Another Trip to Paris

I have to admit, it feels quite surreal to live fairly close to Paris, and to visit whenever we want. So many people dream of visiting this iconic city, and get to experience it perhaps only once in their lifetime. We feel quite lucky and humbled to be able to visit pretty much whenever we want. And that’s what we did last week. We drove to a nearby train station, hopped on a train, and just a few hours later, we were enjoying lunch in the capital.

We went to see an art exhibit of a game that our daughter and son-in-law enjoy called Genshin Impact. We had never heard of it, and probably won’t be playing it anytime soon, but the art work is stunningly beautiful.

We were definitely the oldest people at the exhibit, old enough to be the grandparents of most everyone there, but we were welcomed warmly, and encouraged to check out the artwork.

People really get into this game! These young ladies dressed up as game characters gladly consented to photos.

We also enjoyed the Le Jardin du Luxembourg located in the 6th arrondissement.

This 50+ acre park dates back to 1612 when Luxembourg Palace was constructed as the home of Marie d’Medici, the widow of King Henry IV. Marie d’Medici was from Florence and wanted the palace modeled after the Pitti Palace. (For more on Florence, click here for my post). Today, the palace is the home of the French Senate.

The garden contains statues, fountains, tree-lined walkways, tennis courts, a restaurant, snack huts, and much more.

What captured my attention the most were the numerous statues of famous French women.

Le Musée Curie was of particular interest to me since I spent 35 years working in cancer research, and the Curie Foundation was France’s first cancer treatment center. As you may know, Marie Curie was a chemist and physicist who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize; and then was awarded a second one in a separate field. She and her husband, Pierre Curie, worked closely with Dr. Claudius Regaud to open a hospital to treat cancer patients, which they achieved in 1921.

As you work your way through this small museum, you’ll learn much about the history of radiation experimentation and its eventual use for cancer research. Wilhelm Röntgen’s discovery of X-Rays in 1895 lead to the use of radiation in cancer treatment by 1920, with successful outcomes occurring by 1925. There’s so much to tell about their work and the museum, which is worthy of its own blog post; maybe someday.

Et, bien sur, we had some delicious meals. Joséphine Chez Dumonet has been in business 1898! The service and food are impeccable.

La Rose de France, has been open for over 63 years according to Google. We visited this restaurant on one of our first trips to Paris, over 20 years ago, and were looking forward to returning; it did not disappoint.

We needed to walk off all those extra calories, and Paris is the perfect place to stroll and take photos.

It could take a lifetime to see all this iconic city has to offer, but thankfully, we can return again soon to see even more.

As always, I would love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a message.

Au bientôt!

Tricia