Only in Paris

Yesterday we decided to jump on the 69 bus to Champs de Mars to ogle the tourists at the Eiffel Tower - it's a great bus trip as it cuts through the Louvre and around Invalides (Napoleon's tomb) before arriving at it's destination. The tower as usual was most impressive and the flowers in the gardens nearby were magnificent. Afterwards we got the 42 bus to the peripherique where we changed to the PC1 (one of the buses/trams which circle around the city of Paris just inside the Peripherique - the main road which circles Paris and, from memory, is about 25kms across). About three stops later a lady got on and started having a discussion with the driver about the fare. Refusing to validate her ticket she moved to a seat while continuing her discussion with the driver. At this point another four passengers seated near her joined in and it became a major debate between them and with the driver so the driver pulled over, opened the door and got out of his seat to stand on the platform suggesting that the woman either validate her ticket or get off the bus. She eventually capitulated and validated her ticket after which the driver got back into his seat and continued the journey. The discussion however, continued unabated amongst the passengers for the next 10 minutes. There were obviously no hard feelings because when the lady finally got off the bus she walked up to the driver and thanked him with a big smile. Only in France would you find such a spirit of community amongst strangers on a bus - or a bus driver who takes such a practical, non aggresive solution.
When we arrived in Paris the plaza outside the Hotel de Ville (the Town Hall) had been converted into an ephemeral forest with hills, trees, grasses and shrubs and information about the various habitats and their importance to the environment. Then it was converted into a rock stadium for four days and now it is being changed once more - into a beach, complete with sand, beach volley courts and children's play area. During the French Open they build a tennis court for people to play on and an open grassed area with a large screen where the people can sit to watch the matches relayed from Rolan Garros. Nowhere else in the world have we seen a government go to so much trouble to create interactive spaces for the population - we suspect it is because most people live in small apartments and the government recognises the need to provide a living space for them (but then again perhaps it is more like ancient Rome).
There is also an interesting exhibition in the Hotel de Ville called, "Paris in the time of the Impressionists" which not only includes work from the Musee d'Orsay but also has rarely exhibited artist's drawings as well as architectural drawings and models - quite fascinating.
Another unusual thing is the way the French 'wrap' buildings under renovation and paint an image of the building on the outside of the material - this way the view is not disfigured by ugly scaffolding - it also adds an air of mystery as you don't really know what's going on behind the screen.
Work is progressing slowly and we are off to London tomorrow for a few days to dig around in the V&A and Kew Garden archives - perhaps we will find something unexpected and interesting to add to the puzzle.