Tulips at the Jardin des Plantes

We visited Paris' Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Gardens) Sunday.  On the way, we went to a corner creperie and sat on the sidewalk patio facing the Pantheon.  The Pantheon in Paris is nothing like the one in Rome.  This is a massive, cathedral-like building that blatantly mixes church and state.  It's the official temple of France's national heroes.  We enjoyed our savory crepes for lunch while watching people dodge scooters, cars, rental bikes, and tourist buses while crossing the street in front of us.  It was pleasant, even though it was chilly and blustery.

The gardens themselves were not terribly well-maintained or impressive.  This is a stark contrast to Park Monceau, which is the amazing park I've been running in, near the apartment we're about to leave in the 8th Arrondissement.  Park Monceau is in an incredibly expensive neighborhood full of private palaces, and consequently gets non-stop maintenance and gardening.  Anyway, at Jardin des Plantes, there's at least one nice view in the park.  Runners seem to love this park.

The best part of the park was the tulips.  There were some huge patches, and some really unusual ones.