It's super easy to miss the Palais Royal if you're not looking for it. Right across the street from the Louvre, the Palais was originally the personal residence of Cardinal Richelieu, built in 1639. It's changed hands a number of times over the years, but today the Palais houses the French State Council, Constitutional Council, and Ministry of Culture, and its courtyards are open to the public. The weather is still a bit too cold to really enjoy sitting by a fountain in a beautiful courtyard, but we put in a solid 20 minutes or so watching the world slow down on a Parisian Sunday afternoon. I have visions of coming back here all throughout the spring and summer with a good book and a picnic basket with a warm baguette and a nice chilled bottle of white wine. Those are the best moments in Paris. We passed this little guy who was hanging out all by his smiley self, the perfect picture of Parisian leisure without a care in the world. Another cool part of the Palais is an art instillation in the inner courtyard called Les Deux Plateaux. The black and white columns stand on a grid at differing heights, and were created by French artist Daniel Buren in 1985–1986. The exhibit was extremely controversial when they were installed, but are still going strong 30 years later.
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AuthorBecause why not get married and move to Paris to really kick off your thirties? Archives
December 2016
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