more outdoor fun

Bonjour!
So last Sunday, as the heat and sun continued (they finally gave in this week to rain and cooler temps), I decided to continue my outdoor explorations of the parks and waterways of Paris!  First I walked to a more southern part of Canal St.-Martin, only a few blocks away from my home in the 10th arrondissement, and I followed it north until I came to its end at the Bassin de la Villette, which I had visited the previous weekend.

one of many bridges across the Canal St-Martin

longer view of the Canal St-Martin

I liked the colors of the stores in the background, and the color of the bridge--it's a little hard to tell here, but it was bright turquoise!

Yet another lock along the canal; they really fascinate me!

From there, it was a quick Métro ride over to the Parc de la Villette, in the 19th arrondissement, which I had read about in a travel guide, and which is noted for its futuristic-inspired design.  It was definitely an interesting place to wander around!  There were lots of people there, playing soccer, picnicking, and just lounging in shady spaces.  I think the photos will show it better than I can describe it, because it was really quite different, aesthetically, from any other parks I've been to, in Paris or elsewhere.

fountain at the southern entrance to the park

There were these big red structures all over the place...

You could climb up into some... so I did! 

a view of part of the park, near the Science Museum (big silver dome in the background)

Not far from the above view, I came upon this little garden...

with all these curvy-trunked trees and dahlias!

There were nets to catch the leaves; it reminded me of "Black Cloud" from Nuit Blanche.

It was a really neat little space, very self-contained...

...kind of separate from the rest of the park.

It reminded me of Dr. Seuss!

I love dahlias!!!  They're my favorite flower.

The Canal de l'Ourcq runs through the park.

detail of the exterior of the park's science museum

There was also this big craft--aircraft? watercraft?--outside the museum.

Then I walked back south towards home, with the intent of stopping at another park that I'd read about on the way, the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, which is an unusually hilly area.  I was fairly tired by then, so I didn't see as much of this park as I did of the first, but I did enjoy sitting for a while on a shady bench by the little lake and writing some postcards.  It was a lovely afternoon!

island in the center of the pond in Parc des Buttes Chaumont

The rock formations were really interesting...  I couldn't tell if they were natural or sculpted.