ST. MARTIN‘S CANAL
We followed directions to my brother Richard‘s favorite restaurant in Paris, an Italian place near St. Martin‘s canal. We found it, a hole in the wall pizza place, named Marie Louise and speculated why he and his wife Chris, who has impeccable taste, liked it so much. Must be because it was close to their hotel we decided. They only served pizza. We ordered two glasses of red wine, a vegetarian pizza, and the more expensive of their salads. We got one red wine, a vegetarian pizza and a meat pizza. We told the waiter, who whistled a lot, that the restaurant was my brother‘s favorite and the only one in Paris that he recommended. The pressure was on, he said, but they would do their best. The pizzas were good and not expensive. We had a good time, sharing the favorite experience of Chris and Richard. We sent my brother photograph. We‘ve just gotten a message saying that he didn‘t recognize the place and that his restaurant was on Marie Louise street, not named Marie Louise.
After the good lunch we walked down to St. Martin‘s canal, a beautiful canal lined with gardens. After a few hundred yards we saw a boat loaded with tourists be lifted up by a lock to street level. Apparently most of their trip had been underground from the Bastille because as we walked along the covered path of the canal for almost a mile there were covered airholes within gardens for ventilation for the boats below. Above were children‘s playgrounds and many courts for throwing heavy metal balls to get them as close to a little red ball as possible, or at least that seemed to be the game, played mostly by old men.
It was a pleasant walk with plenty to see. At Place de Bastille, with an enormous pillar topped by a golden figure, where there was a pro immigrant demonstration, St. Martin‘s canal is wider with many boats docked side by side and walkways along the canal lined with trees. It is a beautiful place.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 