May Day in France 2023

May Day in France is different from May Day in the US.  It’s not about children leaving May Day bouquets on front doors or kitchen tables.  Yes, it does include exchanging Mugets (lilies of the valley), but it’s also Labor Day in France.  May Day in France occurs on the 1^st of May.  It is a date full of symbols in France and throughout Europe.  It is the day of parades, demonstrations, and trade union protests for many French people.

Curious about why the French are protesting so vehemently against raising the retirement age from 62 to 64??  Especially when most of the western world’s retirement age is 2-3 years higher than 64?  We had an interesting conversation about that today with some French friends.  It turns out that to the French, the issue is a lot broader than just a couple of years of work.  It really represents the unease we see in a lot of the Western world about work-life balance, and more importantly, the ecological health of our world.   

Muguet and French Flag in our Apartment

There is a real concern that society is not moving fast enough to address either of these concerns, and many people are determined to make their voices heard.  French people who have not participated in a street protest since college days are planning on turning out tomorrow, May first, a traditional day to celebrate the value brought to society by the efforts of workers at all levels.

For this reason, this day and event may mark a turning point for France’s government and society in how its structure appears to address these concerns.  As is common with many pivotal historical moments, big change may result from concerns that have not been clearly articulated or understood. 

The entire viability of M. Macron’s government may hinge on how large and sustained these demonstrations are.  If people in the streets can convince enough people not to keep the wheels of commerce and government moving, then the country may grind to a halt.  If such a thing were to occur for any significant period of time, then M. Macron would find himself unable to govern.  His term has four more years to run, but if parliament votes no-confidence in the government, then new elections for parliament would have to take place.  The result may be a president [Macron] and a parliament that cannot agree to work together on any issue, so everything could come to a halt. 

Observe how many people turn out May 1, and at subsequent protest events in May.  Stay tuned.

The Continuing Story of David's Velo Electrique

Anna and David arrived at Decathlon about 1PM.  They looked at the display bicycles and noticed that David’s model was not visible on display.  So, they waited patiently for a Decathlon bike department staff person to become available.  About 1:15PM, Anna’s French cell phone rang.  The call was from our French daughter, Estelle.  As the store was quite noisy, Anna had some difficulty understanding what Estelle was saying.

But – once Estelle raised her voice, and Anna covered her other ear, Anna heard Estelle say that her husband Laurent had just received a call from the French police saying they had David’s bike!  {The police called Laurent, because Laurent had purchased the bike for David as he had a connection with a friend at Decathlon. As discussed in a previous post, Laurent is a bike enthusiast and had advised David on the purchase.}  Luckily the bill of sale, which David had kept, had both names on it.  The bike also was a decathlon brand with a serial number that Decathlon was able to connect to the original sale.  At this point, only about an hour and a half had elapsed since the bike had disappeared. 

Estelle said she would text a police phone number to David and Anna and that they needed to connect with the French police so David would know where to go to reclaim the bike.

David is not very good at communicating in French on the phone because the speaker’s face is not visible. Again, fortuitously, Laurent knew this and had communicated to the police that they would need an English-speaker available.  David and Anna headed back to the apartment where they assembled the items they would need to reclaim the bike – bike equipment so David could ride it home, the bill of sale and other documents proving ownership of the bike [always save your receipts – you never know…].  The phone rang and it proved to be the French National Police, with someone who spoke some English.  Between David’s French and the officer’s English, they understood that David was to go to National Police Commissariat for the 7^th and 8^th Arrondissements of Lyon.  

The Cut Cable Lock

After initially going to the wrong location, David and Anna arrived at the imposing building housing the Commissariat at about 2:35PM.  After being admitted to the building, checking in, with David’s identification, we were told to take a seat.  After about 10-15 minutes, a policewoman emerged and lead us through a maze of passageways to a small office she shared with another officer.  She then took the bill-of-sale documents and began typing into her computer.  Another officer [English-speaking] was brought in to clarify a few points, David’s vital information was obtained – citizenship, date and place of birth, place of permanent residence, time in France, age [ouch], etc. David was asked where the bike had disappeared from, where David and Roger were at the time of disappearance, when the bike was last seen, whether David had in fact sold the bike, as the perp claimed that he had bought it at a flea market.  Had the bike been locked, [yes with a cable lock, which information produced a bit of an eye-roll from the officer] was David acquainted with the person claiming to have bought it, [no], had David observed anyone touching or near the bike while he and Roger were in the restaurant, [no], David was asked if he wanted to depose a complaint for theft [yes]. David was informed that he could ask for state aid to be recompensed for loss [losing only an inadequate lock and half-a-day is just punishment for not adequately securing the bike].  The officer finished typing the document, printed it, had David review and sign it, and gave him a copy.  With that, David was reunited with the wayward bicycle, and rode it back to the apartment after seeing Anna on to the bus.  All this before 4PM – the bike had been gone less than 4-1/2 hours!  Gotta love the efficiency of the French police [round up the usual suspects?]

