Today was the day, Luxembourg Gardens.

	Our hotel had a GREAT book with pictures from the gardens. You see YEARS ago, in my french class, I had seen another video about the boats at the Luxembourg gardens. People floated them on the water there on Sundays. I had told Karl about it YEARS before. When he started to get into his RC phase, I even told him I would love to RC boat. He even bought an old used boat that we drove around in the Qualtics pond a few years ago. So to come here with him on this day was really a dream come true.

Our hotel was only a few blocks away and it was exciting to reach the tall iron gates.

It really is a huge park. “Jardin” is Garden.

Our first stop: Marie De Medicis Fountain.

The Luxembourg Palace is now where the Senate meets, so there is lots of guards in bullet proof boxes around the building.

 

All around the perimeter of the gardens are the statues of Queens of France.

Giant pots of fall mums were everywhere, and even though the day was cold and rainy, it was magical.

It was around 8:00 AM, so the pond was still quiet.

I was there, and I couldn’t really believe it.

The water wasn’t what I expected. I was deeper.

And almost on cue, men with little RC boats and submarines were out, launching their boats.

There was even one little wind powered sail boat.

 

Again, despite the cold, Karl and I sat and watched the boats for an hour.

Then this man arrived with his HUGE boat, with it’s own little stand.

Watching his adjust the steering and sails, and guild it gracefully through the water was seriously, a delight.

 

Karl and I began to wonder. It was such a big place we wanted to see what else the gardens had to offer on this quiet Sunday morning.

It was fall in Paris, and the trees were turning Autumn colors.

We found this funny little sing set area with little caged two seated swings. Funny, but I get the thinking. You know, to avoid kids getting hit in the head while running around the swings.

We had JUST missed the puttet show for the morning, but I think it was okay, I didn’t need the nightmares.

We came upon the Tennis Courts. And found found a group of men playing a game we just couldn’t identify.

After speaking to an attentant, we found out it was called, Long Pom, a predicessor of modern tennis. We seriously sat and watched them play for a half an hour, trying to figure out the rules.

Walking through the gardens their were ponies being ridden, people doing all kinds of martial arts, and people like us just taking it all in:

We were headed on to our next adventure, and there were more boats on the water, so we stopped to send the kids a message: