Latest news with #ÎleSaintLouis
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Joyful Parisians take a historic plunge into the Seine after 100 years
PARIS (AP) — Cries of 'It is warm!' rang out across the Seine on Saturday morning as Parisians jumped into the river — legally — for the first time in more than 100 years. Public swimming was allowed in designated areas of the Seine, including two newly built wooden decks near the Eiffel Tower and the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris. Before sunrise, a municipal officer skimmed away the last few patches of algae with a fishnet. Soon after, a line of eager Parisians formed, towels in hand, waiting for their chance to jump in. Advertisement Woos and cries of joy echoed across the riverbanks as the first swimmers entered the emerald-green water. Every swimmer wore a bright yellow lifebuoy tied around their waist, part of strict safety measures enforced by a dozen lifeguards in high-visibility vests. The current was weak, just enough to tug gently at their limbs — a reminder that this is still a living, urban river. 'It's so nice to swim in the heart of the city, especially with the high temperatures we've been having lately,' said Amine Hocini, a 25-year-old construction worker from Paris. 'I'm surprised because I thought it was going to be cooler and in fact, it's much warmer than I thought.' The return to swimming follows a 1.4 billion euro ($1.5 billion) cleanup project tied to last year's Olympics. Officials now say the Seine meets European water quality standards on most days. Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who already took a dip last year, was there Saturday morning, holding up a transparent bottle filled with river water as a show of confidence. Environmental authorities confirmed bacteria levels were well below official thresholds. Advertisement Swimming in the Seine had been illegal since 1923, with a few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation. Taking a dip outside bathing areas is still banned for safety reasons. From the deck, tourists and morning joggers stopped to watch. Some applauded as swimmers climbed up the steel ladders, grinning and dripping. Others, like François Fournier, remained skeptical. 'I won't risk it quite frankly,' said Fournier, who lives atop the riverbanks and observed the scene from a bridge above. 'I've seen things you can't imagine floating in the Seine, so I'll wait for it to be really squeaky clean.' Floating debris still bobbed here and there — a stray leaf, a plastic wrapper — but the smell was barely noticeable: no strong sewage odor, just an earthy, river-like scent. Advertisement 'This is so chic, to swim in the Seine, next to Île Saint-Louis,' said Lucile Woodward, 43, a resident. 'There are some apprehensions, of course, any time you go to swim somewhere, but I think this is one of the most tested areas in the whole world now. I don't think the town hall can allow herself to have any problems.' She added with a laugh: 'My skin is OK.' Tom Nouvian, The Associated Press
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Parisians take a historic plunge into the River Seine after more than a century
Parisians on Saturday jumped into the river Seine —legally—for the first time in more than 100 years, with cries of "woo" and "it is warm!" ringing out across the Seine. It comes as public swimming was allowed in designated areas of the Seine, including two newly built wooden decks near the Eiffel Tower and the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris. Before sunrise, a municipal officer skimmed away the last few patches of algae with a fishnet. Soon after, a line of eager Parisians formed, towels in hand, waiting for their chance to jump in. Wows and cries of joy echoed across the riverbanks as the first swimmers entered the emerald-green water. Under the careful supervision of a dozen lifeguards wearing high-visibility vests, each swimmer donned a bright yellow lifebuoy fastened around their waist. The current was weak, just enough to tug gently at their limbs—a reminder that this is still a living, urban river. 'It's so nice to swim in the heart of the city, especially with the high temperatures we've been having lately,' said Amine Hocini, a 25-year-old construction worker from Paris. 'I'm surprised because I thought it was going to be cooler, and in fact, it's much warmer than I thought.' The return to swimming follows a 1.4 billion euro cleanup project tied to last year's Olympics. Officials now say the Seine meets European water quality standards on most days. Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who already took a dip last year, was there Saturday morning, holding up a transparent bottle filled with river water as a show of confidence. She said, 'It's a childhood dream to make people swim in the Seine." Meanwhile, environmental authorities confirmed bacteria levels were well below official thresholds. "The water quality is 'exceptional,'" said Marc Guillaume, the prefect for the Paris' Ile-de-France region. "We are monitoring two bacteria, E. coli and enterococci, and for one we are ten times below the thresholds and for the other more than 25 times below," he said. From the deck, tourists and morning joggers stopped to watch. Some applauded as swimmers climbed up the steel ladders, grinning and dripping. Others, like François Fournier, remained sceptical. 