Cheap Thrill: Paris Plage

(photo via Flickr)

How amazing is this? For all the city dwellers who can't make it out of town to spend their summer on a beach, or for the travelers who got a hot deal on a Paris vacation only to find the town mostly deserted during the month of August, our fair city has created an annual tradition to help beat the heat (should it ever arrive): Paris Plages.

Starting tomorrow through August 19, along the north side of Seine near Hôtel de Ville and at La Villette Basin, the typically paved or cobblestone Paris streets will be taken over by an enormous amount of sand and, in conjuction, fun. Throughout the month there will be tons of free events, such as the FNAC Live music festival, tai chi classes, a massive screen to watch the London Olympics, and, of course, maxin' and relaxin'. The only thing I can't comprehend is from where and how do they get all that sand in?

Paris Plage
FREE
July 20-August 19, every day 8am to midnight

Voie Georges Pompidou (along the Seine near Hôtel de Ville), and La Villette Bassin