Go for a swim! (Or Not!)

Now that it’s turning cold no one in their right mind would want to jump into the Seine, the river that traverses Paris and splits the city between the Left Bank (Rive Gauche on the south) and the Right Bank (Rive Droite on the north). While it’s still beautiful in the winter, with its blue / green hue and the wonderful stone banks with the walking paths, it’s not really that inviting.

However tempting it might be, jumping in is not recommended… indeed it’s probably illegal. If the desire to do your best Russell Crowe or Geoffrey Rush impression is too much to resist, there are some public pools actually built right into the river itself!

Now, summer is an entirely different story! Particularly when it’s 105 degrees and not an air conditioner in sight. I can tell you from personal experience that at that point, when you’re standing on one of the city’s many bridges and you’re watching the waves of that water dancing beckoning you to leap over the balustrades or rails and dive in, you kind of think about it. Of course as you start to lift your foot up you then ask yourself “Could I swim to the other side?” “Am I fast enough to avoid getting run over by a boat?” “Do they have snakes in the water here?”

Some people do get to jump in however… although it helps if you’re filming a movie. We were walking home one day and saw a bunch of police standing around directing traffic near a road blocked off with a bunch of cameras and crowds of people walking on along the river then stopping inexplicably. We weren’t sure if someone had fallen in or what. Well, it turned out that it was the filming of a TV show or movie and the action called for a guy to jump into the river. We stood there and watched for a while and after a bunch of people running around directing the extras to do this or that and the camera being put into position after what seemed like a 20 point turn given the limited space he had to operate in, the hero – or villain, we never could quite figure it out – jumped in the water and was picked up by the police boat moments later.

Amidst all of that Caroline snapped this photo of the bridge, Pont Neuf, one of the most beautiful bridges in a city filled with beautiful bridges. (You can see the camera and some of the crew at the top right.) The architecture of the bridge is simply magnificent and walking across it is something from a dream. Pont Neuf connects the two sides of Paris while also touching the Île de la Cité where Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the ruins of Roman baths can be found. And some good coffee too!

But remember… no matter how alluring the water is, don’t jump!