Paris: One Week After The Flood

The River Seine, June 4th, 2016
Image Source by Guilhelm Vellut via Flickr

The river from Pont des Invalides, June 10th, 2016

From Pont des Invalides, June 10th, 2016

Pont des Invalides, June 4th, 2016
Image Source by Margaux-Marguerite Duquesnoy via Flickr

 Jardins du Trocadero
June 10th, 2016

Last year I visited Cannes exactly one week after major flooding swept through its streets, leaving its train station submerged and killing at least a dozen people.  I wrote a blog about the experience of exploring a region that had seen torrential rain only a week before.  The weather was perfect on that day, and you never would have noticed anything amiss.

This year, on June 10th, I went to Paris for the first time.  I found myself in an extraordinary coincidence; again, I was visiting a major French city exactly one week after major flooding began sweeping through it.

Overnight the Friday before last, the Seine had risen to a little over 6m (20ft) high, so much so that streets ran with brown water and debris, metro stations and landmarks were shut down, and boats could not pass underneath the bridges crossing the river.  The basement of the Louvre, boasting thousands upon thousands of artworks, was in danger, though thankfully the banks of the river in the city centre did not swell over.  It was more in the outer parts of the city that saw its streets transformed into rivers.  Tourists and locals alike were coming out in the gloom to watch the Seine; a spectacle it was, but grotesquely swollen and swirling.  Thousands of homes were without electricity in Paris alone.  An estimated 20,000 homes were temporarily evacuated across the country.

The Seine at normal levels, June 10th, 2016

The Seine at swollen levels, June 4th 2016.  Notice the stark difference in the water levels.
Boat traffic could not operate underneath any bridges.
Image Source by Guilhelm Vellut via Flickr

Near-constant rain had been pummeling not only France, but regions of Romania, Germany, and Belgium for nearly a week.  Germany witnessed almost a dozen deaths from flooding, including over fifty injuries from a lightning storm that hit a rock music festival.  Overall, serious flooding in Europe caused eighteen deaths.  There were dozens and dozens of injuries reported.  Twenty-four people were injured in France alone, and four of those deaths were in the country.  Much of central France saw even worse flooding than Paris.

 Place du Carrousel, June 10th

My story starts at the end of the day at Place du Carrousel, when and where I was pleasantly surprised to meet up with a former co-worker of mine from the ship.  She has been living in Paris for some time now with her husband and child.  She explained to me that the outer regions of the city were hit hardest by serious flooding, while the city centre had sporadic flooding in it streets.  She was sick and tired of all the rain; “a week of rain!” she exclaimed to me. 

“Wow; was it pretty non-stop?”
“Non-stop.  It just kept coming and coming.”
“When did the actual flooding start receding?”
“Two days ago.”
“Two days ago!”  It was my turn to exclaim.  Wow.  Seriously, we just missed it! 

Yes, “we.”  You see, I was on a tour set up for the crewmembers of the ship.  A bunch of us went off to Paris.  Of course in the days leading up to the tour, we were all thinking about whether or not we would be able to go!  Sure enough, seven days after the Seine swelled up, we all found ourselves walking the streets of Paris on a gorgeous day with a hazy blue sky. 

Yes; for those who don't know--I didn't--Paris has one, too.
June 10th, from the tour bus

June 4th
Image Source by Bex Walton via Flickr

June 4th, 2016
Image Source by Guilhelm Vellut via Flickr

The giant symbolic football of the Eiffel Tower Fan Zone is not to be ignored.  The Euro UEFA 2016 is going on right now.  It felt so strange to see the Eiffel Tower as I had seen it in the news.  Though I wanted to see the tower as it usually is, I was immediately drawn to that football and all it represents.

However, that football was also a poignant reminder of the city's recent troubles. Honestly, I personally thought it represented the flooding moreso than the tournament.  

Later in the day I saw small signs from the remnants of the flooding.

An SUV sloshes through gutter water.

The drains of Avenue Kleber still appeared to be full, or at least the drainage systems
were still struggling with the water.

From Jardins Du Trocadero 

There were also many fountains turned off throughout the streets I wandered.  Was this
perhaps due to the flooding impact?
From Avenue de Champs Elysees

But this:

This is how I had always pictured the City of Love….  Its streets, lined with gorgeous trees, practically transfix you with charm and lure you to wanderlust. 

From Pont des Invalides

On the Arc de Triomph roundabout, where many avenues meet

On the Arc de Triomph roundabout, where many avenues meet

June 10th

Avenue de Champs Elysees

The cafés and restaurants are a part of that wonderful charm.  For the first hour of my stroll I could not help but be drawn to their impressive number.

Of course, Paris is famous for its coffee and food culture.  The coffee culture alone dates back centuries.  Though debatable, some say that one Jean de Thevenot introduced coffee in Paris as early as 1657.  But coffee did make its way into the court of Louis XIV via Soliman Aga, the Turkish ambassador, who also shared it in the city proper.  The evolution of coffee in Parisian life from 1669 is quite an interesting one, from Café de Procope, the first authentically Parisian adaption of a coffee house that attracted French artists and elite alike, to the explosion of cafes in Paris that led one historian to quote that “Paris became one vast café.”   

This link is an engrossing and fantastic summary of the history of Paris and coffee from its beginnings to the establishment of the café as the intellectual—and indeed political—focal point of the city.  Within the cafes of Paris (particularly cafes within the Palais Royal) were found the main ideas, passions, activities, and gatherings that led to the French Revolution.

