Not
so long ago there was a railway terminus at Bastille, hard to imagine
now. The station was closed, and the problem of what to do with the
railway line came about.
The conclusion was to turn it into a park, a very long linear one.
Turning old railway lines into recreational areas is nothing new but
is usually done on the cheap - rip up the line creating a walkway
and perhaps provide a bench or two. This is something different -
this is a proper park with purpose built walkways, flower beds, water
features even lifts to enable access by the disabled.
The resultant park is a great escape when you've had your fill of
museums and culture, or want to get away from the traffic and noise.
We use this walk to link the Bastille to the Paris Zoo in the Bois
de Vincennes, an altogether different kind of park.
The walk should only take around an hour. Like all the walks we concentrate
on the logistics, there are masses of guide books and reference material
which will cover the history and background of the places encountered. |
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Bastille
is of course famous for its part in the start of the French Revolution.
You can find plenty of reference material on this and also the more
modern Opera House where our walk starts today, elsewhere.
Today, Bastille is serviced by 3 metro lines (1,5 & 8). On the
south-east corner of the Place de Bastille stands the Opera House.
Facing the front of the Opera House with your back to the Place de
Bastille, our walk starts down the street on the right of the Opera
House. Keep to the side of the street immediately next to the Opera
House. |
Soon
after the Opera House building is past, you will see a junction on
the right hand side of the road, pictured below. On your side of the
road you will see stairs leading up left, immediately before an entrance
to a car park and subsequently some shops (pictured right).
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Climb
the steps and you come to the start of the Viaduc des Arts.
The first part is elevated well above the ground, as you progress
along what was the track try to resist looking in the apartments you
pass.
The walk is simplicity itself, you can't get lost, there is only one
path. The park is well used, not least by a constant stream of joggers.
Just past a water feature, the path kinks to the left slicing an apartment
block into two. This has been the subject of many photographs in the
architectural press.
Immediately after, the walk changes in character. You bridge a road
below and a subsequent bridge arcs over a children's playground, ultimately
bringing you to ground level. The formal flower beds are behind you
and you find yourself in a housing estate. Keep going straight on
the path you have been following |
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You
may begin to doubt whether you are still on course as a road parallels
the path at ground level. At the end of this stretch the way becomes
obvious again
The walk now enters a third stage, you've had the elevated embankment,
the flat, now much of remainder is below ground level in old railway
cuttings and through (well lit) tunnels as well as chunks of suburbia.
Keep following the main path until the park finally ends in a cutting,
right next to the inner orbital motorway. Just before the very end
there is an exit path on your right which slopes up out of the cutting,
take it. Turn right at the top, then turn left under the motorway.
On the other side of the motorway, turn right and follow the road
parallel to the motorway to the Bois de Vincennes. Cross the busy
junction and make you way over to the lake. Turn left and follow the
bank of the lake for a short while before slanting off to the Zoo
on your left.
If you'd prefer walking to the zoo there are kilometres of walking
trails in the Bois de Vincennes and boats can be hired on the lake.
From the zoo you can catch a number 86 bus which goes all the way
to St Germain via Nation and our starting point at Bastille.
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