Parisians take a step in the Seine river after the ban of a century Blogging Sole

Shout “He’s hot!” Sanded through the Seine on Saturday morning while the Parisians moved into the river for the first time in more than 100 years.

The emblematic navigable track of the French capital has been closed to swimmers since 1923, with a few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation.

After a cleaning project of $ 1.5 billion linked to the Olympic Games last yearManagers say that the Seine meets European water quality standards most of the time.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has already made a dive last yearwas there on Saturday morning, holding a transparent bottle filled with river water as a demonstration of confidence. Confirmed environmental authorities bacteria levels were below the official thresholds.

“It’s a childhood dream of having people swimming in the Seine,” she said, according to AFP.

Public swimming is authorized in the designated areas of the Seine, including two newly built wooden terraces near the Eiffel Tower and Île Saint-Louis in the center of Paris. Before sunrise, a municipal officer failed the last plots of algae with one? Shortly after, a line of eager Parisians was formed, towels in hand, waiting for their chance to jump.

Woos and cries of joy echoed through the banks while the first swimmers entered emerald green water.

Each swimmer wore a bright yellow life buoy attached around his size, part of strict safety measurements applied by a dozen rescuers in high -visibility vests. The current was low, just enough to slowly shoot their members – a reminder that it is always a living urban river.

“It’s so pleasant to swim in the heart of the city, especially with the high temperatures we have recently,” said Amine Hocini, a 25 -year -old building worker in Paris. “I am surprised because I thought it was going to be cooler and in fact, it is much warmer than I thought.”

Taking a dive outside the designated areas is still prohibited for security reasons.

From the bridge, the tourists and the morning joggers stopped to look. Some have applauded while swimmers climbed the steel, smiling and dripping scales. Others, like François Fournier, remained skeptical.

“I will not risk it frankly,” said Fournier, who lives at the top of the banks and observed the scene from a bridge over. “I saw things that you cannot imagine floating in the Seine, so I will wait for it to be really grumpy.”

Floating debris are always based here and there – a wandering sheet, plastic packaging – but the smell was barely noticeable: no smell of strong wastewater, just a earthy perfume and river.

“It’s so chic to swim in the Seine, next to the Île Saint-Louis,” said Lucile Woodward, 43, a resident. “There are apprehensions, of course, whenever you are going to swim somewhere, but I think it is one of the most tested areas around the world now. I don’t think the town hall can afford to have problems.”

She added laughing: “My skin is fine.”

The promise to raise the swimming ban dates back to 1988, when the mayor of Paris and the future president, Jacques Chirac, first pleaded for his overthrow.

“One of my predecessors, then mayor of Paris, dreamed of a seine where everyone could swim,” wrote President Emmanuel Macron XDescribing this decision as the result of a “collective effort” and a moment of “pride” for France.

With Record temperatures Struck in Europe, including the hottest June second in France since the start of records in 1900, the authorities said they expect the Parisians to embrace a refreshing swimming. The swimming points will be opened until August 31.

AFP

contributed to this report.