The Strikes In France: They're The Beginning Of The End...I Think

18 Octobre 2007

Today was the grève des transports which is where all the employees of the transportation system in France (metro, bus and RER) protest against the government because they don’t like some of the changes that were made in regards to length of work week and retirement age. The strange thing about strikes in France is that they are set up months in advance and the dates leading up to its commencement, there are advertisements about it everywhere. This strike in particular affected members of the educational system, so some of the teachers of our high school went on strike. Because of the lack in transportation (no RERs and limited bus/metros), many of the students couldn’t come to school. I ended up having some of my classes cancelled because of it. (I also didn’t babysit because of the limited transportation.) Since Mickel and I ended up having a free day, we decided to venture out. Mickel wanted to go to La Defense, which is on the opposite side of Paris from us. I agreed, only because some of the professors had said that line 1 would be working just fine. Oh, how I wish I had never agreed to go! Since Bérault is near the end of line 1, we could get on when there weren’t many people. However, as the line progressed towards larger stations, the metro became so crowded with people, that I felt like I was being stepped on and peoples’ arms were in my face. By the time Mickel and I got to La Defense, I felt so nauseated that I had to walk around slowly and get some air. La Defense is Paris’ largest business park and it is well known for the Grande Arche, which can be seen as one exits the last metro station. There was also a huge screen that was playing rugby and several spectators who were watching. I took pictures of some of the buildings and artwork nearby, but also some of Mickel, since he didn’t have a camera. From La Defense, it is possible to see the Arc de Triomphe in the distance, which means that the Champs-Élysées is just beyond. Mickel and I walked with all of the employees (who were leaving for the day) towards the Arc. It was quite a long walk considering how close everything seems and by the time we got to the Arc, it was already night. I got some great pictures of the Eiffel Tower with the moon as well as the Arc de Triomphe all lit up. There were also tons of antique dealers who had small tented shops nearby that featured all kinds of furniture. What was incredible was that when they were done for the day, the just sealed up their tents and left! I hope that they did something with their things. I’d be afraid that someone would steal them. Unfortunately, we were not going to be able to walk all the way back to Vincennes, so we had to take the metro near Concorde and of course, it was so crowded. I was so happy when we got back home so I could get out of the crowds. Note to self: Never travel during a strike. If you can’t get there by walking, you don’t need to go!