We could begin showing Paris to friends without even stepping off Aleau. At one end of Arsenal is a lock that leads onto the Seine…
…and all the sights one can see from it.
The Seine is beautiful – and busy. Full of commercial barges. For them, the Seine is a vital waterway.
At the other end of Arsenal is the Canal St. Martin – a calm waterway with busy Paris traffic rushing by on either side.
Streets that cross the canal will move out of the way so Aleau can pass.
But you can’t be shy if you cruise the Canal St. Martin. It is a very popular spot for Parisens and Parisiennes who wish to lounge alongside it.
Leaving Arsenal, the first part of the Canal St. Martin is a tunnel passing under Place de la Bastille.
Once out of the tunnel, there are areas of tranquility.
We can’t wait to be in Paris. We could even decide to make Arsenal our permanent mooring. Maybe not. The fee for Aleau would be €13,364 per year. Plus electricity at €0.27 per kWh. (And Aleau uses a lot of electricity!) We’d probably have to survive on just bread and water. Bread, of course, means baguettes. Paris has a contest each year in which the “Best Baguette in Paris” is chosen. Maybe we’d get by.
But that “one year” mooring is not really for a full year as “one year” boats must leave Arsenal for a minimum of 21 days during the summer. (I can’t fault that rule. It frees up space for short-term visitors. Otherwise some of our fellow bargees might never be able to visit Paris.) A permanent mooring in Paris… Something to think about. In the meantime, I’ll invest in some lotto tickets.