Our day in the Bois de Boulogne
Before arriving in Paris, we raved to the girls about the beautiful parks here. I think we set expectations high because they’ve been underwhelmed with our early park experiences. Coming from Canada, I think they equate “park” with “playground” and while the sculpted gardens of the Luxembourg are impressive our girls seemed at a loss for what to do there.
We’ve had some trouble finding playgrounds that are interesting to kids aged 8 and 10. It seems that a lot of what we have stumbled upon is geared for smaller kids, or as Mavis says, babies.
We have visited the Luxembourg Gardens, The Tuilieries, the Champs de Mars, as well as the little Parc de Passy in our neighbourhood and anything else we stumble upon in our travels. We had a picnic the Jardin du Luxembourg and the girls did enjoy the playground that you pay to get into. It costs 2€50 and you can come and go for as long as you want all day long. The place was full with children but not uncomfortably so. Their French parents reclined on chairs outside of the playground to read books or chat. We settled in. Our girls went in, had a good time, and were out in about 30 minutes. They didn’t feel a need to go back that day although I am sure we will return.
Then we planned a day to the Bois de Boulonge with a visit to the Foundation Louis Vuitton and the Jardin d’Acclimation.
The Frank Gehry designed building of the Foundation Louis Vuitton is spectacular. As you approach it, the organic structure of glass, steel and wood seems to leap out of the landscape. It’s moderness is so unlike the architecture we have been experiencing in Paris yet seems to fit perfectly into it’s surroundings. Our first view was of the waterfall leading down to the grotto on the bottom level and it was mesmerizing.
We spent a few hours touring the building and art exhibits. The various terraces with views of the Bois de Boulonge were lovely and the Takashi Murakami exhibit was fabulous. We do not know a lot about art other to enjoy what we see but the descriptions, in both French and English, of the enormous murals allowed us to get more out of them. The girls were given an activity book to fill in clues as we moved through the space and we had to work together to understand the questions in French and find the answers.
Admission to the Foundation also allows you into the Jardin d’Acclimation, which re-opened in June after a year long renovation. No question, this was the best amusement park I have ever experienced. It was a hot day but lots of trees and shade made it comfortable. We were able to buy simple baguette sandwiches for similar prices to what we are generally used to and easily find a lovely spot to enjoy them.
We bought a ticket for 90€ which gives us 50 rides and we can continue to use it until it is done or a year is up. Based on our first time, I would guess it will last us for 3-4 more visits.
The rides themselves were so much fun. Mavis is the only one in our family who really likes rides but we all had to do a couple so she wouldn’t be by herself. I did the “mini” roller coaster with her. I thought it would be a breeze because there is another, much more daring one. Turns out the “souris mécaniques” were terrifying for both her and me but we did have a good laugh after getting off. We did a river cruise all together and Mavis did the “petit carrousel” by herself. Mavis has loved the French carrousels since our time in Nice and rides them whenever she can. Sophia agreed to brave the swings with her sister. They were hysterical with laughter and did it twice.
You could spend the day in the parc without even doing the rides. There are a number of free play spaces including a wooden play structure in the trees and a maze with large bears. We saved the spray park and another large play area for another visit. Next time, we will pack a picnic and enjoy one of the gorgeous picnic spots.
A most delightful feature was the “misters” that are placed all over the park. I will have to try to figure out what these are actually called. Functionally, they are grates in the ground or upright pipes that randomly spray cold mist out of them. You walk through and cool down without getting wet. Very refreshing and takes our water spray bottle that we travel with to a whole new level!
H and I both commented on how well thought out Paris public spaces seem to be with details to make them very functional and civilized. We have noticed this in other Paris parks and museums as well.
Looking at a map at the end of the day, we noted we had only barely entered the huge Bois de Boulonge, seeing just a small corner of it. You cannot truly explore it all on foot so another time we will see about renting bikes or a boat, or perhaps both. H and I stand by our original position: Paris is full of beautiful parks. We are grateful to have our year to discover more of them.
