New Video: The booksellers of Paris.
News on the fuel strike below.
Link to video available in my bio or my YouTube channel @ThisFrench.Life.
On this beautiful day, I took videos of the “Bouquinistes,” the booksellers of Paris. These unique booksellers of old and second-hand books sell in these green boxes installed on a large part of the quays of the River Seine.
The tradition of second-hand booksellers began in Paris around the 16th century with market peddlers. Under pressure from booksellers, a settlement of 1,649 prohibited stalls and displays of books were found on the Pont Neuf.
The term “bouquiniste” appeared in the dictionary of the Académie française in 1762.
In 1859, the city of Paris implemented concessions, and the #bouquiniste were permitted to be established at fixed points. Each one was entitled to 10 meters of railing for an annual fee of 26,35 F and a 25 F license. The openings were from sunrise to sunset.
Finally, in 1930 the dimensions of the “boxes” were fixed.
Installed along more than three kilometers of the Seine and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, the 240 bouquinistes use 900 “green boxes” to house some 300,000 old books and a significant number of journals, stamps, and trading cards.
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As promised, here is news about the current fuel strike that you can pass along to friends and family traveling to France at the moment.
𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨! 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.
Strikes by fuel industry employees have led to fuel shortages around France. Travelers may find:
· Gas stations closed, particularly Total and Esso
· Long lines — some lasting several hours — for gas stations that are open
· Fuel rationing in some parts of the country
· Bans on filling fuel cans
· Limited availability of taxis, rental vehicles, and some buses
· For prepurchased travel, including tours, the possibility of cancellations or changes
October 18th – The train drivers’ strike is, for the moment, only a one-day action. This will concern both SNCF and the #Paris metro.