Before I returned to France this last time, I made a very long list of places I wanted to visit (I’m forever a tourist here), and parks and gardens I wanted to be sure and see. In making this list, I was astounded to find a Wikipedia entry that had far more parks and gardens than I realized were in Paris. I decided to jot down all the ones that sounded interesting to me, and now I’m hitting them as I find myself near them.

There was one, however, that caught my attention, and it was the one that was in the front (or is that the back?) of the Hôtel des Invalides, the Jardin d’Intendant. I have been wanting to make a special trip there for a few weeks, and it didn’t work out until the other day. Apparently, although the idea of it was conceived in the 17th Century, the garden wasn’t done until 1980. Its perfectly manicured plants and pops of color here and there add a lovely softness to the front of this imposing landmark.