Balbi parc

Right next to the Potager du Roi lies the quiet, bucolic Balbi Park. Enter the gate and then walk a path to the next gate - this is where the entrance to Balbi park is.
The brother of King Louis XVI, the then Count of Provence and the future King Louis XVIII bought this land for the king’s mistress, the Countess of Balbi. Together, they turned it into their very own secret getaway.
As opposed to the massive, imperial, highly-trimmed French style gardens of the Palace of Versailles, Balbi Park is in the English style, which was fashionable at the time, whereby everything had to look natural yet intensely attractive. The English gardening style conveyed an idealistic view of nature, while the French turned it into an art.
To achieve this goal, the Count and his mistress ordered the planting of exotic flora, together with the digging up of the pond and river. Moreover, a natural-looking cave was built to create the most engaging experience.
When, in 1791, the Count and his mistress had to flee France due to the Revolution, the park was abandoned for many years.
Now it is restored and open to the public.