Today was day two of our Paris trip and plans had to be changed as many parts of the city are in forbidden zones which have been cordoned off with thousands of police. The Olympics starts next week and any area hosting an event has been shut down, fenced off and guarded by police. Many businesses within these zones have been forced to close down and will not benefit from these Olympic Games.
The French are taking no chances and one can hardly blame them as this would be a prime terrorist target. We tried to cross over the Seine River this morning only to be told this was forbidden.
This is the shopping district of Halles and there were no vehicles on the road besides police cars and bicycles. You can catch the metro here, but all the Metro stations by the Seine were closed. The bicycle culture here is nuts and I have never seen so many bikes being ridden by ordinary people. I actually didn't like this as this is not practical and see this as taking the green thinking too far.
The locals are not happy with the majority of businesses being affected due to the lack of freedom of movement for tourists. The restaurant we were at tonight in the West Bank next to the Seine should be heaving with thousands of tourists and there was very few. The owner of the restaurant tried to get us to stay longer as it is an easier sell than an empty restaurant for anyone passing by.
He said this could be the worst summer he has experienced in the 25 years he has been there. I counted tonight when we had left after our extended stay after he bribed us with drinks was he had only 15 customers dining tonight and this was at 9.30pm. This is peak summer season and have to admit I was shocked how few people were around.
Taxi drivers have ben complaining also as they only have half the city to work with as they also are blocked by the forbidden zones. I took a photo of this building below which I found interesting as no space is wasted and looks like an add on.
The weather is hot and humid with the chance of rain tomorrow which will give everyone a break form the heat. I do not mind the weather if places are geared for it and most of Paris only seems to have fans. Thankfully the hotel we are staying in maybe very basic, but it has air-conditioning at least.
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