The forest of Boulogne, now maintained as a park, was in the olden days a part of the huge royal hunting ground Louvre Forest. One look at a map of outer Paris will show you how abundant in natural greenery this city is, with Rambouillet Forest and Fontainebleau Forest also in the vicinity. Modeled after Napoleon-praised Hyde Park of London, this park was transformed as an oasis for Parisians during Haussmann's city planning. High class residential blocks occupied by the bourgeoisie sprung up around it soon after, thanks to favorable living environs. Talking about hunting grounds, you can see that the park has remained the center for clay pigeon shooting. But the most fashionable sport of them all today is a product of modernity: the bicycle. Only the wealthy can afford these expensive bicycles. Rich and leisurely ladies initially rode in old-fashioned long skirts, only to find them inconvenient for the vehicle. Nowadays, you can see sporty cycling attire in fashion. If you go shopping in the wide Avenue de la Grande Armée between 16th and 17th sector, west of Arc de Triomphe, you can get your hands on some of the latest sports clothes. I must say, the age of the horse and carriage is giving way to the automobile; nowadays, you can put your life on edge taking a walk in the forest. Risking your life is nothing new I suppose--duels over love and honor were plenty since last century. Whoops, knock on wood, knock on wood. This park covers 900 hectares of forest, including the famous Les Courses á Lonchamp, and is considered the meeting place for Paris society during the day. I've never bothered to count, but they say the forest has around 140 thousand trees. Say, the latest news says a new restaurant called Grande Cascarde just opened this year here in the Boulogne Forest. What a dream come true, to relish real cuisine within former hunting grounds! When the season comes, we'll be smacking our lips over gibier (wild game). We'll be feasting like royalty!