Cultural Activity #5: Salon de L'Agriculture

When this farm girl from Idaho heard there was an agricultural fair in Paris, she just had to go! It was a very interesting experience!





I learned that the French grow their baguettes. This makes so much sense. No wonder no one in the world can replicate the French bread. It's the French soil that gives it the wonderful taste!



The strangest looking fruit I have ever eaten. I don't even know what it was called, but you eat the little white part in the middle. It tasted like a grape.

This was a familiar sight! Cows!

I really enjoyed seeing the agricultural side of France! The last few months I've been around the city Parisians who wouldn't even look at a cow let alone milk one. It was a very familiar atmosphere, even down to the smell! Thought I have to say- I have never seen so many people oooh and ahhh over a cow in my entire life!

The "Anti-Walk" Walk

Flaneur- to stroll aimlessly amid the sea of people, to be at once part of the multitude and in complete solitude. Let yourself dream, observe, think, wander...

A Walk in the Park

Before we were allowed to reach the best part of this walk, the book dragged us by the Montparnasse Tower that stands out like a sore thumb in Paris. To me, it is an unattractive, rude reminder of the modern world outside of Paris. Ok, that sounds a little harsh, but it is seriously out of place.


Statue of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army falsely accused of treason in 1894. His rank was stripped away, and was exiled to Devil's Island. He was finally pardoned by the President of France. Ever heard of the Dreyfus Affair?



Yay! We made it to the park! Jardin du Luxembourg! It was a gorgeous spring day!

There was all sorts of fun things to see in the park. Beehives...

Men playing petanque...

beautiful green lawns and flowers...

another Statue of Liberty...

an awesome candy shop in the middle of the park...best idea ever...

a million and a half tourists...

The Palais du Luxembourg...home to the French Senate...

and last but not least, beautiful spring leaves! Though I admit I have been confused about these leaves ever since they opened. Do they not seem upside down to you? They're...hanging?

I really enjoyed this walk. It was wonderful to go at such a slow pace and enjoy the ambiance of the garden. There was such a fun atmosphere, and I loved watching the French people enjoy themselves. They sure know how to take time to smell the roses.

Follow the Money

Le Louvre des Antquaires is home to the most posh, most high toned and fancy, most expensive antiques you can imagine. WINDOW shopping is the key phrase here.

Conseil d'Etat of Frace

Around the corner from the conseil is the Comedie-Francaise, France's most important national theatre.


Palais Royal, built as a home for Cardinal Richelieu. I'm pretty sure the striped poles are a modern addition...but who knows...maybe Richelieu loved Zebras...?



Ah, I found a date. 1986. I would still like to think that Richelieu liked Zebras...

I love Paris in the springtime!

I saw this window display and decided it deserved to be acknowledged as part of the walk. I liked it lots.


The theatre of Palais Royal. It's still in use today and shows mostly comedies.

French National Library!

The famous reading room! Too bad all of this was behind glass, and I was not allowed to touch.

This is the French Stock Market- the French version of New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street.


This walk ended with a stroll through the Passage des Panoramas. It is one of the oldest existing covered passages in Paris. There was lots of eye candy along this walkway- fun restaurants, shops, and boutiques. I enjoyed seeing a part of Paris that had a slightly different feel to it.

The Ways of French Adverising

I was hypnotized by this for a very long time. How did they do that?! I'm not sure how well the video will work out, so if you can't tell- the images and words that are dropping are made of water!

Paris Project: Victor Hugo Pilgrimage