Today we walked a really long way. First we set out for Gare du Nord, as a dry run for the upcoming day when we have to leave our hotel and get there to catch the train to London. We wanted to see if seemed a good idea to walk there towing our suitcases. (Conclusion: we could walk there, but we'd get hot and sweaty with our luggage - so a taxi would be better)
We pressed on eastward into the morning sun, until we arrived at the Canal Saint Martin, which is part of a system over one hundred kilometers long build to provide a reliable transport corridor (when the river was low) and water supply for Paris. There are locks there, and tourist trips available up and down the canal system. I liked this "automatic bridge", which still operates 120 years after it was built:
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| Automatic lifting bridge (1865) |
Far out of the city we arrived at the "Parc de la Villette", which is huge science and industry centre and park. Unfortunately it is closed on Mondays! It pays to do some research before walking for miles... Despite being largely deserted it was still quite impressive for it's size, and the huge shiny dome (which houses an IMax theatre).
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| Huge "Geode" dome |
Having worn our little legs out, we had lunch nearby and then used the Metro for the first time, to ride back into the middle of Paris near our hotel.
