I could go into all the details about how the plane ride was a breeze, our cab driver to the airport was also a philosophy teacher, or how our orientation went swimmingly well courtesy of Isobel and the St. John’s University staff . . . but why focus on these aspects when I could impart the wonders of the Luxembourg Gardens?
Together in the Gardens!
After consuming a delicious fare of French food at a nearby brasserie, our troupe of bleary yet enthused LIS students made our way to the Luxembourg Gardens. We were greeted by rainbows of flowers, hedges trimmed so tightly that you could have set your glass of Chardonnay on the brambles without fear of it tipping over, and fountains, statues, and reclining Parisians galore!
At one point, we wondered into a gallery exhibit featuring a mish-mash of brightly painted canvasses and ceramics, but we were most impressed by the “junk” art and 3-dimensional paintings.
We couldn’t help but spy on the Parisian men playing chess in the park.
And we were quite impressed by the number of statues portraying women leaders in France throughout the years.
As the sun set, we left behind the gardens and walked immediately into a gelateria, where all partook in a variety of flavors, some preferring the zing of neon sorbets while others took to the smooth, velvety chocolates.
All in all, we couldn’t have had a better start to our sojourn in Paris. Thank you, Luxembourg Gardens!