Unknown Paris- Part 7

Forget Montmartre - the canal bank on the right-hand side of this photo is now one of the trendiest places in Paris. Not for gondola trips, but because hip young locals have discovered the wide gravel banks of the Bassin de la Villette in the north of the city. Give a Frenchman a stretch of gravel and he will either let his dog perform there or play pétanque, or both. As soon as the weather permits, Parisians now gather here of an evening, armed with wine and beer bottles and metal cannonballs, to engage in toe-crushing games of boules. And if you don’t have your own set, the Bar Ourcq on the canalside rents out balls and deckchairs.