Bois de Vincennes

There are a remarkable number of parks in Paris.  From postage stamp sized hidden enclaves to actual King's Woods that have converted to public spaces.  We chose option two this past Sunday.  I'm glad the boyo wanted to go see this park, which he had heard is twice the size of Central Park.  And it is.  Three times larger and 10% of the total area of Paris with 2,459 acres.

We were able to see the Temple of Love, hiked for about five miles and saw some extreme remote controlled boat racing up close and personal.  There is a gorgeous little grotto under the Temple of Love that we clambered down to.  Next time, we'd like to see the English landscape gardens and the arboretum.  It was so peaceful to be hiking under those trees, and we had a beautiful, cloud-enhanced sky but no threats of rain.

We had started our day in the Marais district, a beautiful and previously unexplored area of Paris with great shops, bookstores, restaurants and "world's best falafel."  The lines were long, but we ate inside and had a lamb shawarma and a falafel sandwich.  It was fantastic and it has been the best falafel that I've personally had!  I stopped in a tea shop and got some earl grey to try out as well.  All in all, a great way to pass a sunny day in Paris and thanks to Baruk for the suggestion of the Marais neighborhood and the falafel.