Cultural Outlook - Valued Nature in France

Most French people are great lovers of nature. Many of them dream of a small home in the country with trees and a vegetable garden, where they could go on weekends. But in the city, it is sometimes difficult to stay close to nature. For this reason, just about every French city and town has set aside a sizeable amount of land for parks.

City-dwellers looks on les parcs (also called les jardins publics) as their backyards, in a way, they go there often to relax. There are different sorts of parks. One kind – which the French call à l’anglaise (English style) – is wooded, and often has a pond or lake. Another kind – à la française – also has trees, but they are planted in perfectly straight rows. These parcs à la française usually have fountains, statues and gravel paths beside neatly clipped lawns.

The larger parks offer many activities. Sometimes there are pony rides for children. Some parks have outdoor puppet shows, too, where people of all ages stop to watch the antics of Guignol, the most famous French puppet character. (The show itself is called le Guignol.) Occasionally there are booths where collectors can buy stamps and coins.

Source: Son et Sens. Glenview, Illinois: Scott, Foresmen and Company. 3rd Ed. P. 51.