Hey Hive!
So if you didn't catch the last few posts, this series is about our trip to Paris way back in June 2016 when we went there for summer school! Both of us enrolled in a Luxury Management course at a college called HEC Paris. The course itself was 2 weeks long, but we booked our flight a week earlier so we could travel and explore the city.
In the last post, we explored a little of the suburban town we were staying in, and went to La Vallée Village, a haven of luxury boutiques.
11 June 2016. Saturday.
We weren't sure what to do today, and weren't really keen on exploring the main part of Paris yet (especially on a weekend). But I did a quick Google search and found that Canal St. Martin wasn't too far away, and many people seemed to recommend it so we decided to give it a shot.
But first, lunchtime!
Unfortunately, I'm not sure what this restaurant is, but I remember this pizza being quite tasty. The egg in the middle was definitely an interesting topping, and it tasted pretty good with the mushrooms, pepperoni and ham! 😋
After that scrumptious lunch, we took the train to Gare du Nord if I'm remembering it right, and ended up in a more bustling area compared to our little suburban town.
It wasn't too far a walk from the station to Canal Saint-Martin, and we got to take in the lovely Parisian scenery on the way. We came across quaint cafes with many people sitting outside, enjoying the nice weather.
Soon, we arrived at the Canal!
Tbh I'm not sure why Canal Saint-Martin was on so many must-see lists. There are some bridges along the 4.6km stretch, and I guess there are many bars and cafés and boutiques along it. Perhaps we went at the wrong time, because I remember reading somewhere that they have live music and flea markets along the Canal sometimes.
It was nice weather to take a walk along the Canal though, so we enjoyed a little stroll, taking pictures along the way.
We even found a little exercise corner while walking along the Canal, where Sean did some calisthenics.
Along the Canal there are these barges that open and close periodically to let boats through; that was pretty interesting. It must be such an old mechanism that has been improved and revamped over the years.
Here are some fun facts about Canal Saint-Martin:
Construction of the Canal Saint-Martin began in 1802 by orders of Napoléon Bonaparte. The Prefect of Paris at the time, Gaspard de Chabrol suggested that building the canal would supply the city with fresh water to support a growing population and help avoid diseases such as dysentery and cholera, while also supplying fountains and allowing the streets to be cleaned. The project was actually funded by a new tax placed on wine! It was completed in 1825, and three new canals were created: the Canal Saint-Martin, the Canal Saint-Denis, and the Canal de l’Ourcq, which also connected to the river Seine.
The Canal is also pretty clean, since it's drained and cleaned every 10-15 years to keep it running smoothly. Apparently a lot of people are fascinated when it's cleaning time, because you can see all kinds of junk, or treasure that fell into the Canal.
And the Canal Saint-Martin is also listed as a historical monument in Paris, alongside the Eiffel Tower, the Notre-Dame Cathedral!
It was nice just taking a leisurely stroll along the Canal, instead of braving the weekend crowds at the touristy spots in the city.
We must've walked quite a stretch along the Canal, so we decided to veer off and explore more of the buildings beside it, and found this cool graffiti wall!
Man you'd never find anything like this in Singapore, since it's against the law to deface public buildings. So we don't really have a lot of public murals or art like this (unless it was properly sanctioned by some organisation or the government). I guess it's for the best, since there's a risk that the graffiti will be obscene and offensive.
After that we just took a walk, with no particular destination in mind. I think that's kinda unconventional for tourists, since many people like to have properly planned itineraries and stuff. That's cool too, but neither of us are like that.
Soon we stumbled upon this building that had a flea market in it!
It was cool seeing all the wares for sale. I think this might've been my first time going to an actual flea market like this. The only other markets I've been to are night markets in Malaysia, called pasar malams.
Pasar malams are very different compared to flea markets. They're outdoors, at night, and sell all kinds of stuff including food and drinks! And while flea markets sell handmade stuff, pasar malams typically sell knockoff branded goods.
Anyway, after a brief look around at all the wares, we exited the flea market and went back onto the street. We came across a bar where there were people celebrating! I guess it was football season and they won! Good for them!
After walking for a little while, we decided to get a taste of the Parisian cafe experience (and also rest our feet).
We found this bistro on the corner and decided to check it out.
We even ordered crêpes! They were not very good tbh, since they weren't crispy enough and were too soft! Tbf I think crêpes are just like that regularly, so it might just be that we're not fans of them to begin with.
After we had a long enough break for our feet, we took to the street once again.
We soon came across another Parisian monument, called Porte Saint-Denis!
So I read that this was actually a gate that was part of the Charles V city walls built in 14th century all around Paris! This was actually the gate where the kings of France would pass through on their return to Paris from religious services at the Saint-Denis basilica (the first gothic church in Europe). It later turned into this arch, built in 1672, and pays homage to Louis XIV’s victories on the Rhine and in Franche-Comté, and is one of the four triumphal arches still standing in Paris.
The architecture is amazing and the design is so intricate. It's so cool to see something that has been standing there since the 1600s!
Anyway, after that, we took this really colourful tram back to the train station.
We ended up taking a nap on the train because we were both so beat from all that walking.
On the way back to our apartment, we bought a whole rotisserie chicken and a baguette for dinner. And you know what that means; another baguette brandishing photo!
We had bought some mushroom soup from the supermarket to try, and had a really delicious dinner!
We were definitely satisfied from that meal that's for sure! We ended up only eating a third of the baguette since we were so stuffed! I still crave that chicken sometimes. 🤤
Anyway that's all for now. Thanks for reading!
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