Never a Dull Moment

I overheard another American today who said, "living in Paris is a little bit like being on The Amazing Race. There's always some crazy obstacle to overcome." Today's obstacle (or perhaps the word "debacle" is more apropos) was the Olympic torch relay. I'm sure the organizers had in mind a triumphant run up the Champs Élysées and a couple of money shots with the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. No can do. Although 3,000 police officers were on duty, those demonstrating on behalf of Tibet got the upper hand. The torch travelled several bits on a bus and finally the last leg of the relay was abandoned. Traffic was a mess and the school buses coming from the western suburbs rearranged their routes to drop off kids at the city's outer limit. (If you want to know more, check out the blogs of other Americans in Paris: Polly Vous Francais and Misplaced in the Midwest.) I heard rumblings about a general strike on the 16th of April. Let's see what they can dish out for the next episode.