Luxembourg Gardens 

  This was our first major hint of spring.  Having come from Boston we were definitely ready for it!  There were tulips everywhere and it was great to see, especially as the sun poked through the clouds as we were walking around.  As with the Tuileries, we were impressed by the fact that there are public chairs all over the place for people to use.  It seems to me that if they did this in parks in the US, the chairs would either be stolen or vandalized.  Seeing hundreds of Parisian's relaxing around the gardens is part of what made the experience for us.  The relaxed pace of life that we got used to while in Paris caused us great shock when we got home!

  As for the history, the gardens were originally the private gardens of the palce that is on the site.  The palace was originally built for the mother of king Louis XIII.  The building currently holds the French Senate.

Click here for pictures of the Luxembourg Gardens