From Eldest Daughter in Paris. “The result is that the Sorbonne’s been closed – surrounded by concrete barriers and surrounded by police – for nearly three weeks now.”
From K, in a tiny village 15 minutes’ drive outside Montpellier: “This morning as I was trying to drive our daughter to school, I found that about 50 college students were standing in the middle of the train tracks we normally cross on our route. Not only could no trains pass, but no cars either.”
From RelevantGirl in Southern France: “The US government is urging Americans to avoid demonstrations (um, yeah!). But all in all, if you are traveling here in the next few weeks during this heightened state of protest, I really, really wouldn’t worry about it.”
The worst I had to put up with the year I lived in France was a PTT greve. It was impossible to get money from home. I had to take the bus to Germany and pick up mail Poste Restante, general delivery. My folks knew someone traveling to Heidleberg so they gave him some money for me. I took the train there and traveled back to Strasbourg with the cash. I was convinced I was going to lose it but I didn’t. This was before the wide spread use of credit cards. One of the kids in the group had an American Express card. The rest of us were living day to day. She is right — ils sont fous, ces Gaulois!