Paris Plages has been held in the capital of France since 2002
As RFI (International French Radio) writes, this year 'Paris Plages' takes place under heightened security measures. This summer event, which has been organized by the Paris City Hall since 2002, attracts Parisians and visitors to the capital. You can sunbathe on the right bank of the Seine and participate in entertainment activities until September 4. On the other beach, at the Bassin de la Villette, catamarans and kayaks are rented out, and right in front of the city hall building, beach volleyball is played.
As soon as you approach the Seine embankment, police cars patrolling the area catch the eye. On non-working days, few Parisians come here. But foreign speech is heard everywhere: the British take photos on the sandy embankment, the Japanese look for free loungers. Vacationers sit down, take off their shoes and sink their feet into the soft hot sand. Some lie in swimsuits, like on a real beach, and sunbathe. Silence, only the sound of waves is heard. Vacationers sleep, listen to music or read. Children delightedly make sandcastles from the sand brought to Paris.
Lunch break time comes, and vacationers pull sandwiches out of their bags. Not far from the beach there are tables for those who want a snack. Along the embankment there are several cafes and stalls with food and drinks. Bored tourists look into the temporary library, where they read books and comics, or play pétanque, the favorite national game of the French, on a special court.
Irish women Roslyn and Claude, living in a suburb of Paris, are happy to sunbathe under the summer Paris sun on such a wonderful day. They like coming to Paris Plages: 'We were here twice this year. The event will end soon, so we came today for the last time until next year.'
French couple Jacques and Fabienne rented a bicycle for their son. While the little one pedals energetically, the parents stand at a distance and watch him. 'We just arrived,' they say. 'We like to relax and sunbathe like at the beach. Our son rides a bike, and we usually lie on deck chairs or play pétanque. We live in Paris and therefore come to Paris Plages every year. We come here on our non-working days, when there are far fewer people relaxing than on weekends.'
Officer Sébastien Cléra from the second rapid response brigade assures RFI that 'Paris Plages' is completely safe. 'Rapid response brigades are deployed in each sector and at every access point to Paris Plages. In each police car, there is an officer with a large-caliber weapon ready to open fire,' he emphasizes. 'Patrols are on duty on the upper and lower levels of the embankment.'
There are two or three brigades at each access to the beaches, and the police staff of the district are also stationed on site. 'Not comparable to last year!' exclaims the two-meter-tall police officer with a machine gun in his hands. 'This year we received information about threats, so the deployment of police forces is as reinforced as in Nice. Here tourists feel safe when they go down to the Seine and see numerous police and military.'
The beach security works professionally, believe Parisians Jacques and Fabienne: 'Police are everywhere in every nook and cranny, although it wasn't like that before. Now they check bags at the entrance.'
Not all vacationers pay attention to additional checks and the large number of military. Irish women Roslyn and Claude do not attach importance to the threat of new attacks: 'It doesn't stop us! We continue to live as before. Paris is an excellent city to live in! So beautiful. We have been living here for about 40 years. Our homes are near the city of Versailles, and we still love Paris.'