Walk 20: La Route des Manifs

Today I added yet another first to my list of Paris first – my first protest! A group of us came out of the metro after reading all about how the Place de la République is the traditional site for French protests, and there was a demonstration, right before our very eyes. I got really excited when I really who was demonstrating, because it was the group Ni Putes ni Soumises (Neither Whores nor Submissives), who I had learned about in my European politics class last semester. As far as I understand, this group fights against using religion as an excuse for discrimination against women. I think they were protesting the burqa today, since everyone was wearing read hoods, and they a few people climbed up onto the statue to cover the sculptures in black cloth. Pretty exciting stuff.

We went over to the canal, which was built in the early 1800s, but it was a little anticlimactic, even if it was pretty. Then we worked our way down to the Place de la Bastille, where a large greenish column honors those who died in the 1830 Revolution, before finishing up along the Viaduc des Arts and outside the Opéra Bastille.