Paris

Arriving in Paris on the train from Amsterdam - slightly less glamourous than flying in over the Eiffel Tower at dawn.

Our apartment is in the 10th arrondissement, a few doors from Canal St Martin, about 3 km from the central city. Cafes and restaurants on every corner

4th floor up spiral stairs or miniscule lift, with marble fireplaces, high ceilings and very squeaky timber floors 

Sunrise at about 5..another beautiful day! First fine warm weather for Parisiennes so everyone is basking in it adoringly.

Flowers, patisserie, two doors away...it's cool having a place to stay for 4 days

 

See the rather gruesome eyes!

We chanced upon the Voix sur bergers, a celebration of the canal and barges. About 140 choirs sing at stations along the canal performing for continuous 40 min slots so you can wander along with the voices floating out over the canals, a mix of chansons populaires, francophone vivante, eclectique, jazz, gospel, Negro spiritual, chants du monde, 'sexy sans pretension', chant polyphonique rebelle, creation originale and many others. It was a beautiful sunny day and the roads either side of the canal were closed to traffic. A huge crowd gathered lining both sides of the canal for the grand finale in the evening,  a massed choir performance of Choer des Esclaves de l'Opera Nabucco de Verdi which was very beautiful echoing softly across the water.