Parc Floral, 2023

Somewhat drier and warmer weather was forecast for VE Day--still a big national holiday--so we took the Metro out to the Bois de Vincennes to see its Parc Floral. The Bois de Vincennes is among Paris' largest parks, almost a thousand hectares (about 2500 acres), complete with a chateau, royal chapel, donjon, exposition venues, and the Parc Floral, which is itself a multi-function sort of a place, with woodlands, floral displays, sculpture, lakes and ponds, trails, art gallery, cafes and restos, mini-golf, tropical plant houses, an impressive bonsai house, and more. We were there for the flowers mostly. Previous visits to the Bois de Vincennes include https://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2014/08/vincennes-le-chateau.html, https://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2014/08/saint-chapelle-de-vincennes.html, https://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2014/08/parc-floral-de-paris.html, and https://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2019/06/vincennes-parc-floral-and-more.html. 

The mini-golf venue: Paris-themed, of course; practical tip: for 
some reason, the ice cream here is significantly cheaper than at
the cafes

Part of the iris garden...as many labels as flowers...

A few of the things we liked at the art gallery

Not many flowers were out until we got to the rhodos and azaleas
and the bulbs and other early bloomers

Same scrawny peacock as in 2019

Apparently mooning the audience is part of the ritual

Most of the rhodos were at their peak

Big-leafed Gunnera, native of Brazil, from the Jurassic

Nice primroses

Of course there's a Guignol theater, going full-force,
and you could hear the kids' screams and laughter from
some distance

Love the rhodos...like a trip to Kent or Sussex...

Until you hear a French-type personne pronounce "rhododendron"

Some sort of Asian gathering down by one of the ponds

One of the ponds

And now we are in the very impressive bonsai house

Love this one...a forest on just a mound on the platter

Mountain scene; Vicki's favorite

Entrance to one of the trails...so French

After our successful day's outing, we took the metro back to

Montparnasse to begin sampling the umpteen creperies on the

Rue de Montparnasse; at Creperie Bretonne, best ever, so far;

note the chouchen, a Breton mead I am sampling...outstanding