22.10.08

Parc de Bagatelle (1)

In my opinion, the Parc de Bagatelle is the most beautiful of the Paris parks. It’s situated at the other end of the Bois de Boulogne, which makes it a bit distant for short time visitors; too far away for a normal walk and no metro reaches this far. (There are two entrances and you can reach it either by bus line 244 from Porte Maillot or by line 43 from Pont de Neuilly). If you have the time, it’s definitely worth a visit! Originally a hunting lodge, the property was bought by the brother of Louis XVI, the Comte d’Artois, in 1777 and he had a small castle built here - in 63 days, after a wager with the Queen Marie-Antoinette. It’s still there, survived the Revolutions!

Before being finally taken over by the city of Paris in 1905, some improvements had been done to the park by the Royal Family, by Lord Seymour (who bought it in 1835) and by his illegitimate son, Sir Richard Wallace - the man who was also behind the famous Wallace water fountains which you still can find everywhere in Paris, offering fresh water for free (see previous posts). Additional buildings – pavilions, stables, an orangery... were also created - and are still there. I will revert to the buildings in a coming post, also referring to exhibitions, concerts etc. which take place here.

But the large park itself (24 hectares = 59 acres) is what is more particularly worth the visit. It’s very romantic with a lot of small lakes, ponds and waterfalls.The time when the park is mostly visited is early summer; there is a fantastic rosary with today some 9000 plants (see top picture), then in full bloom. An international competition of the nicest rose plant takes place every June. But, as we know, the autumn is here (my visit took place last week). ... however, so is the rose garden (I repeat, see also top picture) ... and some roses still insisted. I believe the park is worth at least a second post. I will thus continue on Friday.

You can see these photos "in full", on Ipernity.

33 comments:

Virginia said...

Peter,
The roses are breathtaking. Well done. I can assume, I think, that sadly this will not be on our program because it's too far??? Sigh....

Marie-Noyale said...

Encore Encore...
Ce parc est superbe,et ces photos donnent envie de s'y attarder vraiment Lon..gue...ment.
Tout est beau,tout simplement.
Merci.

SusuPetal said...

That is a fairy tale forest with magical trees, roses and castles!

Olivier said...

ce parc est magnifique. j'adore la première photo,on dirait que c'est une peinture tout autour du kiosque.
Il parait qu'il y a une superbe exposition "Jardins de cristal", tu l'as vu ?

EMNM said...

The autumn and the spring are the best moments for visit parks and much better in Paris
ohlalá!

Nice pictures Peter

hpy said...

La roseraie est magnifique, et le pavillon aussi. Le Parc de Bagatelle vaut bien au moins un autre post, sinon plusieurs.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

59 acres of marvel recounted by some superb pictures!

Am sure you've enjoyed your trip there!

Thanks for the post Peter

Cheers

Rakesh
http://almostsunday.blogspot.com

alice said...

Romantique à souhait! Dire que je n'y suis jamais allée...Ton nouveau blog permet une belle mise en page, on se laisse bercer par tes photos...

Anonymous said...

Peter,
This is absolutely beautiful, some of the pictures remind me the views in Hangzhou parks, haha.
I love your flower photos...

Anonymous said...

Wow, another great parc. It really looks beautiful with all those water in different 'forms' and roses are always wonderful. there are some even in autumn. and now I'm going to Ipernity ... :-)))

Anonymous said...

Oh! I never knew about the Parc de Bagatelle! And it's so gorgeous, love it in autumn. Thank you so much for showing it. Lovely roses.

Cutie said...

How lucky of you to be living in such a beautiful place with beautiful parks. I really hope that I can be living nearby you. And if I do, don't worry, the food that I prepare will be sent to you. Hehe...

Kate said...

The montage of photos clearly illustrates the beauty of the park and its environment. How wonderful to have a place like that in which to wonder and refresh one's spirit!

marie6 said...

What a beautiful park, and the roses are just gorgeous.

Anonymous said...

très beau post mister piteur, tu t'es surpassé. Et dire que c'est à Paris même. Etonnant...
J'aime aussi la première photo, les autres sont bien aussi mais dans la première il y a un petit plus, je ne saurai dire quoi mais voilà. C'est comme les photos de hpy, je ne sais pas pourquoi certaines je les préfère à d'autres. Faire des photos en automne n'est pas toujours facile je trouve, car avec la brume qui s'invite souvent, cela donne une impression de flou. Bonne fin de journée

Starman said...

Great pictures, as usual. Are you a professional or is this just your hobby?

Heather said...

Beautiful photos as always, Peter. C'est magnifique!

Ming the Merciless said...

That is such a beautiful park. It's a shame it's not near the metro.

I love the waterfall in the photo. How did you get inside the cave to take the photo. I hope there is another entrane on the other side.

Inner Vision said...

What lovely pictures buddy, accidentally happened to on your blog and am glad to be here. Good work.

claude said...

Si tu dis que ce parc est le plus beau de Paris, c'est sans aucun doute vrai. Avec ces couleurs d'automne et ces roses, cela donne envie d'y aller faire une promenade.
Tes photos sont vraiment très belles, Peter !

PeterParis said...

virginia:
Yes, maybe a bit far and maybe a vit late in the seasons. The autumn leaves will probably be gone...

marie-noyale:
On prolonge donc un peu. A vendredi!

susupetal:
Nice to see that you still believe in fairy tales!

PeterParis said...

olivier:
Un peu de patience! A vendredi!

matritensis:
Yes, for the roses you should of course be here late spring, early summer!

hpy:
Un post vendredi et peut-être un autre au printemps, avec les roses!

PeterParis said...

rakesh:
Thanks! Yes I enjoyed it! Hadn't been for a long time!

alice:
Il faut revenir à Paris plus souvent! (A bientôt!)

zoe:
I have seen some Chinese parks also ... and they are really beautiful! Of course different!

PeterParis said...

april:
The idea to use Ipernity came from you and your blog!

ruth:
Yes, it's a bit difficult to reach from the centre if you don't have a car ... or - as in my case - a small electric motor bike!

cutie:
That's a kind offer! Now, of course, first you have to move here!

PeterParis said...

kate:
Yes, I guess we all like to have some parks around, especially when you live in a big city!

marie6:
Yes, only a few roses left, but beautiful!

delphes:
On ne peut pas toujours expliquer pourquoi on aime certaines choses ou certains gens plus que d'autres! Mais, c'est comme ça! :-)

PeterParis said...

starman:
Thanks! 100% amateur!

heather:
When you have something nice in front of the camera, it's not too difficult to make some decent photos! Thanks anyhow!

ming:
There is a small path inside and behind one of the waterfalls! I came out completely dry!

PeterParis said...

inner version:
Happy about the "accident" (via Cuckoo, Mona...?)! Welcome back!

claude:
Content de voir que tu me fais confiance!

Mona said...

wow!

If there is heaven, it must be like this!

Claudia said...

How beautiful! Perfect time of the year to stroll around in parks, Autumn's show of colour is always breathtaking. The rose season may be over but the roses you've photographed are gorgeous.

J.H said...

that is truly amazing rose :-)
This blog is very informative. Thanks for sharing it!

PeterParis said...

mona:
Well, one day some of us (you) will know!

claudia:
Yes, some roses don't give up! Maybe they wish to enjoy the nice autumn!

j.h.:
Thanks for your visit and kind words!

Maxime said...

effectivement, c'est paradisiaque. On se croirait bien loin de la ville...

amatamari© said...

A unique splendor!
:-)
I'm really enchanted, this fall in
Paris, the garden and nature, ah seems like a dream! Thanks for sharing, great post!
:-)