The Canal System of Paris

Today we set out in a northerly direction to investigate the canal system in Paris. Yes, there is a canal system with locks (les écluses) and tour barges that navigate the waterway. It was dug between 1802 and 1825 as a way to supply fresh water for an expanding city. It also transported food and supplies. Now one can take any number of tours from la Seine to the Basin de l’Arsenal to la Bastille, then through an underground channel to Canal St. Martin, Bassin de la Villette and finally to Canal de l’Ourcq – through 5 lock points. There is also another canal from la Seine, down river, that connects at Canal de l’Ourcq and has 7 lock points. If we were to be here longer – or if it had been a bit warmer – we’d take one of the cruises offered. Instead we opted to walk part of one route.

Basin de l’Arsenal

Une écluse in the canal system de Paris

Canal St. Martin

On our way back we walked through Place de la République. It is marked with a statue representing the Republic of France and commemorates the newly formed Third Republic in 1870.

La Statue à Place de la République

We also stopped at the market to pick up pork chops, beans and ‘topinambour’ (Jerusalem Artichoke) for our last special meal. Our last meal is officially tomorrow night but we’ll probably be in the throws of packing, cleaning and getting ready for our early departure après-demain.

It was a wonderful meal. We are really going to miss our market when we are back at home. The topinambour was a tasty treat. We hadn’t seen them before – although another name for them is Canada Potatoes, who knew… They peeled like potatoes, they smelled like potatoes but they cooked faster and had a wonderfully nutty taste. Hmmmm, maybe we could grow them in our garden….

Cinq Topinambour – Jerusalem Artichokes

One of the things notre propriétaire asked us to do is to write a comment in the Livre d’Or (Guestbook). Here is what we wrote:

“Votre appartement était parfait pour notre séjour à Paris. Nous aimons le marché où nous avons pu acheter notre nourriture chaque jour. Le métro est très proche si nous voulons le prendre. L’appartement est très bien équipé avec tout que nous avons besoin et très confortable. Le quartier est sûr et tranquille. Votre endroit était idéal pour nous et nous le recommandons.”

C’est tout. À demain, notre dernier jour à Paris…