It seemed appropriate, on the first official day of spring, to visit a chateau famous for its gardens : Malmaison. Malmaison was bought and renovated by Joséphine Bonaparte in 1799. It was where she finished her days after her divorce from Napoléon and where he in turn lived between his defeat at Waterloo and his exile.
The extensive grounds (three full parks plus grounds around the house) hold many exotic plants, but are most famous for their roses. Josephine had her favorite flower crossbred so that her gardens held roses that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. The roses weren't in bloom this weekend, but there was quite enough splendor to be going on with.
The day consisted of the following simple pleasures:
 |
| Cherry blossom trees reminded me of the D.C. version of home. |
 |
| I stole walnut shells. |
 |
| This Western redcedar is 150 years old. |
 |
| And you can sit inside its branches like it's a fort. |
 |
| I took off my shoes to walk barefoot on the grass. |
 |
| Bridges. | | |
The town of Ruil-Malmaison, about fifteen minutes outside Paris by train, is also charming. I ate a wonderful millefuille in the town square as all the residents sunned themselves in the warm afternoon.
 |
| The whole day smelled nice. |
Wishing you hyacinth-colored days,
Maria
No comments:
Post a Comment