I also saw other animals that are normally associated with big cities like pigeons and rats (no it was not Remy from Ratatouille!) Lastly, around sunset, I saw bats weaving in and out from beneath the river's many bridges. Being honest, I did not even realize at first that they were bats, but their jerky flight patterns made me realize that they weren't birds! Even though they may not be the cutest animals, bats are mostly harmless if you keep your distance and they are great pollinators for the city's plants!
The coolest thing that I saw this week was Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. It is a beautiful park in the 19th borough where I had a picnic with my friends. We each got a sandwich from a local boulangerie (bakery) and some dessert to share. The park had large grassy fields to lay on, a really cool suspension bridge, a lake, waterfalls and on top of a steep hill, there was a gazebo with Roman-like pillars that overlooks Paris. It was beautiful and I had so much fun with my friends!
Even though there isn't a lot of "nature" in Paris, people take preserving what exists very seriously. One example is the many different types of trash bins that can be found around the city. Parisians separate the trash into many different categories. For example, there are separate trash bins for plastic, paper, cans and glass. This way everything that is recyclable is sorted, thereby minimizing waste. There are also bins to separate food trash into compostable vs. non-compostable items as well as for clothing recycling!
