Greve

Post season berries gone to seed

Greve...it's not a word many Americans know, even in English--Strike!  I am old enough to remember threatened strikes at GM or Ford by the United Auto Workers, and the invocation of the Taft-Hartley Act, way back when. Remember the air traffic controllers' strike back in the 80's?  I know there was, if not exactly a strike, a work slow-down at the West Coast docks within the past year, but aside from a few local school districts in Oregon,  the concept and inconveniences of a strike are unfamiliar to most.

During my time in France, it's a word and an action I have come to know, if not well, at least better.  My friends the Moffits had a first hand encounter with one when they tried to leave Carcassonne to start the next leg of their European journey.  The trains out of Carcassonne were on strike, which resulted in an extra night's stay in Carcassonne and hastily amended travel plans.

Berry leaves showing autumn color

Now we are in the midst of a bus strike, which has affected a lot of us here in the city.  School children who usually ride the city buses to school are getting an unexpected holiday from classes.  Shoppers are being denied the wonders of Leclerc and the big commercial zone stores, because without a car, it's too far to walk to get that giant sized package of Coke or paper towels. (Or in the case of one man I see regularly, his one hot meal a day, maybe his only meal for the day at the Leclerc cafeteria.) There's a lesson there, guys:  learn how to heat up a can of soup or scramble an egg!

I knew the strike was scheduled for yesterday, Monday.  While my speaking skills are still infantile, I can read, and I never miss the daily paper, so thankfully I knew better than to try to get out to the SFR store yesterday.  I need to recharge my mobile phone and discuss their spotty service, and maybe change over to Orange.  (Another mobile provider here in France) But I need to take the bus to get to any SFR or Orange store, now that they have all moved their stores out to the commercial zones.

But the strikers have told us no service until at least Thursday.  The city looks and sounds deserted without the bus traffic, so perhaps today is a great day for a bike ride.  I had two great conversations--one at the bus stop and the other at the bus office. Sometimes I am amazed that I, a foreigner in this town, know what's going on and some locals do not. Thank you, La Depeche, for keeping me up to date.  

Sunlight from the underside of a berry leaf

I ended up going to Monoprix for my laundry soap and toothpaste, and after I factor in the time and the cost of the bus, the price wasn't that much more expensive.  I got in a nice walk, stopped at the market for some apples to make a crisp this afternoon, chatted with Marie at the tabac, and exchanged hellos with my friends at the boucherie.  Who needs a bus, really?

And yes, I know the photos and the narrative are unrelated.  But these photos are more interesting than photos of deserted bus stops.  I took these along the fence row up at la Cite last week.