From East to West

Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) was both a brilliant scientist and a virulent racist.  There were many European "men of science" who were racists like him in 18th and 19th century Europe.   (See The Ivory Leg in the Ebony Cabinet by Thomas Cooley, University of Massachusetts Press.)

Cuvier is often described as the "founding father of paleontology."  While he was correct in his theory of extinction, he was wrong in his denial of the theory of evolution just as he was wrong about race.

Strolling through the Jardin des Plantes.

Some of the basis for his theory of extinction came from his work in analyzing the remains of what was known at the time as "the Ohio animal."  Here's some background about that:

[From "A Box of Old Bones:  A Note on the Identification of the Mastodon, 1766-1806," Whitfield J. Bell, Jr., Assoc. Professor of History, Dickenson College, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 93, No. 2, Studies of Historical Documents in the Library of the American Philosophical Society (May 16, 1949), p. 169.]

From the exploration of the western parts of North America in the eighteenth century there came an impressive body of facts for European philosophers to ponder and organize.  Botany, zoology, and ethnology were all enriched by the observations and collections which explorers, soldiers, and traders made in the wilder parts of the continent.  In these early expeditions beyond the Alleghenies American vertebrate paleontology had its origins.  The finding of remains of the prehistoric mastodon on the banks of the Ohio after 1739 was one of the exciting events in the history of eighteenth-century science; and the recognition, despite the persuasions of theology and common sense, of the principle of the extinction of species was one of the important intellectual achievements of the age.  This accomplishment was the work of a dozen men over a period of sixty years; it was a striking illustration of the world-wide association of eighteenth-century men of science in Europe and America.

In France, Cuvier studied "the Ohio animal" repeatedly.  When he came back to it in 1806, he finally gave it a name:  mastodon.

Cuvier is recognized for his achievements in the Jardin des Plantes (and its the National Museum of Natural History), where we began our walk yesterday. 

Entrance to the greenhouse in the Jardin des Plantes.

Just before we left the Jardin, I noticed a plaque honoring Henri Becquerel for his "discovery of radioactivity" in 1896.  Wasn't it Marie and Pierre Curie who did that, we thought?  Actually, all three of them received the Nobel prize in 1903 for their work on the evidence of radioactivity.  In addition to that prize, a unit of measure of radioactivity, the becquerel, or Bq, was named in honor of Henri. 

Carolyn Gramling's well-written article about Becquerel's discovery tells the sad ending: 

Becquerel died only 12 years after his discovery of radioactivity, at age 54. Although his cause of death was unspecified, he had developed serious burns on his skin, likely from the handling of radioactive materials. A few decades later, Marie Curie died of aplastic anemia, likely from exposure to radiation without proper safety measures. The damaging effects of ionizing radiation were still unknown at the time.

When we left the park by its lesser-known gate on the northwest side of the Jardin and followed along Rue Jussieu and Rue des Fosses St. Bernard to the easternmost terminus of the Boulevard Saint Germain.

We walked briskly along the busy grand boulevard, almost all the way to its other end.  Across from Rue Solferino, we hailed a taxi so we would not be late for our dinner reservation at Restaurant Khajuraho on Boulevard de la Tour Maubourg.

After a very fine Indian dinner there, we walked home, for a total of 6.5 miles of walking for the day.

Here are some more photos from yesterday:

This monument to the animal sculptor, Emmanuel Freminet
by Henri Greber (1913) includes two bas reliefs on the base.
one showing Joan of Arc on a horse (the other, on the back
depicts a bear hunter).  This is just inside the eastern
entrance to the Jardin des Plantes.

Bust of Georges Cuvier (above and below) on
a former laboratory in the Jardin des Plantes.

A science building just outside the Jardin is decorated with red neon.

Near Jussieu, we saw this heartbreaking poster about a lost cat named Johnny.

Restaurant Khajuraho serves five condiments
instead of the usual 3 or four served at Indian restaurants.

Carved figurines by our table at Restaurant Khajuraho.  The one below was
the tamest of four kamasutra carvings next to Tom's seat at the table.

Jardin des Plantes and Boulevard Saint Germain

August 12, 2018 -- The Jardin des Plantes is a wonderland.  Small white butterflies and round, fuzzy bees went about their work as we walked and watched, bedazzled as if we were in a Walt Disney movie.  Flowers of a thousand varieties were happily packed tightly in their formal beds, exuding color and enthusiasm for the beauty of the day. 

The Jardin des Plantes.

I have come to adore traditional French gardens, and that is what predominates the long, wide central swath of the Jardin des Plantes.   The appropriately imposing Museum of Natural History anchors the southern terminus of these formal gardens.

Off to one side are other, more English style gardens, with mature trees and meandering paths.  There is also a maze, a folly, the old zoo, and a couple of grand greenhouses.  Off to the other side is more museum.

The giants of botany and natural history are celebrated here:  Buffon, Lamarck, Linneus, Cuvier, Jussieu, and more.

