The original
Before the Highline in New York and the Bloomingdale Line in Chicago, there was La Promenade Plantée. The elevated and landscaped, Parisian escape in the city. Starting east of the Bastille and ending with a spiral staircase 4.7km away, La Promenade Plantée aka La Coulée Verte is an oasis in the city.
We decided to walk it on our penultimate day in Paris. It was a blistery 40+ Celcius and although we didn’t make it passed the 2-kilometre marker we did get to see the beauty of it all. It would be a nice walk in cooler temperatures, maybe in the fall with the trees changing or in the spring with the scent of blooms and the fountains going.
Entrance at the Bastille
Tim ready to go the distance
Relaxing stroll away from the city
Roses along the way
Tree top level
Great views
Benches to rest and ponder
We walked next to some buildings and through others
Navettes de St Victor
Navettes aren’t from Paris but they are French and delicious with tea so we thought we’d share this recipe with you.
They originated in Marseille and are said to represent the boat that brought St Martha and Mary Magdalene to the shores of Provence 2000 years ago.
- 6 Tbsp butter, softened
- 4 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 Tbsp rose water (or other flower water)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp orange or lemon zest
- Cream the butter until fluffy.
- Add 3 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, eggs, flower water, water and zest
- Mix until the dough is stiff and not sticky.
- Add more flour if necessary.
- Let the dough rest, around 30 minutes.
- Form 24 small balls.
- Flatten each ball into an oval shape.
- Place them about an inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Pinch the ends to form a boat shape. With a sharp knife, slit the boat down the center stopping at about an 1/8 inch from each end.
- Leave the navettes to rest for two hours.
- When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F.
- You can egg wash them if you like (beat an egg yolk with 1 Tbsp milk and brush onto the cookies)
- Bake the cookies for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden.
You could have simply had me weak in the knees with the photo of the Navettes but no, you added all that amazing architecture – Wow!
It’ll keep you coming back for more 😉
Thanks for the stroll down memory lane. Walked the Promenade on my last visit to Paris and loved it 🙂
It was a little too hot when we walked it but it was nice and can imagine it would be spectacular with the fountains going and the flowers all in bloom.