’s suggestions of favorite boutiques, museums, and shops to explore while walking around Paris.

A Walk in a French Garden, by Canadian writer Philippa Campsie who writes about her experiences in the famous Jardin des Tuileries. Philippa also delves into the history and importance of garden design in France. Including French to English vocabulary translations of gardening terms.

Paris, a particular shade of gray, by Mary Evans a former cooking school director and founder of The Write Cook. Mary recalls the cozy refuges in her long ago memories of Paris and shares her recipe for Chicken Bouillabaisse.

Café Culture in Paris, by Parisienne Flore der Agopian. The café, writes Flore, is a pleasurable way of sitting unbothered for hours on end with a book, with friends, or jut watching all sorts of people coming and going. Le Café de Flore, one of the oldest and most prestigious in Paris, where you can meet or observe its famous clientele among the Parisians, tourists and waiters dressed in their black and white uniforms as if they were still in the 1920s. To Flore, Café de Flore is almost mythical, legendary—a real institution.

Paris macaron, love in the afternoon, by Barbara Redmond who tells about the French women who vanished into the streets of Paris and later exited Pierre Hermé, an elegant confectionary, clutching little cellophane bags of macarons, a little ‘Le goûter’ (afternoon treat). But, Frenchwomen do not snack… or do they? Paris locations included for Pierre Hermé and Ladurée, beloved for their Parisian macarons.

Text copyright ©2013 Abby Rodgers. All rights reserved.
Photography copyright ©2013 Barbara Redmond. All rights reserved.
Illustrations copyright ©Barbara Redmond. All rights reserved.
barbara@awomansparis.com