Sirens blare and drivers swear, but Parisians keep calm and cycle on
As strikes bring a third week of transport chaos, people are digging out scooters, mopeds and long abandoned bicycles
The British like to claim exclusive rights on “Dunkirk spirit”– the ability to remain stoic and determined in a difficult situation. Today, after more than a fortnight of transport chaos and strikes over pension reforms, I can report that Parisians have shown themselves equally adept at keeping (reasonably) calm and carrying on in a crisis.
The French have their own D-word; “Système D”, standing for se débrouiller, meaning to find a way of doing something when you haven’t the means or material, or the more vulgar se démerder, to manage, get by, figure it out.