We first learned about Parisian city parks when we saw the German poet Kurt Tucholsky’s little rhyme about Park Monceau, located in the 8th arrondissement. It is pretty here, he wrote, and there are no signs posted to tell you what is “verboten.” (A German would notice that). On our next visit to the city of light we went to see. We found a bench at the western end of the park facing the statue of the rogue poet and composer Henri de Musset, a bench, incidentally, located in a hot spot for internet connections which was convenient. All Paris parks, we found out, offer free hot spots but hearing about and finding one is only half the story. Unless he comes on foot or by bus the sight seer or internet surfer must first figure out where to park in this park, and that is not just a matter of nouns and verbs. Cars are verboten!
Tucholsky would not have liked that. But then he didn’t even have a car. Absurd as that sounds, not having a thing sometimes makes things easier.