Le Jardin de Catherine Labouré, April 17, 2023

 Le Jardin de Catherine Labouré - Paris, April 17, 2023

We were surprised to wake to grey and gloomy skies this morning since the forecast had been for a partly cloudy day.  Jeff checked his trusty weather app and discovered it would rain until about noon, so we settled in for the morning.  I did some blogging (got myself nearly caught up with the picture posting), and Jeff spent time reading his French/English version of Le Petit Prince.

We set out to find Le Jardin de Catherine Labouré. I learned about this garden from a lovely little book called Quiet Corners of Paris that Betty Lou gave to me before we embarked on the trip that we took together in 2011.  In describing this little quiet corner, the book reports: "Its charms are abundant.  This country-like corner offers 7,000 square meters of grapevines, ornamental berry bushes, and hazelnut, apple, and cherry trees.  It's crossed by pathways that evoke a crucifix, possibly not entirely by chance, since until 1970, the land belonged to the Filles de la Charité order whose convent lies on the park's left-hand side."

The convent dates to 1633, and its windows overlook the garden.  There is a famous chapel nearby, which we did not find, that has attracted many tourists from all over the world since the Virgin appeared to Catherine Labouré, a peasant from Burgundy, in 1830. The embalmed bodies of the convent's founder, Louise de Marillac, and Catherine Labouré lie in glass coffins, on either side of the altar.  As I typed that, I thought, "Oh, that sounds a bit creepy" - glass coffins???

Anyway,  as we walked we decided that we might stop for a bite to eat, which we did - a tiny cafe called Le Gevaudan, located right next to a chocolate shop.  We did NOT go into the chocolate shop.

Le Gevaudan Cafe

 

We opted for an assortment of cheeses and some lovely beverages. My rose was only 6 euros and was absolutely delicious. At one point, Jeff said, "Try this cheese, honey.  It's delicious."  I put a bit on my piece of bread and took a small bite.  "Hmmm," I replied, "buttery."  Then I paused and took another bite, and said, "It's not cheese, my love.  It's butter!"  At first, he scoffed at me but then took another taste and sheepishly admitted, "Yes, it's butter."  

We finished our lunch, paid "l'addition" and continued our walk.

Le jardin is easy to miss if you aren't looking for it, and as we entered it, I was struck by both its peace and its beauty.  It is early spring in Paris, and it has been a cold and wet time, we are told, but the flowers and trees are beginning to bloom.  There were fewer than a dozen souls in the garden.

This looks like a grapevine, but it's actually an apple tree.

The young woman in the blue coat was in the garden for quite some time, and several times I saw her wiping at her eyes. She would look at her phone and then tear up again. I wanted to console her, but I definitely got vibes that she needed to just be alone with her grief. 

On the way back from our excursion, we stopped again at the Monoprix to pick up some groceries.  I made chicken, broccoli, and rice for dinner. There are very few "pantry items" in the apartment, so I made do with what we had.  It was a simple dinner, but tasty all the same.

Tomorrow .... Batobus tour and a visit to La Petit Palais!