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 Tuil
eries (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 a
lso 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.
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