Walking further into the grounds of the Palais Royale, you’ll find yourself surrounded by gorgeous roses. Or you will if you’re lucky like I was, and unintentionally time your visit with their bloom season.
And if you look closely, you’ll notice a small cannon installed on one of the lawns between the rows of rose bushes.
According to French Centre of National Monuments, “The meridian cannon of the Palais-Royal was designed by Sieur Rousseau, a watchmaker at the 95 of the Beaujolais Gallery in 1786.
The bronze cannon installed on the meridian line of Paris thundered at noon , thanks to a magnifying glass that caused the firing of the wick on sunny days.
Regarded as the best in Paris, the little gun attracted a large audience who came to adjust his watch.”
The gun was stolen in 1998, so what you see in the image above is actually a replica that was installed in the original’s place in 2002.
I love stumbling across random bits of history like this!
Bonne journée!
Marla
Marla on the Move 
Gorgeous photos!
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💛 thank you!
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