Paris 3 - May Day-Cruise on the Seine

 (still catching up)

 When I began to write about our trip to Paris, I had planned on a single blog entry. As I wrote, it became clear that so much happened that I wanted to capture it. This is a personal record, sort of like a diary but less personal, so regardless of whether this is interesting to people, I want to remember it happened.

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Protests

Our third day happened to fall on May Day (May 1), which is generally recognized around the world as Labor Day, or International Workers’ Day (I realize that the US and some other countries have labor days, but this day has the most breadth of recognition). It would normally not be worth mentioning, but on this occasion the day was energized with a bit more meaning that normal. Since January, France has been plagued by protests and civil unrest organized by opponents of the pension reform bill which would increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old. The strikes have led to widespread disruption, including garbage piling up in the streets and public transport cancellations. In March, the government forced the bill through the French Parliament, sparking more protests and two failed no confidence votes. (I'll resist the temptation to comment on the politics.)

We had been tracking these protests in the weeks leading up to our trip. We kept hearing mixed comments about whether traveling to France at this time was a dumb idea. Once everything was booked, however, we threw caution to the wind and decided to carry on as planned. Visiting France during a strike is hard to avoid given their frequency. We just hoped that it would not disrupt the visit.

The day prior, it became apparent that some big things were being planned by the protestors. The government had anti-riot equipment gear and police at the ready. There was some rain in the forecast and we had hoped that it might put a damper on the protests. We were informed that it likely wouldn’t slow them down at all.

In the end, our day went forward without incident. However, around the country, 2.3 million people protested according to the protest organizers (while 800,000 protesters were estimated by French authorities). 108 police officers were injured in the clashes, 19 seriously injured in Paris and 291 protesters were arrested. We heard lots of sirens and saw some broken glass here and there but we were able to avoid any direct contact with it.

Boat on the Seine

We had booked a boat tour on the Seine. We thought, after all the walking the previous two days, we would have a lighter day. But the weather had turned colder and the skies were gray. The river is generally cooler than the rest of the city anyway, so it wasn’t quite the experience that we had anticipated.

We caught the boat on the Ile de la Cité, the same island on the Seine where the Notre Dame is located but at the other end. The tour would take us westward, towards the Eiffel Tower, then turn around, back past where we started, by the Notre Dame, another U-turn, and back to the dock.

The girls began on the top but the chilly breeze eventually motivated them to go below and enjoy the experience through the windows. It was nice to be out on the river in spite of the cold. The commentary was interesting but the guy could have used a sense of humor to lighten things up a bit. Some of it I already knew. Some was new to me. One thing I learned was that the Pont Neuf (“new bridge”) is ironically the oldest standing bridge in Paris. It has 381 “mascarons”, different stone masks decorating the sides of the bridge. They represent the heads of forest and field divinities from ancient mythology. According to the guide, and this may need some verification, Henry III, who commissioned the bridge, had the grimacing masks placed on the bridge to represent the faces of the elite who questioned whether or not the bridge would be sturdy enough to last.

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After the tour, we made our way south to meet up with some friends (partly French) who were also in Paris. Meeting the would take us to the Montparnasse neighborhood. They have kids so we did the unthinkable and went to McDonald’s. I realize that such a thing should be a crime in a city like Paris. But when you have five children in your group, the idea of spending a ton of money on food they would appreciate less doesn’t make much sense. So we bit the bullet and they all ended up having a great time.

As we finished lunch, the skies opened up and rain began to fall. We had rain jackets but as the rain became stronger, we soon realized that we were going to get wet. We bid farewell to our friends, caught a bus to take us back to our B&B, and called it a day. And yes, it was time for tea.