The Parc de Bagatelle is a park-within-a-park in the Bois de Boulogne, on the west side of Paris. It is one of the four official botanical gardens of Paris. Although the Parc can be reached by bus from the Porte Maillot Metro stop (bus 244), I didn't have to do that because Claire again picked me up at a Metro station near her home and drove me there. There is an entrance fee of about 5-6 euro, but I believe this is just between June and October. The park is known for its elegant gardens as well as its resident peacocks!
The peacocks seem to be very used to people; here is Claire talking to this one:
And he was very much at home in the park, finding interesting places to roost:
He was also very comfortable with the many feral cats we discovered in the park!
The number of cats was a surprise to Claire as well as to me. They appeared healthy and were pretty mellow for feral cats -- I was able to pet one of them. Claire talked with a woman in the parking lot (below; over to the left) who tends to the colony, and she told Claire that there were about 50 cats (!), each has a name, and each has been vaccinated (I don't know whether they had been neutered). A second woman who was with her was considering adopting one of the cats.
I assume (I hope) that the caretaker lady does not have to pay to get into the park each time!
Here are more photos of the cats-- quite a variety!
The park is known for its large rose garden, which was still blooming in parts, even though we were well past the peak season.
In addition to the cute little gazebo above, there are other picturesque buildings, which Claire says are used for meetings and events.
There is also a small chateau, which was built in 64 days following a bet between Marie Antoinette and the Comte d'Artois. Somehow we missed this, but here is a photo from Wikipedia:
Claire had hoped that we could have tea at this restaurant (La Grande Cascade), but unfortunately the cafe area was closed:
There are also several small lakes within the park.
Afterwards, we went to walk along along a nearby section of the Seine where many small boats and houseboats are docked.
Next up: a trip to St Germain-en-Laye, a lovely town just a little ways farther west of Paris.
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