Paris Plages

The Seine has always been a huge part of daily life in Paris.  Each year for a month, the city of Paris closes off the George Pompidou expressway (which runs along the north side of the river) and installs "Paris Plages" a man-made sandy beach along the river complete with deck chairs, beach toys and activities like sand volleyball and pétanque (similar to bocce).

The weather lately has been schizophrenic -- sunny for a few hours, then pouring rain.  There were quite a few joggers, rollerbladers, and sunbathers out enjoying the beachy sunshine between downpours, but it definitely seemed less crowded than I expected for a Saturday.

Scattered throughout the beach are a few giant deckchairs built to hold two adults.  Note the jeans, jackets and scarfs -- even though it's sunny it is still a little chilly.

There are several little cafés along the pathway, selling ice cream, crêpes and of course, coffee.

Paris Plage is a very family-oriented event, and there were plenty of activities on hand for the kiddos.  This pirate fort looked fun.

And this year Disneyland Paris built a sandcastle replica of Sleeping Beauty's castle.  In French, they call it "Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant".  Nearby was a children's sandbox area where kids could build their own castles using the free sand toys provided.

Nearby, at the Hôtel de Ville is a free exhibit called "Paris Sur Seine: des anciens quais à Paris Plage" ("Paris on the Seine: from the old docks to the Paris beaches").

The exhibit shows the history of the Seine and how it has been used by Parisians through the centuries for both commerce and leisure.  There were sketches showing what the river used to look like, such as this view from the Pont Notre-Dame:

The nautical festivals and fireworks of earlier times:

The Eiffel Tower and other exhibits such as the Grand Celestial Globe of the 1900 World's Fair:

And showing the myriad ways in which Parisians have enjoyed the river during the last century as well:

As we left the Hôtel de Ville, we were intrigued by the concert stage that was set up.

I liked how they worked around the existing statues when building the stage -- incorporating them into the act.

There are four nights of free concerts as part of the Paris Plages.  We will come by later tonight to check it out.