Bois de Bologne Lake Walk
What a lovely day! We took a leisurely walk around the main lake in the Bois de Bologne, stopping to feed ducks and cute baby ducks, play at a playground, have a picnic and take a boat ride across to a truly wonderful island. The boat costs 1.50 euros per person. There is a beautiful restaurant, Le Chalet des Iles (www.leschaletdesiles.net) which was full of families lunching with kids dressed in Sunday best. There are no dogs or picnics allowed on the island itself, which means no poop or trash (!). Laying in the grass you could easily be 100 miles from the city but for the view of the Eiffel Tower peeking above the trees. The kids explored, played soccer, and climbed on Dad. We saw a bunny rabbit and a gorgeous peacock preening and squawking. Later we had hot chocolates on the restaurants’ terrace before taking the boat back to the main path and completing our circumnavigation of the lake. Highly recommended for a sunny spring day outing.

Jardin des Plants & Natural history Museum
Metro Austerlitz or Jussieu
http://www.mnhn.fr/museum/foffice/transverse/transverse/accueil.xsp

A rainy holiday Monday. What to do? We first headed to the air and space museum, but it was closed, (Oh, yeah, it said perfectly clearly “sauf lundi” but, as Steve Martin would say, III Forgot!). Take 2 was to the natural history museum in the Jardin des Plantes. A wonderful museum with lots of models of sea life, animals and 2 full scale whale skeletons, one with real baleen. A nice cafeteria overlooking the main exhibit space too. We didn’t make it to the hall of evolution, that will have to be for the next trip, as will the minerology museum right next door. The jardin itself was also lovely and there is a topiary maze as well as a zoo and a carousel with models of extinct animals.