France

xxx in France

River Traffic

As the Seine River passes through the heart of Paris it is hemmed in on both sides by stone walls and crossed many times by bridges. Each bridge typically has three or four arches, not very high, with each arch labeled with an "okay" or "do not enter" sign to control boat traffic.

Docked at riverside are lots of houseboats, some restaurant boats, cargo barges, private pleasure boats, and tourist boats.

When we rode the water bus I was amazed at the amount of river traffic and how well all the boats maneuvered. At one point I counted six boats parallel to each other going in either direction. Our boat (long and thin) even managed a U-turn (it follows a circular route) without hitting anything.

Military Presence

There is a more serious military presence in Paris then I am used to seeing.

While walking the sidewalks we were twice passed by a lineup of nine or more police wagons. Sure made a ruckus with their blue lights flashing and horns blaring. Maybe they were just transporting important people — who knows.

While walking a bridge across the river we spotted three military helicopters coming up river and over our heads. Then three more followed; then more and more. Probably a total of over 30. Looked like a swarm of bees, but with a deeper buzz. Another mystery parade.

While inside various tourist areas (in southern France as well as Paris) we encountered slow-moving quads of uniformed soldiers with attack rifles in hand. It made the kids nervous to have guns present; it made me nervous thinking about why they felt the guns were needed.