My legs were really irritated with my brain this afternoon. They were so looking forward to taking me on a walking tour of the renovated historic greenhouses at Jardins des Plantes. http://www.francetoday.com/articles/2012/06/14/the_jardin_des_plantes_flora.html
But rather than taking a few minutes to confirm exactly where the entrances to this gigantic garden were (it's been a few years), my brain thought it remembered an entrance on the northwest side and so it sent me to the Jussieu Metro. And my silly brain was so sure that it was right that (even though it couldn't see the entrance in the distance from the Metro stop), rather than consulting my map more carefully for the exact location of the entrances, it sent me down the rue Jussieu hill and around the thick walls on the east side of the garden (that's where the zoo buildings are, duh, so of course there are solid walls!) and along the fences on the quai Saint-Bernard (how I could have used one of those doggies and the refreshments he carried!) before I got to the main entrance a LONG walk away (for me). The hills and the sloping sidewalks weren't friendly to my knees, but I did finally reach the Jardin for a sit-down. I pulled up an online map and discovered that the greenhouses were at the very far end from where I was sitting - another long walk away. Huge sigh, and it wasn't a sigh of relief.
So I sat for a while, contemplating my folly and deciding what to do and enjoying bits of the garden in my general vicinity. This garden and its zoo and its natural history museum (and its conservatory) really do deserve a good long visit, so I decided to go to a cafe close to the main entrance for a restorative Orangina and then jump in the Gare d'Austerlitz Metro entrance that was right there (yup, less than a block from the Jardin's main entrance) to go back to the apartment. I'll tackle Jardin des Plantes another day. Happily, I'm here for another week so there will be time. But aren't you glad that you weren't trudging along with me today?
And remind me. What again is it that I'm supposed to do with all of the detailed maps and websites at my disposal?!?
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