Picnics in Paris: 5 reasons to have a picnic
August 12th, 2010 | Published in Entertaining
Versailles Gardens, photo weenterwinter
While attending cooking school in Paris, my classmates and I developed a Sunday tradition during the summer months. None of us had much money, but we had lots of interest in exploring France, enough change for a Metro ticket, and plenty of burgeoning cooking skills we were dying to test—away from the critical eyes of our chef instructors.
Every Sunday we traveled to the gardens of Versailles Palace for a picnic. Laden with an assortment of plastic shopping bags and my cumbersome laundry basket filled with supplies we looked liek a traveling circus crammed into the tiny seats of the Metro. Once, my determined friend Michel hauled along a bucket of his freshly-churned peach ice cream packed in ice!
Later, reclining under a 200-year old willow, we dug out satiny nuggets of French farmhouse cream laced with Avignon peaches and slivers of Tahitian vanilla bean and moaned our thanks to Michel. With every bite, I could imagine I was one of the aristocrats who built the gardens we were lolling in. Of course, we ate the ice cream first. After all, we were in decadent Versailles.
It’s mortifying to admit, but in all the months we spent our Sundays there, we never ventured indoors. These outings were more about relaxation and gluttony than culture. The closest I came to the Great Hall of Mirrors was jogging past an outer wall in a foot race with other Sunday-mad Parisians looking for the best place to lay our blanket.
Reasons To Have A Picnic:
- You don’t have to clean the house for company and there’s no day-after mess.
- Children of all ages can be included and enjoy themselves without constant adult supervision.
- Your home is too small for a big gathering; you don’t have a yard and the weather is gorgeous..
- You can save money hosting a big party by doing it at a park or on the beach. This is cheaper than renting a hall or restaurant and it’s much more personal and fun.
- You’ll get some fresh air and the dog can come, too.
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"Nicole in Paris"