Food also had a role in the course of French history, and not just in the culinary arts, for which France is legendary.  Lisa Bramen wrote an article for smithsonianmag.com on the influence of food in the French Revolution.  She states that a sumptuous portion of the French Revolution’s fuel was the spike of the price of bread.  Wheat and grain crops failed in both 1788 and 1789.  The masses blamed the aristocracy for the plight.  The common man could not afford bread.  People went hungry…and eventually rebelled on the fateful Bastille Day in July of 1789.  Of course bread was not the only reason for the rebellion, but it played a fine “last-nail-in-the-coffin” role.  

As Colin Yaniga puts it in his “History Of French Cuisine,” France’s cuisine dates back to medieval times when, believe it or not, meals were more grandiose, spiced, and ingredient-filled than what we know today. It derived heavily from Moorish culinary practices.  The Florentine princess Catherine de Medici married Henry II of France in the 16^th century.  At the time, Italy’s culinary escapades were far more advanced than France.  De Medici and her chefs influenced the trajectory of French cuisine for centuries to come.  

The French Revolution led to the fall of the food guilds, which answered to the Paris city government and that controlled food production.  Guild-free, Parisian chefs such as Marie-Antoine Careme were as free as they wished to pursue their crafts.  The restaurant scene grew swiftly and lucratively next to its partner, the café scene. 

As a country France has evolved many regional culinary practices.  France has always been geographically diverse, influenced by the Basque, Spanish, Italian, Belgian, Swiss, and German traditions.  

Before coming across the Parisian streets I had walked Pont des Invalides toward the Musee de l’Armee, inside the greater building of L’Hotel des Invalides.  

L'Hotel des Invalides, Paris' own city within a city.  Underneath the Dome lies
Napolean's tomb.

That was the first time the history of Paris approached me.  But I felt this place, like the Louvre and so many other landmarks in the city, sadly watching me go by as if they thought I were impatient.  Time was so short.... Gathering a good source of knowledge would have meant the sacrifice of exploration.  

I needed to explore; from the moment I had set foot on Paris, the Tower drew my attention.  I was always aware of its presence.  It implored me to explore.  I did not have to think about a plan; the direction I chose was obvious. 

That was where I had to go.

Looking back at the Pont des Invalides and the Grand Palace across the way, I decided to pass
L'Hotel des Invalides (for the day) and head for the Tower.

Along Avenue du Bourdannais

And so I came closer and closer to the Tower, watching it grow taller through the lush spring leaves and over the beautiful architecture.  I totally get it; the Tower's first impression left its mark long afterward.  That feeling was visceral, and it grew with the mighty Tower.

To a certain degree I have always associated the Eiffel Tower with European culture.  It stands for more than its obvious physical engineering marvels: society, love, and even the global hope for a better world. On account of all this, the desire to honor it and ascend it was strengthened moment by moment.  

My senses were full of wonder.  I was incredibly, gratefully overwhelmed.  There was no turning back now.  I knew what had to be done.

I understood right away.  I understood just how captivating this wonder of the world is.  I could not ignore from the moment I saw it from Pont des Invalides.  I could not look away; I could not get enough.

The Fan Zone football.

Eventually, the tower called to me once again.  Shadowed underneath this mastery of indomitable metal, hard to describe in words, I realized I needed not only to honor it, but the city in which it resides.  I needed to see the city.  All of it.  At once.

It took a while for the line to move into the elevator.  But eventually I went on the ascent.

Eventually, I scaled this massive beauty.

So then:

Pont des Invalides, and the Louvre beyond it and to the right

The Dome of Napolean's Tomb

The Champs du Mars and its Fan Zone

The Jardins du Trocadero

From the top of the Eiffel Tower the awesome history of Paris washed over me.   Written and weaving through that enormous cityscape were the political upheavals, the poverty and exorbitant wealth, the ghosts of intellectuals and artists who impacted the lives of many, and the culture, known worldwide.  All of that horror and happiness the city has seen, I felt.  

Unfortunately, even the horror of its recent past was felt from here….  Security was very tight in and around the tower.  Some of that is on account of the football tournament, but obviously past concerns impact the security right now.  So from the top, after getting through the various levels of security, I was unable to ignore the entirety of the city nor its recent past.  

Paris has been recovering for months as far as tourism is concerned.  Businesses have suffered, especially those who rely primarily on landmarks nearby.  The nightlife scene is shunned even by Parisians; large venues such as concert halls and discotheques still struggle with revenue.  Hotel bookings have been better, but only since mid-January and the beginning of February.

However, not all is negative.  Though the power of nature pummeled it, and the hate of ignorance bloodied it, the people of Paris and the tourists have been revitalized.  I visited a city this day that exuded utter resilience.  Heck; during the flood people still lived their lives.  Will Coldwell, a writer and reporter for Guardian Travel, confirmed what I was seeing this day in his article on Paris' recovery; "financial impact aside, those who work and live [in Paris] want people to realize that the spirit of Paris has returned.  The attacks have undoubtedly shook Parisians...but the city is, on the surface, back to normal."   

A city is more than just its history, because it is people who make history.  I witnessed the resilience and persevering happiness of people in the aftermath of both flood and blood.  That gives me great faith in humanity.  

However, I have yet to meet a rude Parisian. 

Disclaimer: 

I do not intend to speak on behalf of Azamara Club Cruises.  As an employee of Azamara Club Cruises, I hereby state that all views and expressions of opinion I hold are solely my own, and do not reflect or represent the views, values, beliefs, opinions, or company policies of ether Azamara Club Cruises or Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Additionally I neither own nor claim any legal rights to the links provided in this post.