Jour sans voitures (Day without cars)

September 27, 2015

I was fortunate to be in town for the "jour sans voitures", a day on which cars were declared off limits in certain areas of the city from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  These areas included the city center (all or most of arrondissements 1-4), Montmartre, the Champs-Elysees, etc.  Exceptions were made for taxis, buses, and special situations.  I heard that the mayor (Anne Hidalgo) wanted more of the city to be included, but she had to compromise.

I considered renting a Velib bicycle for the day, but my back had been bothering me, especially when bending over, so I stayed on foot.

Lots of flags were flying:

Here we are on the Ile de la Cite, across from the Place du Parvis Notre-Dame:

and around the corner, in front of the Conciergerie:

Bicycles on the Quai des Tuileries:

 and pedestrians at the Place de la Concorde:

But here is where people were really turning out -- on the Champs-Elysees:

So, a good time was had by all!  To close out this blog, I will include another dour-looking selfie (I just don't like taking them!  But the occasion seemed to demand it).  Thanks for reading!