Bank holiday

Work has been forgotten for the day and so it's time to go for another one of my 'discovery' walks around the bits of Paris that i don't know *that leaves a lot of Paris to discover then :@)*

My real objectif was to buy a new pair of trainers to replace my old and mouldy looking Stan Smiths - i finally settled for a pair of Converse.

But before i got to the point of breaking open my wallet and scaring the bejeebus out of the moths, i was astounded to find myself walking along the Canal St Martin ...

(Click on the image for a full size view)





I really don't know very much about the quartier.

From what i do know though, at the start of the 1800's the quality of the drinkable water in Paris was dire (dysentry and cholera epidemics were rife) and so Napoleon took things in hand, as it were.

He raised the necessary funds for the work by ceating a 'wine tax'. In 1825, the canal was opened and was subsequently used to transport merchandise, foodstuffs and building materials into the very heart of the capital.

Up until the 1960's the canal was still in heavy use, but with the advent of railways and motorways, the canal became disused and the then president Georges Pompidou wanted to transform it into a motorway - the parisiens were up in arms against the idea and the idea was abandoned.

Nowadays, the canal is reputed for sightseeing tours and it's feeeling of peace and tranquility.

No, i don't work for the french tourist board ;@)