dîner en plein air

I had an enjoyable evening last night with Chantal - a great friend of Oklahoma and the Amiens partnership, and her husband Jacques in the Parc de St. Cloud, just outside of Paris. They wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and show me the 460-hectare park before having dinner outside.

The Château de St. Cloud, located just 10km from Versailles, was built in the 1570s. After several owners, it eventually ended up in the hands of the royal family. The brother of Louis XIV purchased it after attending a party there. Subsequent residents include Marie-Antoinette and Napoleon. The castle no longer exists, having been partly destroyed during the Prussian occupation in the 1870s, and completely razed at the end of the 19th Century, but the park still remains.

Now, people go to the park for an incredible view of Paris at the rond-point de la Balustrade, or La Lantèrne, thus named because there actually was a lantern there under the reign of Napoleon. It was lit to alert the Parisians of his presence in the city. Today, it's a great spot to have your picture made in front of the Parisian skyline.