3 days in Paris

I spent this weekend in Paris, staying in the 19th arrondissement with some friends. They live right by the Canal St. Martin. The area has a peaceful feel but there's also a lot going on. There are the two MK2 cinemas, one on each quay, linked together by a special boat called 'Zéro de Conduite'. Their cafés spill out onto the pavement, casting multicoloured lights onto the water at nighttime.

Unlike some of the more touristy Paris quartiers, the 19th still retains a sense of neighbourhood spirit. On my walk back from the subway to my friend's place on Friday, a boules game was taking place on the quayside, its players ranging from about ten years old to seventy. Nearby is also the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont - a beautiful park in Baroque style, built in 1867. I've been wanting to go there since I saw Eric Rohmer's film, La Femme de L'Aviateur (1981), which is filmed there.