Tuesday, November 02, 2010

La Grève- Paris

Quite a few dear PBers inquired how I was doing during Paris' La Greve ...
Well the streets/rues were filled up with Paris trash...
The sanitation was not picking up...
Yep, that's all I experienced of La Grève in Paris.
Metros, buses, RER all were running and les rues were not even smelly. If this had been New York, Heaven help us!
Neatly piled pourbels didn't stop Parisiens walking petit chiens...
Crazy Parisien joggers were still out jogging in the brisk morning air...
Cafes were still full of Parisiens sitting outside yacking and smoking...
French Girls still had on their boots...
Why ever did I take my ballerinas?
Fall in Paris = BOOTS/Les BOTTES
c'est comme ca!
Au Nom de la Roses were still lined up as usual dans le rue...
La Grève didn't stop people eating ice cream...
Or buying beautiful flavored chevre fromage...
Berko, of Cupcakes Galerie from in Printemps had tiny tartelettes lined up in their Montmartre shop.
Grace took me to famous Les Petit Mitrons also in Montmartre...
To admire the tartes d'Automne...
Rows of oranges lined rue Montorgueil ignoring La Grève completement.
Goofy Fr. cat nail brosses at Pylones don't give a damn about La Grève...
Marlo, Amy's New York chat, knows zip about La Grève, being ensconced on the 6th etage/floor comme ca...
Life seems to go on in Paris, come what may...
BONJOUR La Grève!

24 comments:

  1. Ooo...I want those red boots!!

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  2. Anonymous8:21 AM

    For some reason "strike" is feminine - its la greve.

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  3. MERCI MEME!
    I checked but soemtimes even Google leads you astray....

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  4. Justine8:54 AM

    These pictures SO capture Paris for me..the greyness, the light, what Parisiens are doing...
    Lovely and merci

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  5. I too was surprised how little la greve effected our visit.
    You capture it better :)
    Annie

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  6. They are really ruining this City which is famous for its Romance, by not picking sanitation on time..

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  7. Oh, oh, oh, you've got me dreaming again!
    I'll take Paris anyday, Greve ou pas!
    Cheers, Alcira

    thenerochronicles.blogspot.com

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  8. very good to know the pastry chefs did not go on strike! i like a country with priorities.

    p.s. so now in love with marlo - a cat-knapping plan is in the works! (don't tell the two i already have!)

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  9. Thank you, Carol, for this excellent reporting of la greve. I am very glad that the discomfort was minimal. I read that the proposition passed, so it would seem that the French folks will be obliged to work more years before possible retirement.

    How I yearn for possible retirement! And also for those red boots.

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  10. where I'm from (South Africa) there's always une greve! Life goes on. And for not so surprising reasons, it's always the garbage that gets affected the most.

    Great pictures, I like the red boots too!

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  11. Of course! I should have known that le greve wouldn't dare inconvenience PB!

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  12. it's also d'automne, pas "du automne" :)

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  13. Thumbs up to all those boots!
    I never owned as many pairs back in the States, but here in Europe they make them stylish and comfortable, so why not wear them? ;-)

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  14. It's a charming place even with the strike...xx

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  15. First year I lived in France (Strasbourg), there was major la grève for a whole 10 months (yes)...so eh. Life does go on. (And btw, I'm usually with the strikers...it's so much more complicated than what is reported. But then most people cannot handle the truth--shriek as in Jack Nicholson matter).

    Ahem. Back to calling people & asking if they plan on voting. And not shrieking at them if they say 'nah.'

    Grrr.

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  16. "as in Jack Nicholson manner"

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  17. Glad to hear la greve is not creating too much havoc. Interesting as always, Carol!

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  18. Anonymous2:32 PM

    Hi Carol - we experienced nothing of La Grève!- either - we heard of it after the fact and only when we thought we wouldn't get on a plane. We did and all was well.
    You have images today of some of my favourite places.
    Thank you for taking me back through my memory. x

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  19. Anonymous2:34 PM

    ohhh --- and I brought ballet flats with me but I now have some of em ...boots! Blue !!!!

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  20. I'm so GLAD that those 'rows and rows' were oranges and not hard, dull 'tomatoes'

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  21. I love the street scenes - and the pastries, and the boots :)
    And the cat......
    I like your photos, as always!

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  22. I was in Paris during the October 12 general strike. Not a problem - I just walked everywhere like I would have anyway. I watched, and was amazed with the scale of the demonstration.

    Even with the subsequent rolling strikes the Metro was still more frequent and efficient than Toronto.

    But I took a day trip (on day 2 of the strike) to the country (Auvers-sur-Oise) and was surprised with no train service at Pontoise and returning, Mon Dieu! - took 5 hours instead of 1.5. Dumped off at Chatelet - Les Halles, I walked the remaining hour to my hotel. But still it was Paris and bustling and twinkling and full of life.

    I had the presence of mind to arrange a cab to the airport the next morning.

    And thankfully I got out before they started rationing fuel for the planes.

    That said, I wouldn't have traded my experience for anything. It made it even more memorable.

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  23. WOW !
    I was there in 2007 when all the transportation did stop, but as you say it was interesting and very easy to get into the HOT exhibits-Frenchies don't bother then...
    Paris=YUM
    xxcarolg

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  24. Carol what a stunning blog you have - I am so pleased to have discovered it and feel like I am back in France! Mu hubbie and I have just returned from a weekend to Entraygues in the Averyon where our friends have opened an interiors store and Salon de The - they are looking for a couple to help run it from next year so just maybe (!) so we may be embracing everything French next summer! I will look forward to visiting you again - xxx

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