Position: [ 48°49N, 2°19E ]
Can we really talk about a tradition if it’s less than 10 years old?
Okay, it may not be an ancestral one, and it may also be endangered (given we only had about 3 days of sun this summer) but Paris Plage is something parisians look for in summer.
Sand beaches at Paris Plage
Okay, we still can swim in the Seine river, as one previous president notoriously claimed we could eventually do, but Paris plage still “feels” like going to the beach. (Who goes to the beach to swimm anyway?!)
So we have sand beaches, pétanque games, ice cream booths, beach bars, and a long stroll to walk through and soak in the beach atmosphere.
C'est Paris! (plage)
Of course, it’s not totally the real thing. But as I didn’t have the opportunity, this year, to go to a beach place, Paris plage makes a pretty good compromise. And more than that, Paris plage contributes to the holiday atmosphere that surrounds Paris in August, when most parisians are away and those who stay keep wondering how beautiful and quiet their city can be.
And then September comes back, and all the parisians are back from their holidays and (not so) ready to take on a new year.
Filed under: Europe, France | Tagged: Paris, summer, traditions
