Musée Rodin & jardin

Last week (oh yes, keeping right up to date on the blog!) I dropped the boys off at garderie and thought it about time to make good on my new year promise to myself to use atleast one afternoon a week to 'discover' something about Paris, so made my way over the Rodin museum. To be honest, by the time I got there I felt exhausted, as I had walked the whole way slinging E, and nearly pulled the plug on the whole idea, until I remembered that the garden was free entry, and being so tired I may as well enter the garden and sit somewhere picturesque to revive myself.Well, just entering the garden was enough to revive me, I spent the next 20mins continuing to walk, enthralled by the statues through the garden, the serenity of the garden layout itself, and generally just delighted at entering an oasis in the city. There is even a cafe with outside sitting, so for the rest of my hour I sat enjoying the beautiful spring day, the serenity and the beauty before me, over a reviving hot chocolate. At the bottom end of the garden there is a sandpit and large wooden lounge chairs, so mummies looking for serene kid space should head there asap!

Vaux Le Vicomte

This is us visiting my new favourite Chateau, Vaux Le Vicomte. While we did not go into the castle, next time we will, it is fully furnished and supposedly beautiful, we did wander the gardens and enjoy the serenity and majesty of this magnificent place. It is probably a little early in the year to really capture the spendour of the gardens (plus the scaffolding on half the chateau), but give it another month and I am sure spring will make its mark, and this place will be divine for the tourist or local seeking something special. The castle has a rather tragic story, with the downfall of Fouquet, imprisoned for a crime he did not commit at the hands of jealousy. The gardens were designed by André le Notre, and I read that Fouquet and le Notre found a perfect harmony between architecture and the environment. I guess that is what happened, as all I know is that I loved the place and felt so happy to be there, feeling now that it worked its harmonising magic on me.

There are candle light evenings all through summer, fountain displays, costumes (princes, knights and musketeers) available to hire for the kids, a beautiful display of carriages in the stables and soon an Easter egg hunt for children which I will not be missing.