VILLETTE, Cite De La Musique

Even if you aren't a big fan of science and technology, you can still visit Parc de la Villette, which is open 24 hours a day, for its fascinating "architectural" garden full of small red pavilions called "folies", or follies, situated here and there among the vegetation.

The park's architect based his project on the geometric lines suggested by the right-angled crossing of the two channels, one of which completely runs through it. As you can see, these main axes are flanked by incredibly long platforms with waving roofs which form several kilometers of trails: if you walk over the platforms all the way to the end, you'll have seen each and every one of the "folies". And if you have children, I should point out that several areas of the park are designed to make them passionate about nature, with "enchanted" forest areas, educational games, and unexpected spurts of vaporized water.

The Porte de Pantin brings you into the part of the park called Cité de la Musique. At the sides of the vast entrance that's closed at the end by the great old hall of the nineteenth-century slaughterhouse, there are two buildings entirely dedicated to music. To the left is the Conservatory, attended by music and dance students from all over the world, and on the right is the great concert hall. I suggest at least taking a look at the grand foyer covered with windows, which wraps the main concert hall in a spiral; this is where the Paris Philharmonic Orchestra performs....