The Record of the Interrogation of David

David and Bike Reunited outside Police Commissariat

More details – the bike was recovered in Oullins, just outside Lyon, with only about 8 more kilometers on it.  The perp could not have had possession for more than an hour, and a report of a stolen bike had not been filed!!

Adventures in Bike Trip Planning

 In which Roger and David get together for coffee at a restaurant at Place Ambroise Courtois to further plan for their traditional annual bike ride in France.

As you may remember, before covid, Roger, David, Gerard, and Tom would plan and execute a trip to an area of France where they would spend 5-6 days on their bicycles touring some scenic and interesting area of France.  They have visited such places as the Loire Valley, the Canal de Bourgogne, the Vendee, and the Canal du Midi.  You may also remember that they have all graduated to electric-assist bicycles.  Last year, David bought his own electric-assist bike and did some riding around the Lyon area. 

Various issues within the group prevented them from attempting their usual annual bike trip last year, but this year they decided to re-start the tradition.  Tom lives in Britain, so Roger, Gerard, and David began the planning and preparation of this year’s excursion.  Via emails and face-to-face discussions, they narrowed down the area for the trip to cycling in the Lac Leman [Lake Geneva] – Lac de Bourget - Lac d’Annecy area.  They will take the train, with bikes, from Lyon to near Geneva, then ride between lakes, and at least partially around the last two lakes.

Roger and David met Monday, April 24, at 11:00AM, at the restaurant L’Industrie  near where Roger and Dominique live.  David rode over on his bike, as did Roger, as David intended to do some riding after coffee.  Roger and David locked their bikes to stanchions that the City of Lyon provides for securing bicycles and took a table inside where they could see the bikes.  They laid out a draft itinerary, with potential overnight stops, and distances for each day.  Every few minutes they would glance out at the bikes across the street. 

Exterior of L'Industrie

Interior photo - bikes through window and across street

They had begun to finalize plans and determine what further research was needed, when about 11:30, David noticed that his bike was gone!

Rushing outside, they discovered that David’s lock cable had been neatly cut, with the thief having evidently ridden off.  They were both a bit perturbed, with Roger, who has had bikes stolen in Lyon before, even more upset than David.  They stood around and discussed for a while, and then David decided he might as well head back to the apartment and start looking into getting a new bike.  [Not much benefit to calling the police, as bike thefts are endemic, and David had no hope of retrieving his bike.]

When David arrived back at the apartment, Anna asked where the bike was.  After breaking the news that the bike was gone, and they were out about $1300, David began to research a replacement on Decathlon’s [a major, nationwide, athletic equipment supplier] website.  He found that the same bike was on sale for 100 euros less than he had originally paid.  So, David and Anna headed for Decathlon, about a 10-minute walk away.

And now – the story gets REALLY interesting….

David's Bike

 As some of you might remember, last year David became the proud owner of his very own electric bike.  In the past, he had rented an electric bike for one of the bike adventures he and his three friends have enjoyed.  And, he became a believer!

Fortunately, Laurent, husband of our French “daughter” Estelle, is an avid biker and was ready to help David find the right bike for him. Laurent not only assisted David in researching electric bikes, but once they had found THE bike, he handled the whole transaction, assembled the bike, and set it up with various accessories.  And, while we were in the US, Laurent babysat the bike.

So, after we had been here in Lyon for a couple of days and were reasonably awake, we were ready to see Laurent and retrieve the bike.  Since Laurent and Estelle live close by in San Genis Laval, we just got on the metro then a bus, and we were there.  Needless to say, the bike was in perfect shape with its battery charged and was ready to go.  After a short visit with Laurent, David happily rode his bike back to our apartment.

Yes, David's bike does enjoy living in
our apartment when it's not out for a ride.  
(Battery is being charged.)

Since then, he has gone riding with two friends and rode over to have coffee with a friend today.  In fact, the purpose of the meeting over coffee is to plan this year’s bike trip for the same biking foursome.  This will be their first biking adventure since Covid, and they are all looking forward to it. 

BACK IN LYON

Sometimes things don't work out as intended no matter how much research and planning you've done.  For instance, just because you made your flight reservations way back in September, you are definitely not assured that your flight and seat assignments will be the same at the end of March.  Thus, our flight was much later in the day than originally scheduled, and our seats were not in the two-across section we had reserved.  But, as Mick says, "you can't always get what you want."

Fortunately, David was able to navigate the SNCF (train) website and successfully make the changes necessary to enable us to catch a TGV to get us to Lyon.  

And so we arrived at “our” apartment the evening of Saturday, April 1^st.  More than a little tired and bleary eyed.

By Monday morning we were getting somewhat acclimated, and Anna went across the street to the local boulangerie to get a couple of fresh, warm croissants for breakfast.  A very, very lovely French way to start a day!

Ah, yes, it's nice to be back in Lyon!

That's the boulangerie on the corner, just
across the street.
Photo taken from our front window.