We tootled around Luxembourg gardens for awhile and then stopped to partake of our picnic lunch which we shared with the pigeon platoon. Those pigeons are a crafty lot. There was only one obvious bird just nonchalantly sauntering around the area where we were eating, looking uninterested in us and pecking the ground haphazardly. Just for interest sake I tossed a piece of pie crust from the quiche and shazam the platoon of birds appeared instantly and devoured that crust in a matter of seconds.

Finishing lunch with the pigeons we walked by the Luxembourg apiary. It's like a beehive village. This granddaddy of all Paris apiaries was founded a century and a half ago, in 1856. Its far-sighted founders started a bee-keeping school as well, which has kept bee-keeping alive and well throughout the city of Paris to this very day.

Continuing on, we made our way to the more formal parts of the Garden:

There on the left we spotted D.'s namesake; Diana, Goddess of the hunt. In the background is the Luxembourg Palace.












Luxembourg gardens is a place where children can sail boats while their parents play chess.

Too soon we leave the garden of statuary and fountains. Saying au revoir to the policeman, the pigeons and the lovers, and bring home floral pictures for gardeners back home.




















On the walk back to the metro station we stopped at one of Paris' many, many flower shops so i could buy some flowers for D.