A visit to the 15th an almost unloved arrondisement 4-06-15

Today we returned to the 15th arrondisement to follow up on our first trip when we went to La Ruche.   We had intended to go to the Musee Bourdelle, dedicated to Antoine Bourdelle a sculptor who worked with and studied with Rodin.   Rodin thought highly of Bourdelle and felt that he would be his successor, so no small compliment.




 Because the day was so sunny and warm we decided that we would go to a park and have a picnic, so we headed for the park that was originally the livestock auction and slaughterhouses for Vaugirard, an early village to the southwest of Paris, and since annexed into the 15th.  So we packed chicken sandwiches, a bit of wine, fruit, nuts, and a couple cookies, and plunked ourselves down on a bench in the sun.  Watching people is a large part of the appeal of Paris and this parks was certainly no different.  Families with children, joggers, couples, a sunbather, and older people all out for the air and sun.  So good in fact that we sort of frittered the afternoon away, so we walked back towards Gare Montparnasse to catch a bus home.   Once again we'll put the Musee Bourdelle on the itinerary.

 riding ponies in the park

a crazy oyster wholesaler situated next to the railroad tracks

As we were looking for our bus a young man approached and we expected to be hit up for money or to sign a petition.  Instead what we got was a young Irishman who had arrived in Paris last night around mid-night and spent until 3:00am looking for a room.  He was trying to find the train station where he could catch a train to a town where he was scheduled to perform a bunch of volunteer work. Now he was from Donegal, which is a small town in NW Ireland and had never been in a city as large as Paris and had never taken a subway ride.  He had tried to follow the written instructions to get to the train but they were confusing, very confusing.  While technically correct they must have assumed that you either were familiar with Gare Monparnasse or that you had very good French skills.  Long story short we had a short side trip to help him get to his train, we made it with about 7 minutes to spare.   A very nice finish to a beautiful day.  Good Luck, Danny.