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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2011 5:45:19 GMT
The "Paris Plages" operation that runs every year from mid July to mid August is not going to be a perpetual event. The main point of it is to close down the riverfront expressway for a month and prove that the city can live without it. The city has finally taken the decision that in a few years, the expressways on both sides will be dismantled or radically transformed. On the Left Bank, most of it will disappear to be replaced by parks and cafés. On the Right Bank (in the photos above), it will be transformed into an urban boulevard with traffic signals and crosswalks, because there will be facilities and playgrounds along the river. The 'Batobus' service will also be transformed and extended into a real transportation line extending to the suburbs rather than the dinky overpriced tourist service currently in place. Anyway, I just checked out a very short section of Paris Plages yesterday before the crowds arrived. I will try to return on another day, but frankly the part of Paris Plages along the Seine is not at all the most interesting. I decided to go take a look at the other section at the Bassin de la Villette in the afternoon. (coming later) |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2011 17:01:19 GMT
The same afternoon, I went to the Bassin de la Villette, which is so much more lively. You can see that even before you arrive. This first group of people are waiting to take the seasonal ferry to Pantin, Bobigny and Aulnay-sous-Bois. It costs 1€. 2€ on Sunday. I absolutely must remember to take this before it ends at the end of August. One of the attractions of this section of Paris Plages is that people actually get to go on the water, unlike the Seine. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2011 17:45:49 GMT
One frenzied area had a multitude of baby-foot tables. The Belgians call this game kicker and have the greatest number of world champions, though. Americans call it fussball for some reason, even though the official name is table football. Even though it was invented simultaneously in France and Germany around 1890, a clever Englishman thought to patent it in 1923. That is your cultural information for today. In any case, it is a pleasure to see that a manual non-electronic game is still so attractive to so many people.  There were also big zones for pétanque.  This is all a cover-up, though. Today I am going to reveal to you what Parisians really do when they know that there are no tourists watching. Believe me, you will never see this in front of Notre Dame, under the Eiffel Tower, or in the courtyard of the Louvre. I forbid anyone who ever sees this video from ever mentioning it to anybody. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2011 18:10:14 GMT
Yesterday was the first significantly warm day in a long time, so the children were delighted to play under the mist sprayers. In case you are wondering where the little pink children are, well many of them are more fortunate than the Parisians who get left behind. Some of them are in St. Tropez or the Costa Brava, or maybe with their grandparents in Normandy. In fact that is the whole point of Paris Plages, which is not a tourist operation at all. It is to provide a free holiday atmosphere for families that do not have the means to go anywhere out of the city. Of course, everybody is welcome, but it is really essential for mothers with 4 or 5 kids to entertain until school starts again. |
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Post by fumobici on Aug 1, 2011 19:38:54 GMT
Fantastic, fantastic report! What a wonderful set of photos, it makes me grin just looking at them. Are those fishing poles in the last photo? What might one catch in the Parisian canals? I mean besides a rash  |
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Post by fumobici on Aug 1, 2011 20:30:58 GMT
As a PS, I linked your video on my Facebook page ;D The French they are a funny race...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2011 21:38:30 GMT
Fantastic, fantastic report! What a wonderful set of photos, it makes me grin just looking at them. Are those fishing poles in the last photo? What might one catch in the Parisian canals? I mean besides a rash Yes, those are fishing poles. I'm not sure what people catch, but apparently they are now fit for consumption, which was not the case 10 years ago. |
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Post by hwinpp on Aug 2, 2011 3:02:42 GMT
You're quite lucky to have some sun. My mother reports it's still cold in Germany...  |
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Post by denise on Aug 2, 2011 6:01:21 GMT
Fantastic! You really capture the atmosphere.
Thanks K2
Other cities please take note.
Love Denise
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Post by tod2 on Aug 2, 2011 8:37:46 GMT
Gosh, I had forgotten all about this event which we caught a glimpse of last year. I really didn't know until now that it was as huge as this! I was always under the impression that it was only in the very heart of Paris near the Ile de Cite` & Ile St Louis.
Thanks for the photos Kerouac, they are a nice cross section of what really takes place!
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Post by zona on Aug 2, 2011 10:40:15 GMT
Great report, K2. I also liked the Villette plage area better than the one on the Seine...there just seemed to be much more to do, and more people getting the full "beach" experience. Did they dismantle the surf machine over at Villette already? I was there a couple Sundays ago and they had some pretty decent surfers riding miniboards. I was hoping to get back over there and shoot some video before it ends...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2011 11:55:59 GMT
No, the surf machine is still there, but I did not cross over to the side of the basin to inspect it. I confess that I was remiss in my reporting responsibilities. I will try to add it later. |
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Post by zona on Aug 2, 2011 16:29:21 GMT
Oh gosh, no need for you to revisit just for the surf machine -- I certainly did not mean to imply that you were remiss in any way! I have a friend back home who is a regular at one of our water parks (where there is a similar surf ride) so I wanted to make sure to go back and get a video of this one (did not have my video cam with me last time). I plan to go back sometime this week. Maybe I'll even try out the surf thingy myself. ;D
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2011 20:13:48 GMT
Okay, back to the Seine for a bit to show that it can be pleasant to hang out there in the evening. But first I would like to show a totally non scenic bit (near Gare de Lyon) but which interests people anyway -- the road tunnels. It is really strange to walk in a road tunnel where no one was ever meant to be on foot. One great thing about them is for people who are afraid to ride bicycles in traffic. One interesting little thing that you can see in the tunnel are all of the mooring rings as you walk along. The Seine does not flood every year, but it does flood regularly, so places like this tunnel go underwater. The mooring rings are probably very useful for the maintenance crews every 3 or 4 years. Sitting along the Seine at dusk is a lovely experience, touristy or not. Nobody will ever deny that. The little café-restaurants that have been set up are a delight. I don't know if the food is worth it or not, but I doubt that most people go away disappointed from the experience. I crossed over to Ile Saint Louis as darkness settled, and it looked even nicer from across the water. |
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Post by lola on Aug 3, 2011 2:25:22 GMT
Fun, K. Thank you. I promise not to be disappointed if I ever get to do that.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2015 21:17:58 GMT
Maybe I will return before the end. |
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