In the Seine, "Libé" jumped for joy

A sixty-year-old woman says, "I'm swimming in the Seine, it's incredible, I'm swimming in the Seine." She calls out to another swimmer: "Isn't it fantastic?" A group of cheerful young people sing "happy birthday" to their friend. A guy says, "Not bad for a tour of Paris, right?" Firefighters finish their run. They jostle and push each other, two finish in the water to cheers (ah, men). It's a little after 9 a.m. on this Wednesday morning in August, the capital seems empty, and for the first time, we're swimming in the river. The water is nice, about twenty degrees, the soft morning light bounces happily off the gentle lapping. We appreciate our luck to be able to drink the cup opposite the Île Saint-Louis.

Unintentionally, we went there exactly a month after the opening of the three spaces (Bercy, Bras-Marie and Grenelle). The results are positive: despite the summer rains which resulted in thirteen days of closure,