The canals of Paris are cleaner than anybody thought, so swimming in them is no longer considered a health hazard, even if it is not usually authorized. This weekend was an exception because a swimming race took place from the suburb of Pantin to the Bassin de la Villette in the 19th arrondissement. Starting on July 15th with the Paris Plages event (the best part being at the Bassin de la Villette and not along the Seine), there will be 3 swimming pools in the canal which anybody can use free of charge. In fact, they are already there, but I presume that they still need to make some tests, and also the lifeguards probably have contracts that just begin on the Paris Plages dates.

Anyway, I went on Saturday to see what was happening for the 3rd edition of "Open Swim Stars," which is an amateur event that takes place in a number of cities around France. Later this summer there will be events in Lyon, Strasbourg and Toulouse, among other places. In Paris this weekend, there were 1500 participants, and that makes for quite a crowd in the water.

Anyway, I made this report about it on Saturday: http://tinyurl.com/ourcq2017

I hope it will encourage some of you to check out the Parc de la Villette, which is one of the most popular parks in Paris, and it is certainly a change from the Luxembourg, the Tuileries or Parc Monceau.

Great stuff Kerouac. I think I just read in the Boston newspapers that they should clean up the river for swimming following Paris's lead.

Several visits in recent years have convinced me the banks of the Canal St-Martin have become an authentic playground where 'real' Paris residents hang out, especially from Place de la Republique north. Aside from the interesting repurposed buildings around la Villette basin, the parc offers tourists lots of culture through the music museum and new philharmonic hall and the well-established science and technology museum. I'd rather take the St-Martin cruise from the Bastille basin than dip a toe in the water but I applaud your championing of this reinvigorated district of your city. Wikipedia has a good rundown of attractions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parc_de_la_Villette
From it I realized that the ancient wrought-iron hall where I saw my first Paris jazz show last fall (La grande halle de la Villette) started out life as an abattoir. Talk about repurposing!

Thanks, K, for a much needed Paris "fix".

Oh I can see us taking a stroll right around all that! I cannot imagine swimming in that water but enjoyed seeing them battle it out. I especially liked the video thanks for sharing.

Jazz in Paris. What a great idea!

For the last three years people have been swimming in the Bassin de la Villette without waiting for permission.

With the heat wave, it is really amazing how many people are jumping into the Bassin de la Villette every evening from the Pont Riquet.