Today we started at the Place Bastille en route to the Viaduc des Arts, which is an old water viaduct which has been converted into artisans' workshops, studios, and galleries. We were expecting smaller-scale artisans, but we quickly figured out that these "ateliers" are largely high-end, very specialized operations doing things including restoration of historic documents and furniture and making one-of-a-kind parasols. It was very cool even though it wasn't quite what we expected.
On top of the viaduct is a lovely park. We were hoping for a bit more of a shady spot since the heat was still unbearable, but the views were definitely worth the scorching stroll along the length of the viaduct. We saw one of the most interesting modern buildings we have seen yet, with very large sculptures replicated along the top floor.
We hopped on the metro to make our way over to Canal St. Martin. This is a much less touristy area, even though the canal is very appealing. There is a series of locks (écluses) along its length and we did see a boatload of tourists come through on a site seeing cruise.
We managed to find a nice cafe on the canal for lunch. Prices sure are more reasonable outside of the tourist areas. We tried our first rillette - yummy (but as with almost all French food, not very heart smart!)
On our way to Gare de l'Est to catch a train home we came across a trio of graffiti artists doing their thing. More like something we'd expect to see in New York, but there is a lot of graffiti in Paris, so not that surprising.
We left the city early as we had a date to meet some fellow Canadians who were renting the house across the street for a week. We had plans to just pop over for a quick glass of wine and return to catch up on the blog, but four hours later we were just arriving back at the house. We had a great visit with the couple from Lévis, Québec, their 3 children and mother. Shea practised his French and Danielle mostly sat and listened. It was a fun evening!
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