For the DART Book Prize Contest last week, subscribers were invited to guess where in France I was at the time. And the winner is: Joy Hecht, of Canada. She wrote:

I'd say this photo was taken on the north-west bank of the Bassin de la Villette, looking towards the Passerelle de la Mosell—Paris, 19ème. Or geocoordinates as shown on the attached satellite image—48 degrees 53 minutes 09 seconds north, 2 degrees, 22 minutes, 23.1 seconds east. 

And of course it was taken during one of the more delightful events of the Paris summer, Paris Plages, when the quais de Seine and Bassin de La Villette are transformed into plages—or beaches—covered with sand, beach chairs, umbrellas, and lots of wonderful activities. To my dismay, mes amis parisiens are utter snobs about this event, regarding it as a make-believe vacation offered by la commune de Paris for those poor underprivileged folks who can't actually take off on their obligatory month of leave for other parts of the country or the continent. But I think it's simply entrancing.

Along the Seine and the canal, you can walk through misters that spray very fine jets of water, a lovely way to cool down as long as you don't care about staying dry. There are restaurants where you can have a nice dinner, places to boire un verre while watching the sun set. On the canal, you can go out in a kayak, a paddle boat, a sailboat, even a rowing shell—though I don't think people actually swim off of those beaches. In other spots there are little libraries where you can choose a book, stretch out on a deck chair, and read all afternoon if you like. You can go to a dance class, listen to a concert, or just hang out and do nothing.

 
Top: Paris Plages 2015; above: Bassin de La Vilette, at the locks of Quai de Seine, looking southwest towards Paris Plages. Photos: Peggy Roalf, July 2015.

Before the canals were used for recreation, they were, of course an essential part of the region's shipping activity. This basin in particular was constructed in 1808 and inaugurated by Napoléon. Initially, it was a popular spot for boating and strolling; later, when the Canal St. Martin was constructed in the 1820s, and the Bassin de La Villette linked it to the Canal de L'Ourcq, the Bassin was used for transportation of goods, particularly to serve the slaughterhouses and livestock market located in the area. The area was heavily industrial until the 1950s; the livestock market didn't close until 1973. Now, however, the basin is again being used for recreation, and the neighborhood is gentrifying accordingly.

The activities in Paris during Paris Plages are actually not the original "Paris Plage" in France.  There was a much earlier one in the town of Touquet, in Pas-de-Calais, created as a bathing station in 1882. The city of Paris had to fight to reclaim the name as a commercial mark—and that's why the summer events these days are "Paris Plages" and not "Paris Plage!" 

Joy Hecht will receive a copy of AI33 for her winning submission. Thanks to everyone who entered, and stay tuned for the next Book Prize Contest!