The last time Dennis and I were in Paris, we found the Port de Plaisance de Paris Arsenal just a day or two before we left. It is just off the Seine and has moorage for pleasure boats; so it reminded us of our days on the docks with Lark. We learned that there was a boat trip from here up through Canal St. Martin an area we haven't explored. Since it was beastly hot, and "KEvie" were exploring Versailles we jumped aboard for a two-and-a-half hour cruise up to the Baisin de la Villette in the northwest part of the city. The canal was originally built on the orders of Napoleon 1st to provide easier access to potable water as Paris and it's surroundings were becoming more polluted. It also provided a shortcut for boats travelling up the Seine, bypassing the city.
We waited to board our tour boat within view of the Bastille. I just learned that the big round base below the monument holds the bones of those that died during the first three days of the revolution. Hmm. It's in the middle of a roundabout.
Back to the floaty bit, the first part of the trip was underground, which was actually welcome in the heat.
Then we surfaced to begin the process of rising 24 feet, through a series of locks.
Some of the locks were quite energetic in their filling.
The final area we reached in Villette was very pleasant and water oriented. The approach to the water is so different from the older part of the city. Here the water is a place to recreate and enjoy all it has to offer. We didn't really see swimmers, but everything else was up for grabs.
Oh, and we passed a fire station that was built into an old warehouse...
and some of the poor firefighters had to don their short shorts and keep the place looking spiffy. (I post this specially for our buddy Heber Retana who is a new firefighter in Calgary. Have they said anything about bringing shorts to work Heber?)
Not sure what this building is, but it seems to be the centre of some hijinks.
Paris Plage also continues up in this area.
I like the cool wrapping on this glass building to provide shade.
This is a Science Centre we didn't know was here..
And I'm not sure if you can easily make it out but that sculpture is a bicycle wheel coming up from the ground. Hey, it's art!
Bet our grandsons would love playing in these floating tubes - heck, I would like to give it a try.
The purple floaty thing you pedal like a bicycle.
Why shouldn't a movie theatre have something beautiful on the side of it?
Let's just say there will be no pictures of shopping, though Evie and I did a brilliant job, covering a wide swath of Paris. If you like your souvenirs, or notice a pair of shoes that flew onto my feet, so much the better. Evie scored big time, but that's what happens when you're built like a model.
The Catacombs
While we were doing the heavy lifting, the boys decided to go underground. Dennis tried three times to see the Catacombs the last time we were here, but the line was always way too long. Taking a page from our Eiffel Tower success, the guys were up and gone very early, and still had to line up.
The entrance to the Catacombs is a pretty nondescript place near the Denfert Rochereau Metro station. Here you line up to go underground to see what Paris did with the bones of about two million people when they started to break through the side walls of a mass grave back in 1786. It took 15 months to move all the bones and (hurl) rotting corpses to the underground quarries. Evidently the French Resistance was headquartered here during WWII.
The boys loved it.
I guess the stairway down was very steep and felt non-stop and Dennis says he felt like he was "descending into hell."
Crazy me, why wouldn't I want to be down here...
I wonder if he was getting cell service?
Somebody was enjoying it. Guess it's easy to do while you've still got a heartbeat!
Quite artistic, but odd.
Another one with his heartbeat going, but taking spooky pictures.
The Military Museum at Les Invalides
The guys decided to investigate the museum that adjoins Napoleon's Tomb at Les Invalides. These are the things that most drew Dennis' attention, I know this only because there are pictures - perhaps he'll supply some commentary.
This was a motorcycle that could be parachuted in its capsule down to the troops.
Wandering
There are so many places to just enjoy seeing as you walk around town.
A fountain dedicated to St. Michel
Back to Notre Dame
Sainte Chappelle
Built in 1248, by Louis IX, to hold the Crown of Thorns this church is one of my very favourite places in Paris. Outside it is tall and elegant, but the real magic is inside.
It was built as an attachment to the original palace, you can still see some evidence of the first constructions, though now all of this is part of the Palais du Justice on the Ile de la Cité.
There is carving and decoration all over the church.
This statue of Christ and Mary is one of the most human I've seen.
The lower chapel is where all the non-royals celebrated.
It too had stained glass.
The upper chamber, reached by circular stairs, or if you're the King, off a walkway from your palace. The windows soar 50 feet and the supporting columns are so narrow, the church is considered an architectural masterpiece.
It takes my breath away.
Even the floor is a work of art.
Statues of the Saints line the lower walls.
Outside St. Chappelle we are still inside the Palais of Justice with some impressive gates.
Evie, putting things in perspective.
The spire of Ste. Chappelle.
The old palace, now Palais du Justice in its dominant place by the Seine.
Everything in Paris isn't quite so serious.
We sat at the very back of the Louvre, to enjoy a drink...
when bat boy walked by. The back pack he was carrying was a three-dimensional bat and his makeup, clothes, etc. were pretty interesting, especially when he stopped to take a picture like any other tourist.
Directly opposite the back of the Louvre are these two churches separated by a spire. There's a story here to be found.
Kevin liked the courtyards of the Louvre. Maybe he is riding his horse here?
Evie liked them too.
It's pretty impressive.
So we said Adieu to our good friends, sending them off to enjoy Bellac, while we thought about what to do in our last week in Paris.
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