This wondrous park began as the king's medicinal garden, in the 1600s.  After the Revolution, it was no longer the Royal Garden; it was renamed the Jardin des Plantes, and to this day, it is the main national botanical garden for France.

The walk through the formal gardens is the highlight of the summer for me.  That's how much I love that place.

Hôtel de Charme for Wild Bees and other Insects

After we'd soaked it in, we turned off to the right and were entertained by more insect promotion.  The Jardin here has a "hôtel de charme" (charming hotel) for insects; much more elaborate than the "gites" (bed-and-breakfasts) for bugs that we saw the day before, across the river in the 12th arrondissement. The gardeners of the 12th and the 5th must be in some sort of friendly competition when it comes to bug accommodations.

Along with plaques explaining the purpose of the bug hotel were several plaques about bees, all in French.  Some of the information is translated below:

In France, there are 900 species of wild bees.  These play an important role in the pollinization  of wild and cultivated plants, and that's why it is important to let them have places for reproduction.

The pollinating insects are the source of a real ecological service that is threatened today by urbanization, the intensification of agriculture, and climate change that disturbs their populations.

If the sign of this threat is the decline of the honey bee, what about the more common wild species that provide a large part of this service?

This hotel is for wild bees and other pollinating insects.  The compartments have been constructed to reproduce different habitats that are becoming more rare in urban areas and, as well, favor the installation of foraging species that are looking for a place to make their nests.

All the wild bees are welcome in the hotel!

• The rubicultural bees [bumble bees?] look for stems of plants filled with marrow sufficiently tender so that they can easily dig their nests to the dimensions that suit them.
• The carpenter bees that use dead wood and dig into it (branches, dead sticks)
• The "tapissiere" bees that nest in cavities such as in wood perforated by other insects like beetles, or in rock fissures.  The females of some species cover their nests with plant fibres or cut small rounds in leaves.

Do wild bees sting?

Contrary to wasps and bees raised in hives for collecting honey, the solitary bees never attack.  They only sting if we grab them, and then only the females sting because the males don't have a stinger.  Observe them in serenity.

Many bees were flying around in the Jardin des Plantes, and so they were often in our faces.  Nice to know that there is no need to worry.

When it was lunchtime, I reserved a table with the TheFork (lafourchette) app at Les Trois Carafes (3 rue Linné), a place just across from the southwestern entrance to the botanical garden.  We discovered this place years ago when it was new, and I gave the restaurant one of its first positive reviews. 

Roasted duckling filet with potatoes salardaise.

Yesterday, we .discovered that it is still just as good as it was then.  I ordered the daily special: a roasted duckling filet in a honey-based sauce with potatoes sautéed in duck fat.  A separate little pot of green beans and snow peas completed the course.  Tom had a beef filet on a "nest" of shredded potatoes and some julienned raw veggies.  For dessert, we shared a pistachio-infused creme brulée.  We sat outside, across from a large fountain featuring alligators and the massive gate to the gardens.  It is hard to imagine a more delightful lunch. 

After lunch, we walked up to the environs of the Arab Institute to begin our planned walk down the boulevard Saint Germain.  Even on a Saturday, the boulevard was a busy place.  We made it as far as Mabillon, and then opted to take the metro home. 

After a light dinner in the evening, we walked up to see the Eiffel Tower twinkle at 10PM -- a magical way to end a lovely day.

The Fourth of July in Paris

July 5, 2017 – The five of us celebrated the fourth of July by walking 20,000 steps together in Paris.  We started by taking the metro to the Gare d’Austerlitz station so that we could visit the Menagerie at the Jardin des Plantes. 

The Menagerie is the old Paris zoo, still laid out in an early 20^th Century style.  The more modern Paris zoo is the “Parc Zoologique” in the Bois de Vincennes on the city’s east side.  We could have taken the metro there, but I read that on a hot afternoon, one doesn’t see so many animals there because they seek shelter from the hot sun.  They have more shelter to seek, since the Parc Zoologique is a modern, spacious zoo.

The Eiffel Tower photo I took during my morning solo walk (5,000 steps).

The afternoon was predicted to be hot, and Dan was interested in being in “his old stomping grounds in the Latin Quarter” (he has stayed in the apartment in the 6^th a few times – a place we used to occupy in September).  We decided our zoo experience would be better in the Menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes, on a sizzling summer day.

We saw monkeys, exotic birds, tortoises, large cats (including a snow leopard!), a panda, vicunas, yacks, a desert fox, and much more.  After we’d seen every creature we could, we had refreshments at a shady table near the ice cream and beverage stand. 

Storm troopers and Jedi knights that we saw at the foot of the rue Rollin.

At that table, I was pleased to hear the girls babble on about American politics.  They swear they’ll vote as soon as they’re 18 and that they will make sure all their friends vote.  Hearing this filled me with hope.  I love the girls’ politics, and I’m proud of the way they care about other people.  They have good moral fiber.

