pirate boat

when i lived near the MK2 cinema complex on the Bassin de la Villette, the movie theatres only took up one side of the quay....but you could see the blue glow all the way up the canal. then in 2003, they began tearing down the old warehouse building opposite, in order to build a matching complex on the east quay...the pink one in the photo. i regretted the old brick & iron-girder warehouses (left-over from the canal's industrial days 100 years ago), but as usual MK2 recreated some of the old ambiance in their rebuild, and the matching cinemas have really helped revitalize the neighborhood. last night, both quays were humming with activity--opening night of Pirates of the Caribbean, complete with boys in pirate hats--and i finally had a chance to take the tiny electric boat that muddles across the bassin. the ferry is included with the price of a movie ticket; for some reason, last night, the boat was travelling backwards across the canal. inelegant, but fun.