A WICE Magical Mystery Tour
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| Bassin de la Villette (Petra Nass) |
WICE offers a range of educational and social activities, and also likes to host get togethers of anglophone adventurers—folks who want to discover the less traveled paths of Paris.
The first WICE Magical Mystery tour was just such an adventure ... the spirited flaneurs headed to the 19th and 20th arrondissements for an 8.2 km walk that included parks, fountains, history, camaraderie, and good exercise!
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| Fontaine, Parc de la Butte du Chapeau Rouge by Dan Smith |
The journey started at the Jaurès metro station and continued along the Bassin de la Villette and the Canal d'Ourcq, then through the Parc de la Villette, the Parc de la Butte du Chapeau-Rouge, the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, and the Parc de Belleville. Not only were parks a theme, but also fountains. The intrepid group discovered fountains dating from the First Empire (Fontaine aux Lions), throughout the 1930s (Cascade Fountain at the Parc de la Butte du Chapeau Rouge) and into the 1980s (Cascade Fountain at Parc de Belleville, a wall fountain at Jacques Ibert Municipal Conservatory, and the fountain in the Square Marcel-Mouloudji).
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| Photo by Dan Smith |
The group also visited a series of alleyways in a tiny corner of the 20th arrondissement, lined with lovely houses and lush gardens. The houses survived demolition because they are built on quarries. The Haussmannian buildings could not be supported on such ground.
All such walks must end with a grand lunch, so the group dined at Tablier Rouge on rue de Chine to reward their well-used walking muscles.
There are more outings and social gatherings coming soon. Join cheese and wine pairings and gourmet dinners through le Foodist, a visit to
Paris vu par Hollywood at the Hôtel de Ville, and a fun lunch of Japanese noodle slurping.
Click here to find out more.
Post by Claire Lo and Meredith Mullins.
