France > Through the city sewer

When I wake up, I want to get ready for a skating tour along the Seine. Unfortunately, I see that it’s raining outside. The rain has made it too slippery to skate. What a shame. After breakfast, I walk to the Montparnasse Tower. Despite the cloudy weather, I go up to the observation deck on the 56th floor. The super-fast elevator takes me to the top in just over thirty seconds. From the observation platform, I have a view over Paris. I can see the Eiffel Tower and the places I’ve visited over the past few days. It’s hazy, and the buildings are difficult to distinguish. After visiting the Montparnasse Tower, I decide to go to the Musée des Égouts de Paris. This museum focuses on the Paris sewer system, particularly its maintenance. The Paris sewer system was designed in the 19th century by Eugène Belgrand.

France - Underground in the Paris sewer museum

I walk through the underground tunnels. I see large wooden balls used to clean the sewers. The balls barely fit through the tunnel pipes. They are pressed through the sewer by water pressure. Outside, it’s still raining lightly. I walk along the bank of the Seine toward the Louvre. I stroll through the Jardins des Tuileries, the park that lies between Place de la Concorde and the Louvre. Due to the rainy weather, the park looks bleak. At the Louvre, I take the metro back to the hotel. Louis is already waiting with the bus. It’s half past two in the afternoon, and I’m on my way back to the Netherlands. Just before ten o’clock in the evening, the bus turns into the parking lot in Sassenheim. I am home again.