Why not head for a park in Paris, and even better with a theater. The beautiful city has plenty of parks and places of wonders , and I like to tell you about a favorite of my family. I worked for a while very close and stop by after work on many occassions just across the Seine river. I found me a couple pics in my cd rom vault that made me do this post for you and me. Therefore, let me tell you a bit on the Pré-Catalan et jardin Shakespeare of Paris !!! Hope you enjoy it as I,
You have the wonderful Pré-Catalan et jardin Shakespeare by the route de Suresnes, in the 16éme arrondissement of Paris, and just on the other side of the City of Suresnes ! The garden is served by the metro line 2 at the Porte Dauphine station. And the theater is more on the Allée de la Reine Marguerite, route de Suresnes Le Pré Catelan Metro line 1 Porte Maillot, exit 6 Avenue Charles de Gaulle, where Bus 244 awaits you, every 15 minutes but check for latest schedules Then get off at the “Bagatelle-Pré Catelan” stop and walk 5 minutes through the woods. Cross over then follow the signs: Pré Catelan – Jardin Shakespeare, There is a paid car parking lot at the entrance of the Pré Catelan park.
The jardin du Pré-Catelan is a botanical park in the Bois de Boulogne. It is to the captain of the hunts of Louis XIV, Théophile Catelan, that we owe the origin of the name of the garden. Formerly a simple meadow from which the stones that paved the paths of the Bois de Boulogne were extracted, it was transformed after the quarries closed into an amusement park. It was a place full of life where people came to drink fresh milk in the dairy, listen to concerts, take a few rides on a bicycle or go on a merry-go-round. But the cries of joy vanished with the war of 1870 and the clashes of the Commune (City of Paris). Today, only the dairy, converted into a chalet of necessity, the Pré-Catelan restaurant and the open-air theater have survived the assaults of time and the ravages of man. You will discover the araucaria, native to Chile, which is nicknamed the “despair of the monkeys” because of the thorns that enamel each of its leaves, a 200-year-old copper beech, one of the most beautiful trees in Paris, but also a magnolia grandiflora, whose fragrant flowering extends from June to October, and a sequoia planted in 1872, whose name comes from a famous Indian chief “See-Quayah”; native to California, it can reach 150 meters in height!
In the extension of the Pré-Catelan, don’t be surprised by a sudden change of scenery. An open-air theater composed of small thematic gardens will reveal to the most knowledgeable that we have been immersed in the world of Shakespeare. They are inspired by five of his plays: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Tempest” (aromatic plants evoking a Mediterranean garden), “Macbeth” and “Hamlet” (heathers and yews reminiscent of Scotland and Denmark) and “As You Like It” (dark and dense vegetation composed of yews evoking the Forest of Arden, north of Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare who is buried there). The gardens are punctuated with quotes from the plays of William Shakespeare. This open-air theater wakes up every summer from a long sleep to offer you the unusual charm of plays performed in the open air.
Located in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne in the Jardin Pré Catelan garden, the Théâtre de Verdure is an open-air theater entirely planted with vegetation, with a 22-meter stage with a century-old oak tree in its center. This natural setting offers a capacity of 240 seats, enclosed by a 33-meter arbor, which each year opens its doors to a multidisciplinary festival accessible to all. It all began in 1855, when a certain Nestor Roqueplan obtained the concession of the Pré Catelan. He then created an amusement park whose centerpiece is an open-air green theater: The théâtre aux fleurs or flower theater. Inaugurated in 1853, The Flower Theater became at the end of the 19C a mecca for theatrical and musical creation where artists such as Claude Debussy performed regularly. In 1952, Robert Joffet, chief curator of the Paris gardens, transformed the Flower Theatre into the Jardin Shakespeare garden whose plants were taken from five works by the famous English playwright.
The City of Paris on the jardin du Pré Catelan et Jardin Shakespeare : https://www.paris.fr/lieux/pre-catelan-et-jardin-shakespeare-2780
The official Théâtre de Verdure du Jardin Shakespeare: https://letheatredeverdure.com/
The Paris tourist office on the Bois de Boulogne: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/bois-de-boulogne-p1116
There you go folks, a dandy in beautiful Paris, a huge park of many parts to be enjoy fully, all of it, this is in the Bois de Boulogne, You will have a good time here for sure. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Pré-Catalan et jardin Shakespeare of Paris !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 