Paris, Days 15-17 (continued) - Jardin des Plantes and a Beautiful Storm

Yesterday, I patted myself on the back for buying the five day Batobus ticket.  Because what I felt like doing was riding up and down the river for a while.  And maybe strolling in a park.  And it allowed me to do both, with ease!

I walked down to the Batobus stop on the far side of Notre Dame, wading happily through the throngs of tourists and occasional accordion player and clown and violinist.

I flashed my boat pass, and jumped on, and watched the city go by on our way to the Jardin des Plantes, which has to be my favorite park yet.

The Jardin des Plantes is more of a botanical garden, which isn't to say it's not pretty.  It's beautifully laid out, and full of flowers.  But there are names on things, and a certain inclusiveness and scientific order.  The park also contains their Natural History Museum, a small Menagerie (zoo), greenhouses and some sort of zoological building.  I didn't go inside of the buildings, though.  I just wanted to wander amongst the flowers.

Jardin des Plantes. 

A rather disturbing statue of a man, who has killed a cub and tried to kill a bear being mauled by the bear.  It appears to be by the dog park...  I can't think why.  Bear killing and mauling -- dog park?  No clue.

A little French vineyard.  This is for my guys at Hanson Vineyards!

A French garden house.  This one's for Mom!  Their door isn't nearly as pretty as your door...

Lovely flowers, all in rows and carefully trellised.

Yellow flower.

Things I came upon during my wander:

• a folly, in the middle of a labyrinth
• a bee hotel
• an old-fashioned merry-go-round with the cutest animals ever
• a rainbow

I've been glad to have my travel umbrella at several junctures this trip.  It hasn't been cold at all -- the temperature has been a splendid 70-something throughout.

When I was in the folly, it began to pour.  Children ducked into the bushes, parents began to holler for their children, and I meandered my way down through the labyrinth and through the rest of the park, happily taking pictures of rainbows and flowers and children on merry-go-rounds.

Lovely tree, with arms outstretched.

The bee hotel!

The folly on the hill.

Path framed with climbing roses.

Building of Things Botanical and Geological.

I really liked this fellow.  He's contemplating an egg.

You can walk through the flowers, or you can walk through the trees.

Red flower.

This is the cutest merry-go-round I've ever seen -- and I've seen the double-decker one in Danbury.  There were animals that went up and down for the bigger kids, like the gazelles, or just a sedentary pelican, just the right size for this little fellow.

Round and round they go!

When I was done wandering the park, I climbed back aboard the boat, with the intention of just sitting there and taking a full circuit.  I was so glad I did!  Because the sky lowered into a glorious dark glower as we went along, and then it poured, and then there was another rainbow, right over the river, a double!

The bridge (and the bridge reflected in the side of the boat).

Eagle bridge and Eiffel Tower.

Sky glowering over Eagle bridge.

Getting darker.

Dark wars with light.

Stormy sky and wake of boat, framed by bridge.  Eiffel Tower far left.

Extraordinary clouds.

The fancy bridge, with stormy sky above it.

It begins to rain.

Harder, now.

Pouring.

Storm over long bridge.

Really coming down.

It has to bode well, right?  Don't rainbows always bode well?  I'm taking it as a good sign.

Rainbow over the Seine.

Rainbow with birds.

It's a double!