Choosing where to go next (28 October 2024)

Canal St-Martin

There is so much to see in Paris, which makes for an almost overwhelming number of places to choose from. Graham had what he called “crikey” moments where something would just take his breath away. The Pont du Gard was one of those moments but he had many more so the challenge was to find at least one on our last full day in Paris.

We were keen to go to Belleville which is the highest point in Paris and Graham had picked up a book in the apartment with graphic photos of its former self before and after it had been redeveloped in the 1970s and later. The view from there on a good day is excellent as you can see the city laid out with its various landmarks. It was quite misty when we left but we still decided to go.

Parc de Belleville

We entered through the Parc de Bellville and climbed to the lookout point. The Eiffel Tower was not visible due to the mist but as it was coffee time we called into the same café that we had had breakfast with our friends back 2019. Bev and Graham ended up having a second breakfast for the day due to a lost in translation moment – they soldiered on however. I was fine because I just had a coffee. Bev and I commented that there seemed to be a lot more graffiti than the last time we were in Belleville, particularly around the view point. We looked at photos from our earlier visit and they confirmed our observation.

Mon Coeur Belleville where we had coffee

We next took the train down to the Canal de St-Martin. It has been one of the places I have wanted to go as it is reputed to be rather beautiful. The canal was proposed as a means of bringing fresh water from the river Ourcqu to a growing population in Paris to prevent disease like cholera and dysentery. Napoleon ordered it built in 1802 and it also was used to transport grain and other goods. By the 1960s the traffic had dwindled to a trickle and it apparently just escaped being paved over for a road.

I had read that the area alongside the canal had become a place where up and coming chefs moved to cook. We found the canal easily and wandered along it for a little while until a café called Chez Prune was spotted. It looked very popular. Bev and Graham decided it was the place we were to go to due to my passion for prunes (especially those from Agen). We just managed to get a seat. The menu had clearly been created for the day and looked interesting. I had Cod with mushrooms and Gratin Dauphinoise. It was an unusual combination that actually worked. Graham had very tender lamb which was very tasty, while Bev had pasta with egg plant. It was a very good value meal and was served quite quickly. We were about the only visitors there with the rest being French.

We were not far from Place des Vosges and rather take the metro we walked there. The Place des Vosges is the oldest square in Paris and is actually a true square. The buildings that surround it were built as residential homes and are all of the same design built from 1612. The nobility resided there until relocating to the Faubourg St-Germain district. For Graham it was a “crikey” moment. I love the buildings and park - they are very beautiful. We wandered around the arches admiring some of the art on display. One was an interesting optical illusion with the face changing from Einstein to a young woman depending on what angle it was viewed from.

Place des Vosges

The next stop was the Ile de St-Louis. I had never walked around it. It was rather nice and so much quieter than the Ile de la Cité. By the time we had walked from one end to the other it was time to get off our feet and enjoy a drink in the late afternoon sun at the end of a very full day.

We finished off our evening with a celebratory meal in our neighbourhood. As has happened before, when we arrived there was virtually no one in the restaurant but quite quickly people started arriving, many seeming to be business people. We agreed how much easier it was to talk in the restaurant with absence of competing music. There also seem to be softer surfaces so that people don’t have to shout at each other to be heard. Such a contrast to New Zealand and Australia.