La Rentrée – Part 2

With much trepidation and a good night’s sleep under my belt, it was time for me to check out my Paris. Has she changed? How did she change? Was anything the same? Was everything the same? So I laced up my running shoes and hit the Seine. I figured a familiar run would blow away the cobwebs and show me Paris.



It was cold. Colder than my normal Delray Beach runs but warmer than a winter DC run. The streets leading to the Seine were the same. Same crowds of tourists and locals. Same restaurants slowly preparing for the lunchtime meal. Quickly running past these shops, across the street towards the Cathedral, and down the steps to the Seine, my run begins.

I decided to go east towards the Peripherique, familiar territory, passing Notre Dame, towards the Jardin du Sculpture en plein air. Still the same old same old. But a quick look up towards the sky reminded me of a very complex tic-tac-toe board; criss-crossing contrails showed that displaced travelers were still trying to get back home in the worst way. Mother Nature still rules.

Past the Sculpture Garden the trail was being ripped up. Improvements that to me, looked like they were increasing flood protection with higher brick and stone river banks. No signs to say what was going on nor when it was going to be completed. Oh well, I had no trouble running around the construction.

Next on my run was the fluvial police station. A floating office on the Seine with lots of speedy river boats in the parking lot…ready to dash in case of trouble on or near the river. The parking lot was also closed off for repairs….no sign why or when it would be completed. So I ran back up to street level and over the police, and then back down to the river. I’m running under a building that has always puzzled us. The front part, the west side, is part of a design center. The rest of the building is supposed to be the Port du Seine. It’s a huge building that you can walk or run under. It must be sharing the space because there is a sign in the empty field in front of the building that says they are constructing the Port du Seine here. It says they are starting the construction July 2009 and completing the construction July 2011. From the looks of it, this place hasn’t changed since I began running here last May. Worse, from the looks of it, there hasn’t been any work here, period. So we have a sign that says we are working, please excuse the inconvenience but no work is being done, and where there is construction, back at the Sculpture garden, there is no sign, no explanation, and no termination date…..C’est la vie parisienne…..

Now I’m running towards the Gare d’Austerlitz. And just beyond the station is Piscine Joséphine Baker. It’s a floating barge that houses a public swimming pool. It’s undergoing a cleaning. The French do this pool cleaning once or twice a year. They are very concerned about public cleanliness….too bad they have a completely different perspective on personal cleanliness. It’s a French thing. Us Yanks are overly concerned and sell all sorts of products to cover up sweat, odor, and dirt. The French have a different appreciation for the aroma of the body. And quite to the contrary, the last time Piscine Baker was cleaned was last July. Perfect timing…who wants to swim in the summer? Seems like they got it right this year.

My run continues past all the peniches. These haven’t changed from last year. They are the same floating barges that are either homes or restaurants. I love’em. Gardens and bikes and cars on the home barges and tables and chairs and sound systems on the restaurant barges.

Almost at the half-way point. At the east end of the Peripherique there is cement factory. It’s a good location. Work barges go up and down the Seine loaded with sand, rock, and whatever else it takes to make cement. Cement trucks come here from all over Paris and beyond. Their sign explains it all: “Convoi fluvial = 250 camions dans la ville”. Makes sense to me. And it makes me understand why the French are building the Port du Seine.

I turn around and instead of going back on myself, I run back up to the street and into the Jardin des Plantes. Smaller than Jardin du Luxembourg but just as pretty. JdP is crowded with school children on field trips, people sitting on benches, reading newspapers, and runners. Nothing has changed. Different flowers are blooming but that’s seasonal not permanent.

I feel good. Nothing has really changed. The Paris I left in December is the Paris I am returning to. My Paris. My neighborhood. My runs. My Seine. Just a few small changes. I can put up with that. As I start to end my run, I am running along Boulevard St. Germain. Familiar restaurants, familiar shops, and even a few shopkeepers who nod “bonjour” to me.

But it is warmer now than when I started my run. People are jockeying for tables in the sun. Lunch is being served. I’m feeling warm; sweat is running down my face. And then I remember the French and their love for the sun. And there, at a table, drinking her coffee, is a sweet young thing wearing a tube top…about as low as you can legally wear a tube top, catching the rays. Life is good.

But looking up, there is Brück-Lin….or not. Those of you who have been following my blog know Brück-Lin. [If you haven’t here is the link http://vivelafrance-mark.blogspot.com/2009/10/october-14-2009-odds-and-sods-1-tree.html]. Those of you who visited me last year, saw Brück-Lin. Only it’s not Brück-Lin. Brück-Lin was pulled up by her dead roots and chipped into tree heaven. After putting up with myriad parades, my tree stump with a face is gone. I don’t know….maybe for the better? There is a brand new, young, fresh tree planted in her place but I still miss Brück-Lin’s sad “visage.”

So there you have it. I am sad. My tree stump is gone. It’s only been 2 days. What else has changed? Will my bucherie remember me? Or my vintner, vegetable guy, baker, or fromagerie remember me? I don’t know….tomorrow is market day but today Paris is still Paris.