With less than a month left in Paris I seem to have slipped back into tourist mode. I know my days here are limited and as a result I am squeezing every minute out of them that I can. If I could I would stay up 24/7 to do as much as I can before our dreaded departure date.
Today the girls and I went to the Canal Saint Martin in northeastern Paris. This Canal feeds into the Seine in the south and the Bassin de la Villette and the Canal de l'Ourq in the north. We hopped on a boat at La Bastille and took a 2 1/2 hour trip up the canal. Napoléon ordered the construction of the Canal Saint-Martin in 1802. It was originally built to link the Canal de l'Ourq to supply fresh water to the city. In the 19th century, the area was mostly occupied by working-class laborers. Only recently has it started to attract well-to-do professionals eager to snag apartments with views of the canal.
The boat started by going into the 1km long vaulted tunnel under the Place de la Bastille. This was followed by 4 double locks and 2 swing bridges along the canal. Numerous classic iron footbridges traverse the canal, usually with people on them, looking down at us, while we were looking up at them. The girls enjoyed going through locks in a boat for the first time, watching the water swish in and the boat quickly moving upward. I enjoyed the quaint neighbourhoods we passed through, the foot bridges and the fabulous people watching. I need to invest in a large zoom, or "borrow" George's Nikon & lenses, to zoom in on some of interesting faces and characters lining the canal, again, us looking at them, while they were checking us out.
Next time I make it to this part of Paris I will have to nurse a drink on one of the many local terraces and enjoy a meal at the current hot spot, Chez Prune. Its where all the trendy young Parisians go, so I will, of course, fit right in!
Tomorrow more adventuring for me in eastern Paris at the Bois de Vincennes as I explore the little known Jardin Tropical, or less nicely put, what remains of the old human zoo from the 1907 colonial expo. I will finish the week days out with a visit Friday to le Grand Palais to discover an artist new to me, Odilon Redon. It certainly looks like the next 3 weeks will be non stop for me, clutching to every last minute I can in my adopted hometown.
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