Thursday, August 28, 2014

Today, we went out to visit one of our favorites areas, the Canal St. Martin. It connects the Seine River with the Canal de l'Ourcq in the northeastern part of Paris. It runs underground between the Bastille and the place de la Rėpublique and then continues above ground. Click here to read more about it.
We were walking along the Canal just at the time a pleasure barge was going through several of the locks that join the above ground section with the underground section near the République. You can see in the photos the water actually draining from one lock to the other.

This first photo shows the canal where it goes underground.

Here we see the boat entering the first level of the locks.

And now the gate has closed to get the water level equal so the boat can move into the next section.

Now you can see the boat lower in the first section before moving on to the next one.

Notice the water as it rushes from section to the next to get the water level even so the boat can proceed.

Finally, the boat moves into the lowest section, the part under the boulevard Richard Lenoir. having gone down two water levels.

Here is the Canal going in the opposite direction. Very different from the underground part.

We walked on to the Café Prune for our afternoon sit-down. We have been there in other years.