June 16, 2009 – Jardin des Tuileries

Today, Katherine decided to go running with me. And she wanted to run the the Jardin des Tuileries. We walked there over the weekend and I thought it would make an interesting run. We started to run along the Seine but the hard irregular cobblestones soon were taking a toll on K's legs. So we took a quick exit onto the Pont des Arts [a walking bridge that crosses the Seine].

The interesting thing about this pont, is that it takes you right in front of the courtyard entrance to the Louvre. The courtyard entrance is basically an open air archway through the actual musuem. The courtyard is huge; surrounded on all four sides by the Louvre. In fact, you have to go through another open air archway to get out. But when you exit this second archway, there, in front of you, is the I.M. Pei glass pyramid. You either love it or you don't. I love it and apparently so does Dan Brown, most Parisians don't. After you run past the pyramid, you enter the beginning of the Jardin des Tuileries.

The soft, limestone pebbles that line all the garden pathways made a welcome and well appreciated running surface. Katherine's knees were already feeling the distance; this was her first run since her knees began hurting her. So we decided just to go it alone and meet up back at the fitness club. I started running up and down all the tree-lined paths that criss-cross the Tuilerie. I made a mental note to come running here in the deep summer. The tree-lined avenues were dark and cool. I didn't really need the shade today but in July and August, these paths will be a necessity.

It's amazing to run in a garden and nonchalantly pass 16th, 17th, and 18th century statues. Time just melts. I made it to the east of the garden and looked towards the southeast. There was the Tower. In front of me was the Obelisk of Luxor. And, in the distance, in line with the obelisk, was the Arc de Triomphe. And then it struck me.

For those of you familiar with DC and our balcony, this is the same sort of view that we see; the Lincoln memorial, the Washington monument, and the Capitol building. But then, I am architecturally-challenged. As I turned to begin my run back, there was Katherine. I unloaded my revelation to her. Whereupon, she quickly filled me in on the obvious.

It seems that Pierre Charles L'Enfant designed Paris or at least this section from the Louvre, the Tuileries, and on to the Arc. So when he designed DC, he decided to keep a good thing going. The Capitol building [the Louvre], the Washington monument [the Obelisk of Luxor], the Lincoln memorial [the Arc], and the Smithsonian museums and mall [the Jardin des Tuileries]....well, at least the streets, the Capitol bldg, the White House, and the foundation plans for the National Mall.

And if that is not entirely historically accurate, just remember that I am architecturally-challenged, but it sure made the rest of my run evaporate just thinking about the coincidences.