We explored the hill in the Jardin, and then exited to the rue Linné where we could easily walk to the Arènes, the old Roman arena turned into a ball park.  Tom had been wanting to walk down the colorful rue Mouffetard, and so we did.  The girls enjoyed that, but they were starting to be footsore and tired.  We could have taken the metro that’s near the end of the rue Mouffetard after we visited the St. Médard church.

But Dan wanted to walk by the Panthéon, so we walked all the way back up the hill and then down again to the Luxembourg Gardens.  Then I led them to the nearest metro, which wasn’t so near (Odéon), but somehow the girls made it, even though they were hot, tired, and hungry.

Sunflowers on the Champ de Mars.

For some reason, Dan and the girls wanted Japanese food, although I’m sure they can get better Japanese food at home in Louisville than they can in Paris.  In fact, Paris is kind of famous for having bad sushi.  Nevertheless, I took out my phone, and in the shadow of the Panthéon, I found a fairly well-rated Japanese restaurant on lafourchette.com, and it was located near our apartment.  I booked it.

Gazebo at the top of the hill in the Jardin des Plantes.

When we arrived home, there was only time for several minutes of rest before we walked the few blocks to Wako on the rue Mademoiselle for dinner.  The restaurant was sparkling clean, and the food was beautiful and good, but not great.  I was surprised that the girls could not use chop sticks, even though they do know about Japanese food.  I tried to teach Sarah how to use them, but Tom finally asked the server for a couple forks. 

Later, Tom and I talked about the evening and agreed that we should take the girls to a North African restaurant, something that would be far less common in Louisville.  This would be a more culturally enriching experience for them.  So we will go to Le Tipaza sometime soon.

Taking time to see and smell the roses

The Pantheon.

June 26, 2017 – Roses are still blooming in Paris in June.  They are past their prime, but still beautifully expressing exuberant splashes of color.  When I think of roses in Paris I think of the Jardin des Plantes, over in the 5^th arrondissement.  Of course, we have roses in the 15^th arrondissement, too, including the red beauties in the neglected front garden of the École Militaire – roses in a blood red hue, appropriate for that War College.  But we do not have roses in Sanibel, except for the ones in bouquets that Tom brings home from Costco (rainforest-friendly roses).

Roses in front of the Ecole Militaire.

The roses in the Jardin des Plantes are arranged in a well-tended formal corner near the natural history museum entrance.  Some grow on trellises which grace a lovely walk.  How I remember seeing my mom and dad on that walk, under the rose-laden trellises, years ago when they visited Paris before taking a river cruise.

Before the bloom was any more off the rose, Tom and I decided to visit the Jardin des Plantes.  After an easy and direct subway ride, we left the Austerlitz train station and entered the Jardin.  We strolled slowly through the main garden until we finally reached the rose garden.  After soaking that in, we visited the new/renewed biodiversity garden and saw a photographic exhibition about the gardeners.

Flowers adorn the steps leading up to the rue Rollin.

From there, a short stroll took us out of the Jardin and over to the former Roman arena, recreation area, called the Arènes de Lutece.  Tom’s goal was to wander through the heart of the 5^th arrondissement, which is full of sights, one right after the other.  Shortly after we traversed the arena and we found ourselves across the street from Hemingway’s tackiest apartment in Paris, on the rue Cardinal Lemoine near the rue Monge.  We decided to save the colorful rue Mouffetard for another walk on another day, and instead headed past the famed Lycée Henri IV to the stately Pantheon, where so many of France’s heroes are interred.  Another short stroll down the rue Soufflot took us to the gateway into the Luxembourg Gardens.  We enjoyed refreshments at the outdoor café in the Gardens, and then tried to walk out the gate onto the rue Vaugirard near the Musée du Luxembourg, but that didn’t happen.  Some formal event was taking place in the Orangerie, and a huge area around it was barricaded and posted with security guards.  We exited across from the rue de Fleurus instead, and decided to take that charming street, past Gertrude Stein’s old place, in the direction of home.

A small boy practices on his cello while mom works on her Ipad on the rue Rollin.

Dinner was next door at Le Café du Commerce.  The special of the day was a whole dorade royale (golden sea bream), and I could not resist it.  When a server brought it to me, she asked if I’d like to have her “prepare” it.  She meant debone it, and I replied, “No thank you, I will do it.”  She was surprised and said, “Are you sure?”  To that I replied, “I’m from Florida,” by way of explanation.  She said “Okay.”  (That conversation was all in French, by the way.)

If I debone the fish myself, I get more fish off the bone and it does not get cold before I can consume it.  Tom had beef carpaccio again.  Then he indulged in a café gourmand, which was pretty and nice.  My dessert was a little glass of Grand Marnier.  Mmmmm.  So good.

Cafe gourmand at Le Cafe du Commerce.