High and Dry

Last year, as a six-year old new to this "island living" thing we're doing here on Ile St. Louis, Pippa looked around the swollen Seine in all directions outside our "shores" and asked if we would float away. This, of course, seems a little preposterous, but it has looked a bit like that the past couple weeks.

You can see there's no walking along the Seine.

There is driving -- but only just in the last day or two. For weeks, there have been no cars on the roads along the Seine. How could there be? They would have had to run over the ducks and swans that were swimming all the way up to the base of the building in this picture. I must admit that it seemed like the waters would never recede, so I postponed getting the photo a bit too long, but take my word for it.

Pippa's fear (which, I should tell you, she did not have this year, despite bigger rains and floods) is not so totally unfounded. I mean, the islands aren't in danger of floating away, but they have been flooded in modern history. Once. In the 1910 Great Flood of Paris, which supposedly can't be repeated due to better dams and water control systems. Over a hundred years ago, the water did not actually overflow from the river, though the pictures nearly look like it, but rather came up through the sewers and subway tunnels and drains. Streets were covered, with the water about 20 feet above normal level, and people got around by little canoes. One can imagine how fabulous the city smelled.

photos from: http://www.vintag.es/2011/08/paris-flood-1910.html

The city measures floods by the "Zouave", a statue on one of the bridges (Pont de l'Alma) which was, in fact, underwater in the 1910 flood. The Zouave has remained happy and dry last year and this year -- despite this being the highest level for the Seine that anybody can remember. I'm glad these historical photos of the 1910 flood exist, but I'm also glad I'm not able to re-create them.

photo from: http://www.vintag.es/2011/08/paris-flood-1910.html