Part 2 of Paris

The best "non touristy" attractions - in our opinion

1. Promenade Plantée

The 4.5 km walk along the Promenade Plantée begins near the Place de Bastille. It was created in 1987 and completed in 2000 out of an unused railway viaduct which was ingeniously converted into an elevated walkway with delightful arches, water features, landscaped plantings of climbing roses, groundcovers, flowers and cherry trees. The walk gives interesting perspectives of the street life below into the 12 arrondissement and onto elaborate wrought iron balconies of the old mansions now converted into units. The walkway takes you through the lovely Parc de Reuilly, then continues nearly to the Periphérique (ring road). We walked both ways from our hotel and explored the Canal St Martin and it's locks area, Ile St Louie and Ile de Cité, having our baguettes along the canal for a break. This promenade was discovered by Russell from an article in the Australian and was a real highlight of our time in Paris.
















view from the viaduct :the Parc de Reuilly: the Promenade Plantee

A word of warning: Don't drink too much before the walk as the public toilets are not recommended!

2. Canal St Martin

This is a very worthwhile Paris activity - a 3 hour trip with Croisieres Sur Les Canaux .The river boat collects turists near the Musee D'Orsay and takes you for a short trip along the Seine before turning into the Canal St Martin. There was a guide who never stopped giving us interesting info. We learned so much about the development and extension of the canal by Haussman, who also designed many of the Grande Boulevards of Paris for the ease of troup movement during Napoleonic times. Haussmann closed the canal for 2 years to create an underground tunnel so the troups could march at street level and cross Paris in an orderly stream. And going underground for that length of time is an eerie experience although the boat has lights and our guide plays the clarinet with wonderful accoustic echoes. When we reach day light again, we face a series of locks which of course intrigued Russ and made the boat and its occupants the centre of attention for all of the pedestrians & motorists. They almost had to watch us since the roads actually swung open to let us through, and they were stuck, so to speak!!














the swing bridge opens our apartment ; Citadines in the middle.

Russ was carefully watching these lock operations most closely to learn about ropes and docking procedures for our own canal boat. While the locks were the highlight fof the trip for him, the boat trip also gave us wonderful photographic perspectives on Notre Dame and the bridges of Paris.

3. Place des Vosges

Place des Vosges - another hidden delight. We walked from our hotel again to the Marais area, following a defined route from the Frommers Paris book. This little square, surrounded by Renaissance mansions rising above a lovely arcaded corridoor that wraps all the way around, is a super place for a picnic. This is one of Paris's oldest squares and was once it's most fashionable. The buildings allowed all weather access to shops under the stone pavilions and these shops now house an array of art galleries from the quirky to the most expensive. I fell in love with a painting of a Parisian market by Bligny but the 2900 euro price tag did not inspire Russ, and I was severely grounded. I was allowed to buy a glossy magazine as a momento however!!
Place des Vosges and its fountain


the renaissance mansions & arcades




4. Walking along the Seine.


Another wonderful free activity is to walk along the Seine from Place St Michel past all of the Ponts (bridges) towards the Eiffel Tower. While anytime is lovely, after 11am the street vendors open their little boxes of old limited edition books and posters and artifacts for the tourists, and it makes for a really interesting walk while browsing. I nearly succumbed to tacky tourist momentos several times, but yet again was saved by my good man! We walked to both the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe and had lunch in front of the tower. Of course we also climbed the 284 steps of the Arc for the best views of Paris, but the day was so grey the photos did not do it justice.
no labels needed here!