Soft Machine, I understand you are in Paris. The news and images from the strike there are disturbing.

Unfortunately I have kids who are going to Paris later this week. (They love Paris and want to take one of their kids to Paris Disneyweird.) I am worried sick, wondering if they will be stuck in piles of garbage never leaving the airport!

What is is like there? Are you safe?

I hope a compromise can happen soon. In my fantasy world, Macron and labor agree on rising retirement to one year instead of two. I'm thinking of everyone in France with hope.

I'd like to hear what Soft Machine has to say as well. We are planning to arrive in Paris on the 23rd, the day a general strike has been called! Pretty nervous about it, but we've been planning this trip for a good while now.

If it is like other garbage strikes I have been in, most of the trash is in large plastic bags, and piles up, but not much of a real impediment. It’s still cool weather, so the trash has a pretty good shelf life before it gets gamy.

Transportation strikes can be pretty inconvenient. I’ve never had to deal with one that was a serious hindrance.

Thanks for that, BOJ! That's at least a little reassuring. I suppose...

Hello all!

The current strikes are making life a bit more difficult than usual (mainly in terms of public transport although service is maintained - just reduced (I had 3 trains out of 4 per hour this morning).

The garbage is indeed on the streets, although BoJ is right to say that the relatively cool weather means it not a major probelm yet.

As for safety, I suspect that France (and particularly Paris) is safer than many places in the US - and the current strikes are not affecting that.

So my basic message is don't worry. TV reports sensationalize, but the real situation is much calmer. To take an example, this weekend I had to go to the UK to see my fast-declining 91-year-old father and his (very right-wing but pleasant) neighbour took me task about the "riots" in France. Which we don't call "riots" because what happens is that, in a demonstration of 100,000 people, there are always 150 or so (anarchists? police provocateurs? idiots?) who are just there to break things. Usually, the police hold up the demonstration for a half-hour or so while they "deal" with them and then we demonstrate peacefully. But TV only shows the destructive idiots preceding the main demonstration because, like Fox News and Tr*mp's lies about your elections, they consider them "newsworthy".

I would also suggest that, if you're really anxious, you should click on my pseudonym on any thread that I have created (use the Search button) and you will be able to see my email address. I would be delighted to help any RfMer (or family of an RfMer) if they have problems (or even questions ;-) in Paris, so feel free to email me if you need.

Much love to all

Tom

That is really kind of you to offer. Thank you! Unfortunately, I can't get to your contact info using your instructions. (Your pseudonym is not "clickable", for me, on any of your created threads.)

Other suggestions?

I left my email address up for a quarter of an hour.

If you didn't catch it, another way would be to click on the Report button for this post and ask the Mods to give it to you as I have asked them to give it to you and Dagny if you ask. You may have to indicate your email address too...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/2023 11:23AM by Soft Machine.

France has been on strike intermittently for as long as I can remember. This is nothing new. But this kind of thing keeps anti-democratic and authoritarian governments on their toes.

Strikes are traditional around here, particularly when governments try to rush through unpleasant or unwanted legislation. I rather like it as it shows the French aren't prepared to take things lying down! And once the "casseurs" (breakers) at the front of the march have been dealt with, our demonstrations are joyful family affairs (unless the police decide they shouldn"t be...).

One last thing: nobody will be blocked at the airport by rising piles of trash because the collection services are only on strike inside Paris (which is only the small central part of our region). I live just outside the (former) walls of Paris and we're still getting our regular 3 collections per week, so the problem is quite localized.

Tom, thank you so much for this information! I feel much better having read your comments.

My son in law speaks French. My daughter has gone to France several times now with him, but this time they are bringing one child to see the world's most beautiful city. They are not as bad as the average idiot American tourists since they seem to know how to survive there. Last time they were there, my SIL came down with COVID while still there. The French are reasonable about everything from their perspective, including the strike.

Thanks for your kind offer. You are a kind and gracious person, as we know from your interaction here. I will ask them if they would like an email for an emergency question but I suspect they will figure things out like they always seem to do there.

It is wonderful to have RfM where I can get first hand information about so many things from good people! I hope your father in law is doing OK. It's hard to raise our parents! It was good of you to go check on him.

Thank you!

Don't be too confident, dagny. I have reason to believe Tom is in fact George Soros, trying to lure good-hearted Americans into the hell that is Paris.

You have been warned.

People are saying Soros funds drag queens there in Paris! Oh the humanity!

It was the Magyar accent that gave you away.

Agree with all you said about Tom. Such a kind offer. Tom, I'll be in touch should the need arise. Here's hoping it won't.

I don't think I'm the average idiot American, at least I try not to be, with varying degrees of success, according to my Ukrainian wife! Given that she made her way alone out of the USSR, I have great confidence in her ability to navigate new environments.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/2023 06:58PM by bobik43.

Вивчаю українську мову та кулінарію. Передай дружині привіт!

Susan, she is from the Donbas, so her native tongue is Russian, but she fluently reads Ukrainian and says to thank you for your message! Дякую!

Best of luck in your culinary endeavors...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2023 09:14AM by bobik43.

If she has any favorite recipes I would appreciate them. My family likes the stuffed meats best so far. My attempt at Chebureki (Crimean Tatar) did not go well because I learned I don't know how to fry! I bought an oil thermometer and some real sunflower oil from Україна and I am going to try again next week.

In Paris now! There’s a fair amount of garbage piled up on the sidewalks. Unsightly, but not as bad as expected.

Getting from the airport into Paris took over an hout. We hired a driver to avoid the train but traffic was backihg up even though we arrived early enough that we missed the worst of it.

We encountered several groups of young protester heading
to the evening’s planned protest sites but they appeared to be mostly young people looking forward to a good time. Interesting.

Seemed to be a pronounced police presence on the streets.
My understanding is that there was some violence this evening but we were in the hotel by then sleeping off jet lag. Presumably this violence came from the “casseurs” that Soft Machine mentioned earlier.
Also hearing a lot of police sirens wailing. Maybe that’s normal for Paris, or any big city.

Thanks for your report!

Nobody hates Paris more than the French,

True certainly of most of provincial French people, but Paris is a very charming city when you're there ;-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2023 08:19AM by Soft Machine.

I always had a good time in Paris.

Is there a DQ in or close to Paris & other French locations?

the frozen cones they sell don't meet the FDA standards for being Ice Creme, so they call it 'soft serve'...

I just knew U'd be better off knowing, ja ja..

One day, one day, I will see Paris and wherever the locals go in August. I will mangle the language as it has never been mangled before, and if you drink, Soft Machine, I hope we share a nice bottle of wine.

I will also smoke for the first time in years, unless the French have given up the habit.

And I will window shop, click around in high heels, temporarily rejecting my belief that they are a tool of cis-het men trying to keep a sister down.

I’ll skip the Mona Lisa, unless it’s stolen again, which would be badass.

Having lived through multiple summer garbage strikes in Philly, I will sing La Marseilles ave les jeunes, which must be one of the bloodiest national anthems ever, parceque le jour de gloire est arrive quand j’arrive! (Told you ‘bout my skillz)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2023 01:10AM by Beth.