A Giant from California in the Heart of Paris

In the middle of Paris, there's a giant from another world. It's a sequoia, a type of tree that usually calls California home. This one lives in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, a park that used to be a dump but was turned into a green paradise. The sequoia is over 100 feet tall. That's as tall as a 10-story building! But it's still young. In California, sequoias can grow much taller and live for thousands of years. The famous General Sherman Tree, for example, is around 2, 000 years old and stands at about 275 feet tall.So, how did this California giant end up in Paris? The tree was planted around the time the park opened in 1867. It was likely the work of either Adolphe Alphand, who oversaw the park's construction, or Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps, the city's chief gardener at the time. The sequoia stands tall in the northeast corner of the park. Behind it, you can see the famous apartment blocks designed by Georges-Eugène Haussmann. It's a sight that's both surprising and beautiful. A piece of California in the heart of Paris. The sequoia is a reminder of how nature can thrive even in the most unexpected places. It's a testament to the power of transformation, both of the land and of our understanding of the world.