Canauxrama Tour on Canal Saint Martin

As hinted in my previous post on the Canal Saint Martin, I had a feeling Kevin and I would both like the canal barge tour.  So I booked ahead for the morning trip from the Port de l'Arsenal going one-way to the Bassin de la Villette.  Booking ahead for a weekday was totally unnecessary as the boat was only half full, although we were the only English speakers on board.  (They still translated the commentary, just for us.)  This is the boat, the Arletty, named after the French actress who starred in the 1938 film Hôtel du Nord.

The Port de l'Arsenal is a marina that can dock up to 180 pleasure boats.  A lock separates it from the Seine at one end.

At the other end of the boat basin is the 2km-long vault where the canal goes underground.  The tunnel runs directly below the July Column in the Place de la Bastille.

Passengers sitting on the top deck were advised not to stand up as we entered the tunnel.  The entrance was so low it was just barely above our heads.

Once inside, the vault widened and there was plenty of room to stand up and see what was coming ahead.

We went downstairs to sit up at the front of the boat so we could take photos without the wheelhouse being in the way.  There are skylights in the tunnel's ceiling that allow light and ventilation.

We finally emerged from the tunnel near the Temple Lock, named for the Templar priory that once stood here.  This is the first of four double locks between the Port de l'Arsenal and the Bassin de la Villette.

We went through the opening and the gate shut behind us.  When we were moving to the front of the boat, I had flippantly said to Kevin "Don't worry, we won't get wet at the front; it's not like 'Splash Mountain' or anything".  Famous last words.

The kids sitting in front got soaked, every time.  Their parents immediately moved toward the back of the bow section by us and stayed there for the remainder of the trip.  There was so much spray that the folks sitting next to us in the back actually opened an umbrella.  Kevin spliced together a video that shows us in the tunnel and at the lock (the last 30 seconds are actually footage from entering the lock, which is why everyone is still dry).  The video is 2 and a half minutes but the lock starts filling at around 1:06 -- watch everyone run for cover:



This photo shows the lock operator opening the gate to let us through (on the right).  On the left are gearposts on the sluice gate.  When raised, the water levels on either side are equal and the gate can be opened.  When lowered, the gate is watertight.

Lots of passersby stopped along the canal and on the various bridges to watch the boat pass through the locks.  This friendly gentleman waved and took pictures of us while we took pictures of him.  His skeptical-looking friend did not seem to approve.

There are two swing bridges on the route.  Both have been in use since 1885.  This is the Grange aux Belles bridge in action.

Around the halfway point, we passed another Canauxrama boat going the other direction, from Bassin de la Villette.  We were glad we chose to go up the locks rather than down, it is much more exciting to see the water rushing in towards the boat as the lock fills than watching it being drained out of the lock.

After going through the final lock we arrived at the Bassin de la Villette, the largest artificial body of water in Paris.  Overall we were now 24 meters (78 feet) higher than when we started.  I had walked around the Paris Plages in Bassin de la Villette back in July; today they were taking everything down, removing the boardwalk and all the sand.

There were a few guys fishing in the basin with very long poles.  Not sure what kind of fish they can catch here, or if they are edible.

At the far end of the Bassin de la Villette is a lift bridge, the Pont Levant de Crimée.  It is the only lift bridge in Paris.

Once we passed under the bridge we were now on the Canal de l'Ourcq, which goes right through the Parc de la Villette.  The boat turned around here, at the Geode outside the Science Museum.

The boat went back under the lift bridge into the basin and docked near the Rotunda de la Villette, a former tollhouse.

On our way to the Metro we couldn't help but notice the colorful street art around the basin.

I guess in one case I would call it "office art".  If you look closely, some bored office workers have made a Pac-Man mural in the window out of Post-It Notes.  Clever!