At Parc Monceau

I think it was shortly after Thanksgiving, which brought to a close two weeks of hosting, eating, drinking, and feasting, that I decided I needed to do more than stroll around Paris for my daily exercise.  As enjoyable as it was, it simply wasn’t going to undo the damage that my indulgences had wrought.  So I began a daily trek to Parc Monceau, dressed in my athletic togs, where I walk (and occasionally jog) on the loop that circles the park.  It has been a treat to become part of a new community- the joggers, walkers, commuters, school children, and parents who inhabit the park in the early morning.

Just like at home, there are groups of women who walk and talk each morning.  I always wish I could fall in step with them and attempt to understand what they are saying.  I catch words I know (“les enfants, la maison” ) but never the meat of the conversations.

Because there is a school on the periphery of the park, there are many children and parents walking together in the morning.  Some kids are on scooters, but most hold their parent’s hand or walk alongside the stroller carrying the younger sibling.  They are so cute I can hardly stand it.

And oh yes, did I mentioned the firemen who run in the park?  They are hard to ignore.