The 60th anniversary of NATO is being celebrated in Strasbourg on Apr 3-4. The big news is that Obama is coming and bringing 850 of his closest friends with him for the fete.
It affects us too. We cannot get access to the city centre because we live 10 metres too far. Not even a little exaggeration. Had we lived across the 10 m bridge, we could've had access to downtown, and thus the best baguette place I know (which also, I recently discovered, makes kick ass almond croissants), the grocery store (and yes, there are others but this one is the cheapest and most convenient), and the source for all things gluten-free (this one will easily be remedied before the doors officially close). The only way to get access is if you live in the city centre. So there are people at Axel's school whose girlfriends do not live in the city and thus have had to cancel their visits.
And here's how it affects the rest of the city. This email is from Axel's school.
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NATO summit: Things to know:
4000 journalists, 40000 inhabitants with badges, 50000 barriers, 30000 anti-NATO demonstrators…
Only the inhabitants and those who get a badge can have access to the orange zone. The green points are the entries of this zone. Police controls at every entries.
The sewers will be temporarily closed, the garbage cans removed, the advertising hoardings in the bus stations under high control or closed.
1000 firemen with 300 vehicles.
More chlorine in the water (only in some specific areas), to avoid hostile actions…
Many institutions will be closed (see the list in the attached document):
-Schools
-Swimming pools
-Stadium
-Gymnasium
-Tennis court
-Petanque areas
-Other
Road abnormalities
Airport will be closed on Saturday afternoon
Train station: No train from Strasbourg to Kehl on Saturday from 0:00 to 10:15 am (replaced by buses)
No boats
Border controls on the Kehl Bridge from 20 March to 5 April.
Friday, March 27, 2009
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3 comments:
My goodness! Stock the freezer & rent some space movies!
Sonia
Hi,
I happened to stumble across your blog while searching for a vegetarian restaurant in Strasbourg before I visit. (My daughter is a Concordia student and is currently doing an exchange year at Marc Bloch - now seriously hampered by the ongoing university strike).
Anyway,as I say, i stumbled across your blog and have really enjoyed reading about your adventures from a Canadian perspective. In particular, your dealings with French bureaucrazy (your spelling, I believe) are almost identical to my daughter's experience (the bank card letter for example) and it has been somewhat reassuring to know that others have encountered the same legendary layers of French redtape.
Anyway, i just wanted to thank you for sharing your experience and for the information (poele de carotte and Vitana in particular). I'll look forward to checking them out and I wish you all the best during your stay in Alsace.
sincerely,
andrew from Montreal
Hi Andrew! Thanks for the comments. France is really different from Canada. I hope your daughter enjoys this city, because it really is spectacular. If you have any questions, let me know and I'll see if I can help!
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