Luxemborg Gardens

July 22nd--Lisa, Gabe and the boys left Paris this morning heading back to Stuttgart. So, after helping them get out the door, we got the apartment ready for the Jaye's to arrive later this evening. A little bit before lunchtime, we headed out and walked to Luxembourg Gardens. It is a short walk from our apartment and is a beautiful 60 acre garden. We immediately found the huge children's playground, but first stopped for a quick lunch that we ate in chairs right by the playground. The playground was great, even though we had to pay to get in, because it had lots of equipment and was in a fenced in area. After playing for over 2 hours, we heard a guy ringing a bell. We figured out that he was alerting to the start of a marionette show in the building next door. The show was Three Little Pigs and was in French. So while we did not understand a word of what was going on, it was fun for the kids nonetheless. After the show, we walked further into the gardens where we saw the Luxembourg Palace. We also sit down for a little while and listened to a concert performed by a high school band. Around 6:00, we decided to exit the gardens and headed to the Hard Rock Cafe. Paris' Hard Rock was by far the most crowded one we've experienced throughout Europe, but the food was the same nonetheless. We were also able to sit outside, cafe style, so it had it's on unique Paris feel. After dinner, we quickly headed back to the apartment for baths and bedtime. The Jaye's arrived about 9:00 and we spent the rest of the evening visiting with them.