May 1, 2022
May Day in Paris
Today is Sunday, May 1 - a day Paris celebrates as Labour Day, as La Fête du Muguet, and, as the first Sunday of the month, car-free Sunday in the 1st-4th Arrondissements.
When the day started, I was thinking only of car-free Sunday and I had decided it would a perfect day to take Vivien George on a tour of Paris (sadly, I inadvertently left Vincent and Ace in the apartment). It was a fine day for our city tour, mostly sunny with temperatures in the 60’s. I mapped a route that would take me to the Champs Elysées, thinking it would also be car free, and along car-free roads through parts of the right bank that were less familiar to me. Along the way I hoped to pass by many of the iconic sites in Paris.
Much of the first five miles was familiar – north to the Arc de Triomphe then down the Champs Elysées to Place de la Concorde, and along the Quai de Mitterand to the Louvre. The Champs Elysées wasn’t exactly car-free, but there are nice, separated cycle lanes that run down either side of the avenue. In fact, almost all of the roads I cycled today had designated, well-marked cycle lanes, many of which were separated from normal city traffic.
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After cutting through the Louvre, I headed up Avenue de l’Opera toward the Palais Garnier, built in 1861 for the Paris Opera. I then made my way over to Blvd de Bonne Nouvelle to the Place de la Republic, where I was reminded that May 1 is International Worker’s Day, referred to as Labour Day in France.
Although May 1 is a day of celebration for workers around the globe, it is not given much attention in the United States insofar as we celebrate Labor Day in September. I find this a bit ironic, as the designation of May 1 as a day to celebrate workers had its origins in the American labor movement. On May 1, 1886, over 300,000 American workers went on strike, demanding an 8 hr work day. Three days later, a bomb was thrown into a crowd of striking workers in Haymarket Square in Chicago and several people were killed in the ensuing riot that broke out between police and workers. In 1889, international groups of socialists and labor unions meeting in Paris called for May 1 to be designated a day in support of workers, in commemoration of the Haymarket Riots in Chicago. On this day, the close ties between socialism and Labor Day were clearly evident in the Place de la Republic.
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Leaving Place de la Republic, I made my way along the car-free streets of the 3rd and 4th Arrondissements to the Bastille before crossing the Seine over to Île Saint-Louis. I sat on a bench overlooking the Seine and enjoyed my traditional ice cream cone.
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Throughout the day, I’d noticed tables placed along streets or on corners where individuals or small groups were selling flowers. I didn’t give it much thought until I got home and received a message from my friend Christiane containing a photo of a small bouquet of flowers, similar to those I’d seen for sale. And this takes us to the last of the Paris celebrations of today, the Fête de Muguet, or Lily of the Valley Day. It is a tradition dating back to 1561 where people give small bouquets of Lily of the Valley to friends and loved ones.
While Parisians may debate Lilies vs Laborers, on this day I embraced both - and throw in the modern celebration of car-free Sundays. All three converged to make today a very wonderful and memorable way to welcome another month in Europe.
Today's ride: 15 miles (24 km)
Total: 545 miles (877 km)
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