Lush, luxurious Luxembourg

Parisian pigeons are hovering erratically in the blue wintry sky as gusts of wind disturb their haphazard gliding. They cannot but drift away from their original flight path. End of the uncanny ballet: le Jardin du Luxembourg. A haven of countryside peace and quiet. Very much “un jardin à la française”, with its chiseled alleys, its finely pruned trees, its nooks and crannies where pigeons as well as visitors can try to hide from the hustle and bustle of the neighbouring capital.
And they do. “100.000 daily passers-by in summer, 45.000 in winter, these are the official numbers”, Denis Retournard reveals. The technical assistant of the Jardin, he is in charge of 80 gardeners, thanks to whom it is so neat and comfy. Denis Retournard also heads the security forces of the garden. They patrol day in day out, precisely to ensure the adjoining Senate remains unapproached. Antony, 26, blue outfit and kepi, has to keep to his sentry box. It leans against the walls of the Senate. “But at night, there are regular patrols in the park”, he says, although at nightfall, the park closes its corrugated gates. Dodgers are rarely to be caught, “a few vagrants sometimes sleep in the bushes, as well as some drunkards from time to time”, Antony admits. In the day, guards are at war against drug consumption. They are entitled to prosecute visitors who light up a joint. “To be honest, le Jardin du Luxembourg is really calm.”
Indeed, at a mere glance, your average passer-by would see joggers, couples billing and cooing, old people with their dogs, or even some peculiar sportsmen devoting themselves to a singular relaxing dance. Children would play with wooden boats in the huge fountains of the garden, perpetuating the ever-living memory of young Jean-Paul Sartre. Teenagers and adults tennis or chess.
Edenic.
For those who wish to combine their walks with a dab of culture, gigantic photographs of children are hung all around the garden gates. Concerts are given inside, and exhibitions entice a large number of visitors to the Senate. This is part of the policy of the Senate, which owns the Jardin: relax and entertain. Every year, €360.000 are spent for this sole purpose. If only the pigeons knew they were that privileged!

© Brice 2007