Today was a great Saturday

Today was a great Saturday. It was neither too hot nor cold and the clouds didn’t look like rain. Don has a wedding this afternoon, but we decided to “cut loose” in the morning and go to another street market and take a look around the area.

We headed to southwest Paris on the metro to an area that was part of the old hamlet of Vaugirard that became a part of Paris in 1860. After strolling down a few streets we headed to Parc Brassens which is a rolling, landscaped city park about 22 acres in size. The park area formerly was the vineyard for the hamlet and there is still a small vineyard of pinot noir vines included within the park area today. Then the vineyard area evolved into a market gardening space, and about 1894 it became an abattoir….. which is the French word for slaughterhouse!!!! It remained such for 80 years.



There are several remnants from the slaughterhouse establishment that are still visible today. One, the large stone entry gate with a carved horse head is still in place. Another is the belfry which is surrounded by a freeform lake with several families of ducks paddling around. A third is the steel framed open“horses hall” which today was being used for a used book sale. They also used many of the stones from the old buildings in a large climbing wall for the younger people to enjoy.


At the new entrance to the park there are two magnificent bull statues in place by two pavilions. One structure is used as a senior citizens center, while the other can be rented for cultural events. The planners for the park really used their imaginations as there are a couple of creative play areas for smaller children plus a marionette theater, several miles of jogging trails, a herbal garden, a “scented” garden, a bee hive and benches on several levels to enjoy the views. All in all, this park named for a famous singer who lived nearby, was a refreshing enjoyable experience.

Afterwards we meandered on down the way to the market where we had a hard time choosing between all the beautiful fruits and vegetables. Later, with backpacks loaded, we arrived home a bit late for lunch, but with great anticipation of sinking our teeth into one of the juicy peaches we had purchased.