The Seine Runneth Over

They say things come in threes. I saw Hurricane Sandy in NY when police were boating down 14th St. I saw nine feet of snow in Boston which lasted until July. I've now seen Paris's river flood and I sincerely hope it concludes this series of unfortunate events. 

As someone who’s never spent more than a week here in the cold weather here, I thought it was totally normal for the weather forecast to read rain every single day. Perhaps that pesky orange flood alert is typical!

Turns out, we’re experiencing the wettest winter in 60 years. Furthermore, in December and January combined, we saw less than 40 hours of sunshine. Try to reel in the jealousy.

This translates to damage in 242 towns along the Seine, the Louvre closing its lower level, and many bateaux mouches cancelling their tours. Many riverside train stations have closed as well.

Luckily, despite living just a block from the Seine, I haven’t been impacted. I didn’t know that the floods were even happening until I walked up to the river’s edge. Seeing the Seine, though, is a dead giveaway.

The tops of trees and street lights poke out of the water. Bridges, which used to have plenty of room for boats to cross under, now have water creeping up the sides. The walkway below is temporarily gone.

Here’s a quick glimpse into what the Seine looks like these days. Punxatawney Phil be damned (sorry) – let’s hope spring and drier weather arrives ASAP.