Yesterday was the first of a multi-day strike by the transport workers in France, which has knocked out most air, rail and bus services. The strike is in protest against planned pension reforms – France has 42+ active unions, each with their own pension rules, and the government wants to move to one scheme for everyone. As with any change proposal, a lot of people are unhappy. Yesterday more than 850,000 people across the country took to the streets in protest, and in Paris 6,000 police were deployed to keep the peace. I happened to be out walking and collecting some food when van after van of armed police in riot gear, with gas masks, rolled past, stopped, and started blocking off the streets. Too many to count. Sacre bleu! I saw in the news later that the protest erupted in violence in some places where other radical groups had infiltrated the march, and tear gas was used, and arrests made. Hence the heavy police presence. Many tourist attractions like the Eiffel tower, Arc de Triomphe, and some of the larger museums were closed because people could not get to work easily, and because police were diverted to support the protest. There is no end date yet for the strike, each side is standing-off in their respective corners. Luckily I am not in a rush to move on, and will see how it plays out later in the month when I need to head for Switzerland (and my white Christmas). In the meantime I am definitely experiencing life as a Parisian 🙂 Today the mood of the city was a lot calmer, although without public transport, the roads are jammed with cars and there are a lot more people out walking. I had planned a quiet morning (washing 🙂 ), and this afternoon ventured out to see Notre Dame, which is now behind a large fence as restoration work has begun. Even though it is damaged, it is an impressive building. Amazing. Around the corner from this is the Sainte-Chapelle, a medieval gothic chapel built by the French kings. Stunning glass windows maybe the prettiest I have seen so far. From there, winding through the Latin quarter, is the Pantheon and other impressive buildings. And some amazing patisseries 🙂 Tomorrow I’m going to the Louvre which will be awesome.
French macarons are amazing 
Notre Dame 
Restoration is wellunderway 
Sainte-Chapelle 
Pantheon 
Pantheon 
Fancy pants buildings 
Macaron aux framboise