At the end of our Latin Quarter Walk, where we reached the Pantheon, we found at the end of the street of Soufflot, right across the circle, the Jardin du Luxembourg.
A favorite public park, it is a magnificent, harmonious 25-hectare green oasis on Paris' fashionable Left Bank. It was named after its original owner Duke François du Luxembourg (1612), who had a townhouse there.
The formal gardens are populated with many statues (including one of Sainte-Gèneviève, patron saint of Paris and the original model of the Statue of Liberty by Frédéric Bartholdi), fountains and beautiful flowers. In the southwest corner, there is an orchard where several hundred species of apple and pear trees blossom each spring. Children love the park, too, especially the octagonal pond, known as the Grand Bassin, where they can sail model boats. At the time of our visit, there was a band concert playing beautiful music.
Built for Marie de Medicis in 1615, Henry IV's consort and mother of Louis XIII of France, the Palais du Luxembourg is the first great example of French classical architecture during the 17th century, the culmination of the long tradition of the chateau as a building type. The Palace also once served as a prison during the French Revolution and the first residence of Napoleon Bonaparte as First Consul of the French Republic. During the German occupation of Paris (1940--1944), Hermann Göring took over the palace as the headquarters of the Luftwaffe in France, taking for himself a sumptuous suite of rooms to accommodate his visits to the French capital. Since 1958, the Palace currently houses the Senat (Senate), the upper house of the French Parliament.
Another attraction of the Jardin is the 19th-century 57m-long Orangerie (1834) where lemon and orange trees, palms, grenadiers and oleanders grow. Close by is the Musee de Luxembourg. Inside the Orangerie was an art exhibition, and we took photos of some interesting items on exhibit.
Fearing it might rain again, we proceeded "homeward" to Place d'Italie, not realizing it would be a long walk from Luxembourg to our hotel. Our map navigator, one of my travel buddies, took the route from Rue Guynemer, to Rue D'Assas, leading to the Avenue de L'Observatoire, then Boulevard Port Royal and finally, we ended up at Les Gobelins, a few more blocks from our hotel. As in the past days, we arrived dead tired from walking.
Note: Our Latin Quarter Walk is documented here: [ Ссылка ]
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