Yesterday was a busy day, as usual. First I walked to the Canal Saint Martin—yes, an actual canal in Paris which isn’t very far from my apartment. It starts (or ends) close to place de la Bastille at the Port de l'Arsenal, goes underground more or less until it reaches a point near the place de la Republique (where I took these pictures). Further up, the canal runs through a more industrial area (or used to be..) and finally it reaches a basin, Bassin de la Villette.Built by Napoleon III in 1825 to transport materials from quarries in the north to the Seine and to bring (relatively) clean water to Paris, its charming iron footbridges and locks are still standing. Nine locks enable barges and cruise boats to navigate up the canal that eventually flows under a parkway where it goes underground toward place de la Bastille. The part of the canal that was covered in the 19th century was, of course, due to Haussman (more on him later) and the wish to open up large avenues and boulevards. (On my first trip to Paris in 1993, I witnessed a boat go through the little locks; I didn't see any today but sometime I'd like to take one of the cruise "ships" for a tour on the canal.)
There was talk in the 1960s about covering the rest of the canal; fortunately, this didn't happen. This area, which has been considered a little seedy in the past, is now making a comeback. However, in the past month, homeless Parisians—and even some who are not homeless but want to show solidarity—have set up 200+ tents along both sides of the Canal--to bring attention to the plight of the homeless. Supposedly, about a million people in France are homeless and 100,000 of them are sleeping on the streets, under the bridges, and along the Seine. A housing bill to be presented to the French cabinet later this month by Prime Minister Dominique de Villipin plans to make housing a legally enforceable right by 2012, the same as education and health in French law. The bill calls for the construction of 120,000 new homes every year up to 2012. As I strolled along both sides of the Canal (it was mostly sunny and in the high 40s), I saw several “squatters” being filmed and interviewed by the media.
One young man carrying a dog seemed to scold me as I took pictures; another man began asking me questions. But since I'm French now, I was aloof and kept walking...Next I visited the Carnavalet Musee (free), which portrays Paris’ history in two converted mansions in the Marais (The “Marais” references an area of the city located in the 3rd arrondissement). Although the museum is confusing with its many rooms, some unmarked, and without any English information, it was enjoyable and very interesting--lots of information on the Louie's and the Napolean's. It currently has a temporary exhibit about a photographer (Roger Henrard) who took pictures from a plane over Paris between 1935 and 1972. These photos (about 1750 of them) were published in books and sold as postcards. I really enjoy the museums in the city that are housed in mansions--including the Rodin and Marmottan. I think the buildings are as interesting as the works of art.
Until early February, Notre Dame is hosting a one-hour Christmas light show (called Lumen de Lumine) and Wednesday’s started at 4:30. I had no idea what the time was when I left the Carnavalet but wandered by a Swatch shop. Voila! It was 4:10! I put it in gear—or notched it up a gear—we all know that I don’t saunter—and was the last person allowed into the cathedral for the program! (That was my reward for helping that family find the Picasso Musee, even though I didn’t want to slow down and none of us spoke the same language. But I pointed them in the right direction so everyone was happy.) The church personnel hang a gauzy "screen" halfway up the aisle to the altar and project images on it--the Angel Gabriel told us about the birth of Jesus accompanied by Christmas music and Bible verses.It was dark when I left Notre Dame so I headed for my twirl on La Grande Roue de Paris (ferris wheel) at Place de la Concorde. Eight euros later and joined by a grandmere, her grandsons, and her daughter, we circled above Paris about five or six times while La Tour Eiffel did its sparkly dance for us. Since the Champs-Elysees appeared not to have its holiday attire lit up (oh non! Did I miss it??), I walked to les grands magasins (the large department stores) to see their holiday lights. It was cold but seemed mild—maybe the clouds rolled in—and I walked and walked and walked some more. This reminds me of NYC--people everywhere, hurrying to get to their destinations; cars honking; colorful store window displays; pedestrians walking against the traffic lights. At around 8 PM, I finally looked for a Metro stop and headed “home.”
