Canal, Cemetery & Carnavoir: Parents in Paris

Canal Saint-Martin

 

Today we headed to Parc de la Villette for a romantic trip around the Saint Martin canal, lined with hundred year old trees and spanned with elegant foot bridges aboard the Canauxrama.

 

 

En route to Paris Arsenal.

 

 

Through the trees.

 

 

Under the foot bridges.

 

 

The local cinema.

 

 

Now l have never been on a canal before so l was slightly confused as to how we would get down one section of a canal that was 12 metres higher than the next section. I can tell you l was slightly disappointed when we didn't do the equivalent of the Big Dipper…

 

 

…instead we had to sit in each double lock entry for 8 minutes at a time waiting for the next section to fill up gradually as they released the locks.

 

 

I should have realised when my mum said the canal cruise was 2.5 hours long and we were only traveling 4km. Surfice to say daddy bear was bored after the first set of locks – only 7 to go!

 

 

Pretty streets.

 

 

The longest part of our trip was under ground for 2.5km?

 

 

Cute house boats.

 

 

La Fete Nationale – Bastille

 

Now my next peice on the Bastille may be false but l am going to articulate what the Masters student of French History told me on my Fat Tyre Bike Tours.

 

 

Bastille Day is celebrated on 14th July as it was the start of the French Revolution in 1789. Parisians initially stormed Invalides where all the artilary was located after King Louis XVI dismissed a popular Minister, however they soon realised that the gun powder was stored in the Bastille prison. Therefore l am sure you can imagine why this was their next port of call.

 

After a bloody battle King Louis XVI reinstated the popular Minister and one year later the Bastille fortress which held prisoners by King Louis XVI was demolished. Unfortunately for King Louis XVI, the constitutional monarchy was short lived and he and his wife were beheaded 2 years later.

And here our canal cruise came to an end.

 

Cemetary

 

Our next stop was Montparnasse, to visit the markets and get some lunch.

 

Falafel pitas from the markets.

 

 

Across from the markets was a park so we decided to head on in and eat our falafel delights. However when we entered we realised that it wasn't a park and it was a cemetery.

 

 

I do want to point out that it was a very fancy cemetary so we stayed, had lunch with the wonderful French designers and looked for the gravestones of the famous families in France. Much to my dads horror!

Dad quote: “So Mick (dads name) did you do anything nice when you were in Paris?” “Yes Dave, Natalie took me for falafal sandwichs which were delightful *cough cough disgusting* in a fancy restuarant *cough cough a cemetary*

 

Cartier

 

 

Gautier

 

 

And we headed back on the Metro.

 

 

 

Carnavoir

 

After the delicious falafal sandwichs my dad was slightly peckish so we decided to head out for a spit of pork.

 

 

The moment that we try to find my dad a Guinness.

It cost €10 and he didn't like the taste. Well at least that's sorted – vin rouge from now on…

 

 

And finally drinks on the Seine.

 

 

N xo

 

 

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