Exploration en Anglais: La Défense

La Défense is Paris's business district. Technically, it's not even in Paris, but in the city of Puteaux. For that matter, it's not even in the same département as Paris. In fact, traveling from Paris to La Défense, one passes through two other municipalities before getting there. But none of that really matters, because La Défense is pretty much always considered part of Paris.

Before you get to all the sky-scrapers and the shopping mall(s?) and the famous arch, you pass through an odd no-man's-land of futuristic-looking apartment buildings and sculpted gardens and flower beds. There are art installations and sculptures and everything is clean and quiet. Very quiet. On a mild fall Saturday, I walked to La Défense, a pleasant 20-minute stroll across the Seine, where it's arm reaches back up and around Paris as it heads to the Atlantic.

What struck me was the utter emptiness of the place. Complex after complex of trendy-looking apartment buildings, quiet gardens (lots of cement, of course, but tasteful) and giant pieces of art, but hardly a person in sight. There were some carrying their groceries, merely crossing through on their way elsewhere, a couple families or couples out for a stroll, and of course some tourists. In my whole walk, I saw maybe a dozen people. Not many more. The apartments are occupied during the week by the busy business people as they go about their jobs, but on the weekends, the place clears out. Everyone goes home.

Of course I'll have to check it out on a weekday!