Wednesday 18th May 2011 - Cycling The Canal De St Martin And A Visit To The Cimitiére Pére de Lachaise

After a coffee in Au Gamin de Paris it was a search for a Velib station. I had forgotten to print off a map of all the the Velib station in this part of Paris before I had left home. Anyway, the first one that I found and tried was just off bvd Barbés - rue Marcadet, I think - but by the time I had worked out what to do at the terminal all the available bikes had been taken. I walked back to rue Doudeauville and decided to make my way to Gare du Nord. Turning into rue Léon, there was another Velib station - metres from Liz's place! - but it too was empty of bikes; similarly at Square Léon. I had walked on to virtuallly Gare du Nord itself when I discovered a very large station in rue Ambroise Paré just outside Hopital Laribiosiére. In a matter of minutes I had selected what looked a decent bike and successfully managed to enter all my details in the terminal and I was off!

In no time at all I was speeding along Bvd de la Chapelle in the direction of Stalingrad and it was there in Place de la Bataille de Stalingrad that I found myself going in the wrong direction. I had to negotiate my way through this problem by dismounting and walking back onto my correct route. In doing this, I discovered my mistake and made a mental note for the next time.

Continuing along Ave Jean Jaurés, I was soon on my way once again to my destination - Parc de la Villette. I had made a note of the time when I had collected my bike because it is only the first half hour that is free and there is an incremental charge each half hour thereafter. It was getting very close to that when, after losing the cycle path once again, that I found a Velib station adjacent to the Parc itself. With just a couple of minutes to spare, I printed off a receipt confirming this (and for future reference if need be).

Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie



The day was glorious and I spent an hour wandering about exploring this lovely futuristic Parc sitting astride the Canal de St Martin. Its two main attractions are the Cité de la Musique and the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie but not having the time to visit either, I was content to admire both from the outside.

The canal, especially created a beautiful focal point for all the many attractions.

Fountain outside the Cité de la Musique

The Canal de St Martin



I decided to explore the canal further and set off -this time by metro - back to Stalingrad. After a wee pression at a Bistro called Les Jaurés on the corner of Ave Jean Jaurés and Quai de la Loire, I set off walking along the canal towards Place de la République. It was a lovely, peaceful stroll passing many interesting buildings and taking in the pretty scenes scattered along both banks of the canal. The canal itself was constructed as a shortcut for shipping using the Seine. It cuts across a long loop in the river through central Paris and is still used today both for cargo boats and pleasure craft alike.

One of many interesting bridges crossing the canal

Tourists getting a close-up view of the canal

Art Nouveau overlooking the canal

Finishing off in Place de la République, I noticed a particularly busy boulangerie and decided that that was good enough for me also. So it was a lovely baguette and a bottle of water for lunch and the banks of the canal provided the perfect backdrop to enjoy it whilst watching the ducks and their little ducklings in the sun.

Quack! Quack!

Place de la République



Back to the Place de la République and the metro to Pére de Lachaise and the eponymous (that's a good word!!) Cimitiére where many of the great and the good of Paris are interred. From a previous visit I knew to avoid the touts selling maps of the Cimitiére as you can get a free map once inside. A change in the location to obtain this free map meant that initially I had to wander about and from memory locate the resting places of such as Oscar Wilde and Edith Piaf etc.. However, finally, after locating the administration offices, I got a copy of what was required - a map indicating the whereabouts of the resting places of some of the notable deceased residents of Paris.

The resting place of Edith Piaf

Many kisses cover Oscar's resting place!!!?!!

Gone Chopin be Bach in a Minuet!

It is amazing the number of people who were wandering around the many paths criss-crossing this graveyard. Then again peace and tranquility is something so hard to find in Paris and, on such a beautiful day, the Cimitiére, surprisingly, was a pleasant place to be.

A surprisingly deserted path in the Cimitiére

In one corner there are several memorials to the victims of war, especially both World Wars and they are a particularly poignant reminder of the suffering of many millions.

Buchenwald Memorial

Auschwitz Memorial

On a lighter note, on leaving I came across a mausoleum of a particular family whose name perhaps would evoke a bit of a smile in some of the many visitors - as can be seen in the photo below.

The interred obviously overstayed their welcome!!



Once outside the Cimitiére, I quickly located a Velib station and procured another bike only to find that it was useless. Returning it to a stand, printing a receipt and chosing another, I was soon on my way back to Rue Doudeauville. I was getting confident now!! My route went by way of Stalingrad once more and this time I had no problems (whit an expert!). I arrived at the station on Rue Léon with just over a minute to spare. The heat and my exertions made the five floor climb up to the my sister's apartment a struggle and I collapsed in a sweating heap in an armchair once through the door. It took me a while to recover!

The evening was finished off after a wash and change of clothes over in the Au Gamin de Paris - I was getting to be a local so ah wis!! The tables outside catch the evening sun and a view of the Sacre Coeur itself. A lovely end to quite a strenuous day.