Projet Pont (part 1)

A few weeks ago, Erika proposed a project to me: that we try to cross every bridge on the Seine in Paris in one day. I was game, so yesterday, after my (unusual) Saturday morning meeting with my French adviser in the 13th arrondissement, we met at Pont de Tolbiac. (Pont National is actually the farthest southeast bridge on the Seine in Paris, but I couldn't see how to access it by foot, so we had to skip it.)

The Bibliothèque Nationale de France: view from Pont de Tolbiac.

After crossing Pont de Tolbiac (twice, actually), we made a quick stop at the Kayser on 13th arrondissement side of the bridge so that I could pick up a sandwich for lunch. (I had brie on sesame baguette, and it reminded me how good brie can be. I've stopped buying it because I find it to be less reliably flavourful than other cheeses, but Kayser doesn't skimp on their sandwich ingredients. In case you ever stop by Kayser, I also recommend their financiers aux framboises and brioches au chocolat blanc.)

We continued up the Port de la Gare until we reached the Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir (a passerelle is a footbridge), which we crossed, getting a view of a swimming pool on the river (the piscine Joséphine Baker, right) and the Parc de Bercy. Can you guess what happened next? That's right! We walked up the Port de Bercy until we reached the Pont de Bercy, which we crossed. I think you probably see the pattern by now, so I'll stick to the highlights, rather than describing every step...

I've been to the Jardin des Plantes before, but I've always entered by Jussieu, stepping immediately into paths shaded by trees and grassy hills. Although I've walked through the more central part of the jardin, I had no idea it looked so regal when approached from the east.

I'd also never walked along the banks of the Seine at Port Saint Bernard, where there is a sculpture garden. It was very pleasant, although Erika and I both thought the sculpture pictured below looked like a graffitied, decayed tooth:

When we passed through Île Saint Louis a couple of bridges later, we of course stopped for Berthillon ice cream. I had a scoop each of pear and cassis sorbet. I've always enjoyed the pear, but it was certainly overshadowed (in terms of both colour and flavour) by the cassis, which was a-ma-zing.

On the bridge between Île St Louis and Île de la Cité, we came upon these overall-clad musicians.  There was also a guy playing the violin very well, but he wasn't dressed so exotically, so I don't have a picture of him.

I'm getting the sense that this post might be reaching the size limit, so I think I'll end this here and continue the story in a new post. For those who are interested, here is a rough sketch of our route.