A perfect day for a 4.5 km (2.8 mile) stroll

The weather forecast had called for rain, so we awoke to a brilliantly sunny day! To save some energy, we decided for forgo the one hour walk to get to the beginning of our walk and took the metro to the Bastille stop. In an Off the Beaten Path section of someone's blog, I had seen this lovely find.



or to give you a better idea...

From 2009-05-10

A freight train ran here from 1859 to 1969, with a portion of it elevated on a viaduct. It connected the station at Place de la Bastille to the station in Saint-Maur in the 12th arrondissement. After its demise, it became an eyesore until in the 1990s, a project by landscape architect Jacques Vergely and architect Philippe Mathieux transformed it into the secret garden walkway that it is today.

As we walked, we passed through gardens and flowers and in between apartment buildings. One of the most bizarre sights, which stopped us in our tracks, was this.

From 2009-05-10

Though, of course, we didn't know it at the time, (I love the Internet. It makes us much smarter...) but later discovered that it is 12 reproductions of Michaelangelo's "The Dying Slave" which is the crowning glory atop the (believe it or not) Bureau de Police in the 12th arrondissement.



A great way to spend Mother's Day, which was topped off with a lovely dinner compliments of Sarah and Chris with finds from our lively Sunday neighborhood market!