Le Parc Monceau
Saturday 1/10/09
Scenes in the park:
I have discovered that I am far fonder of English gardens than French gardens. I never even knew that there were two different styles of gardens, but it seems the former have meandering paths through varied scenery while the latter have straight lines and rigidly aligned but open features. I like getting lost in gardens, and le parc Monceau was perfect for that.
Scenes in the park:
The park is surrounded by a tall wrought iron fence tipped with gold foil, a fairly common type of fence around wealthy-looking areas. Stone sculptures pepper the lawns, sculptures of famous French people like Chopin at the piano with Night and Harmony, or Maupassant. A small stone bridge recalls the Venetian canals, near which a miniature waterfall stands surrounded by flowers, palm trees, and ducks. A pyramid is half-hidden by trees, past an arch that led to my favorite part. Sunlight spilled through the columns of an ancient-looking colonnade, whose terminal pillars were shattered and ridden with moss, eroded at the edges. It curved around a little pool, frozen over, framing a weeping willow with graceful dead branches swaying in the breeze. The park is surrounded by hôtels particuliers that lent the park a historical, elegant feeling, even though they have long since mostly been converted to apartments.
K.B.
Entrances to the park:
.jpg)
