APRIL IN PARIS-2013

Place Louis-Lepine - Marché aux fleurs

Two years ago this week, Doug and I were in Paris. (Little did I know then, that this would be the first of several trips to Europe we would take together after I retired.) Just being in Paris in the springtime made me feel like a kid at the carnival. So much to see, smell, hear, and experience all right there before me. 

It was early morning when we passed this flower market on our way to Sainte-Chapelle. The vendors were just setting up, but I knew immediately I had to return because this was a part of the 'other Paris' I wanted to see. 

So later that afternoon, after visiting the day's scheduled tourist sights, Doug and I found our way back to this spot on Île de la Cité in Paris' 4th arrondissement, where I reveled in the abundance of flowering plants, garden novelties, and the sweet smell of soil and water. 

Anyone who knows me knows well that gardening is a passion of mine. And it's not all about the plants. My backyard beds are also filled with an array flea market and thrift store finds that add a bit of character to the seasonal flowers, shrubs and trees. 

The collections of birdhouses caught my eye as I love enticing the birds to set up house in my garden. The vertical house (bottom right, above) is actually not a birdhouse but an insect hotel used in the garden to attract and house beneficial insects. Who knew?

More insect hotels (top shelf) and a dandy chicken. Did I mention that I have a huge collection of chicken "art" both in the garden and in my home?

And who doesn't love lanterns? Can't you just visualize them lit with candles hanging from the trees or set along a path to add soft light to a summer evening? 

But alas, all I could do is take pictures of everything I saw while visualizing it in my own garden back home. Still, not a bad way to spend an afternoon in Paris, n'est-ce pas?