'I won't risk it, quite frankly,' said Fournier, who lives atop the riverbanks and observed the scene from a bridge above. 'I've seen things you can't imagine floating in the Seine, so I'll wait for it to be really squeaky clean.' Related Clean enough for a dip? Paris set to reopen the Seine for swimming, but locals aren't so sure Paris wants to grant the River Seine legal personhood to better protect it from pollution Floating debris still bobbed here and there—a stray leaf, a plastic wrapper—but the smell was barely noticeable: no strong sewage odour, just an earthy, river-like scent. 'This is so chic, to swim in the Seine, next to Île Saint-Louis,' said Lucile Woodward, 43, a resident. 'There are some apprehensions, of course, any time you go to swim somewhere, but I think this is one of the most tested areas in the whole world now. I don't think the town hall can allow itself to have any problems.' She added with a laugh, 'My skin is OK.' Swimming in the Seine had been illegal since 1923, with a few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation. Taking a dip outside bathing areas is still banned for safety reasons.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Parisians take a historic plunge into the River Seine after more than a century
Parisians on Saturday jumped into the river Seine —legally—for the first time in more than 100 years, with cries of "woo" and "it is warm!" ringing out across the Seine. It comes as public swimming was allowed in designated areas of the Seine, including two newly built wooden decks near the Eiffel Tower and the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris. Before sunrise, a municipal officer skimmed away the last few patches of algae with a fishnet. Soon after, a line of eager Parisians formed, towels in hand, waiting for their chance to jump in. Wows and cries of joy echoed across the riverbanks as the first swimmers entered the emerald-green water. Under the careful supervision of a dozen lifeguards wearing high-visibility vests, each swimmer donned a bright yellow lifebuoy fastened around their waist. The current was weak, just enough to tug gently at their limbs—a reminder that this is still a living, urban river. 'It's so nice to swim in the heart of the city, especially with the high temperatures we've been having lately,' said Amine Hocini, a 25-year-old construction worker from Paris. 'I'm surprised because I thought it was going to be cooler, and in fact, it's much warmer than I thought.' The return to swimming follows a 1.4 billion euro cleanup project tied to last year's Olympics. Officials now say the Seine meets European water quality standards on most days. Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who already took a dip last year, was there Saturday morning, holding up a transparent bottle filled with river water as a show of confidence. She said, 'It's a childhood dream to make people swim in the Seine." Meanwhile, environmental authorities confirmed bacteria levels were well below official thresholds. "The water quality is 'exceptional,'" said Marc Guillaume, the prefect for the Paris' Ile-de-France region. "We are monitoring two bacteria, E. coli and enterococci, and for one we are ten times below the thresholds and for the other more than 25 times below," he said. From the deck, tourists and morning joggers stopped to watch. Some applauded as swimmers climbed up the steel ladders, grinning and dripping. Others, like François Fournier, remained sceptical. 'I won't risk it, quite frankly,' said Fournier, who lives atop the riverbanks and observed the scene from a bridge above. 'I've seen things you can't imagine floating in the Seine, so I'll wait for it to be really squeaky clean.' Related Clean enough for a dip? Paris set to reopen the Seine for swimming, but locals aren't so sure Paris wants to grant the River Seine legal personhood to better protect it from pollution Floating debris still bobbed here and there—a stray leaf, a plastic wrapper—but the smell was barely noticeable: no strong sewage odour, just an earthy, river-like scent. 'This is so chic, to swim in the Seine, next to Île Saint-Louis,' said Lucile Woodward, 43, a resident. 'There are some apprehensions, of course, any time you go to swim somewhere, but I think this is one of the most tested areas in the whole world now. I don't think the town hall can allow itself to have any problems.' She added with a laugh, 'My skin is OK.' Swimming in the Seine had been illegal since 1923, with a few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation. Taking a dip outside bathing areas is still banned for safety reasons.
