Belleville

 We can now say that we have been in every arrondissement in Paris.  We missed the parade in  Belleville, but we did get to eat some mediocre Chinese food.  Belleville is the smaller of two main Chinatowns in Paris.

 Historically, Belleville was a working-class neighborhood. People living in the independent village of Belleville played a large part in establishing the Second French Republic through their actions during the Revolution of 1848. In 1871, residents of the incorporated neighborhood of Belleville were some of the strongest supporters of the Paris Commune. When the Versailles Army came to reconquer Paris in May of that year, it faced some of the toughest resistance in Belleville and in neighboring Ménilmontant. The bloody street fighting persisted in the two eastern districts, and the last of the barricades is said to have been in the Rue Ramponeau in Belleville.

 The Parc du Belleville was supposed to have great play structures, but they were all fenced off and locked up.  Belleville vies for highest peak of Paris with Monmartre.

 

 Grass is precious in Paris.   It is resting now for winter, but when it is done resting people will still probably not be allowed on it.

 We are getting use out of our Cité des Sciences family membership.