Wandering in Paris

We wake up our first morning in Paris and look out the window, watching the spring clouds drift acrosss the sky.  Heading out, we see the restaurants decorated with flowers, a great idea that we had noticed on our last visit

Clouds crossing the sky

Restaurants decorated

We walk down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to Place de la Concorde and see that the fountains are now working as the city prepares itself for the Olympics in a few months.

Avenue des Champs-Élysées

Fountains ready for spring (and the Olympics)

Crossing the Jardin des Tuileries (between Place de la Concorde and the Louvre), we view the spring plantings emerging from the flower beds with the Musée d'Orsay (and its incredible impressionist collection) in the background across the river one way, the Louvre the other way, and the l'Orangerie museum (with a whole room of Monet's Water Lilies) alongside us at the entrance.

Musée d'Orsay

Louvre

L'Orangerie

In 1664, André le Nôtre, gardener to King Louis XIV, designed the Tuileries Garden and created its "Grande Allée," the central walk way extending through the park from Place de la Concorde to the Louvre.  He also traced out the future Avenue des Champs-Élysées to be built in later, along with the Place de a Concorde (1763) and Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile(1806-1838).

Tuileries Garden

Map of the Tuileries Garden

We reach the Louvre and cross the Seine to wander through the Left Bank, generally in the direction of the Luxembourg Garden (Jardin du Luxembourg).

Crosssing the Seine

New art on the Seine across from the Louvre

Gardens on the Left Bank

And, we continue to wander.