CBS News
05-07-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Parisians take a plunge in the Seine River after century-long ban
Cries of "It is warm!" rang out across the Seine on Saturday morning as Parisians took a plunge in the river for the first time in more than 100 years. The French capital's iconic waterway has been closed to swimmers since 1923, with few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation. After $1.5 billion cleanup project tied to last year's Olympics, officials say the Seine meets European water quality standards on most days. Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who already took a dip last year, was there Saturday morning, holding up a transparent bottle filled with river water as a show of confidence. Environmental authorities confirmed bacteria levels were well below official thresholds. "It's a childhood dream to have people swimming in the Seine," she said, according to AFP. The River Seine reopened to Parisian swimmers this morning for the first time since 1923, offering locals and tourists a welcome respite after scorching temperatures. MAGALI COHEN/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Public swimming is allowed in designated areas of the Seine, including two newly built wooden decks near the Eiffel Tower and the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris. Before sunrise, a municipal officer skimmed away the last few patches of algae with a fishnet. Soon after, a line of eager Parisians formed, towels in hand, waiting for their chance to jump in. Woos and cries of joy echoed across the riverbanks as the first swimmers entered the emerald-green water. Every swimmer wore a bright yellow lifebuoy tied around their waist, part of strict safety measures enforced by a dozen lifeguards in high-visibility vests. The current was weak, just enough to tug gently at their limbs — a reminder that this is still a living, urban river. "It's so nice to swim in the heart of the city, especially with the high temperatures we've been having lately," said Amine Hocini, a 25-year-old construction worker from Paris. "I'm surprised because I thought it was going to be cooler and in fact, it's much warmer than I thought." Taking a dip outside the designated areas is still banned for safety reasons. Swimmers in the water at the Grenelle safe bathing site on the Seine river on its opening day, in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on July 5, 2025. MAGALI COHEN/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images From the deck, tourists and morning joggers stopped to watch. Some applauded as swimmers climbed up the steel ladders, grinning and dripping. Others, like François Fournier, remained skeptical. "I won't risk it quite frankly," said Fournier, who lives atop the riverbanks and observed the scene from a bridge above. "I've seen things you can't imagine floating in the Seine, so I'll wait for it to be really squeaky clean." Floating debris still bobbed here and there — a stray leaf, a plastic wrapper — but the smell was barely noticeable: no strong sewage odor, just an earthy, river-like scent. "This is so chic, to swim in the Seine, next to Île Saint-Louis," said Lucile Woodward, 43, a resident. "There are some apprehensions, of course, any time you go to swim somewhere, but I think this is one of the most tested areas in the whole world now. I don't think the town hall can allow herself to have any problems." She added with a laugh: "My skin is OK." View from the Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir of the first people swimming in the Seine at the safe bathing site at Bercy on the Seine on its opening day in Paris France on July 5, 2025. BASTIEN OHIER/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images The promise to lift the swimming ban dates back to 1988, when then-mayor of Paris and future president, Jacques Chirac, first advocated for its reversal. "One of my predecessors, then mayor of Paris, dreamed of a Seine where everyone could swim," President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, describing the move as the result of a "collective effort" and a moment of "pride" for France. With record-breaking temperatures hitting Europe, including France's second warmest June since records began in 1900, authorities said they expect Parisians to embrace the relief of a refreshing swim. The swimming spots will be open until August 31. contributed to this report.
New York Times
05-07-2025
- General
- New York Times
You Can Swim in the Seine Again. Trust Me. I Just Did.
I swam in the Seine on Saturday. I dived in near the heart of Paris — the elegant ancient mansions of Île Saint-Louis rising above me, and the Seine's stone bridges stretching into the distance. A crowd splashed around me, giggling with pleasure and wonder. 'What a joy. What a joy,' said Martine Laupin, 76, breast-stroking nearby. 'This is Paris. Imagine!' Swimming has been banned in the river since 1923 because of boat traffic and pollution. France promised to clean up the pollution, and on Saturday it delivered, opening three dedicated bathing sites in Paris. Two sites were also opened in the Marne River, a tributary a few miles upstream, in the southern Parisian suburbs. The water was green and silky. A gentle current pulled me along a line of orange buoys marking the official swim zone. I took a breath and dived under. It was warm. A green flag hung on a pole nearby, signaling that the latest water-quality tests, taken two hours before, had come back clear. 1 mile AlexandER III BRIDGE Seine BIR-HAKeiM BRIDGE Eiffel Tower Île Saint-Louis Notre-Dame Cathedral Grenelle Bras Marie Paris SULLY BRIDGE FRANCE SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR BRIDGE Paris Seine Bercy Swimming sites opening in the Seine Marne R. Map data from OpenStreetMap Maisons-Alfort 1 mile AlexandER III BRIDGE Île Saint-Louis Eiffel Tower Seine Grenelle Bras Marie Notre-Dame Cathedral Paris FRANCE Paris Bercy Swimming sites opening in the Seine Marne River Seine Map data from OpenStreetMap Maisons-Alfort By The New York Times Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
