You might want to pack your swimwear next time you visit Paris. For the first time in more than a century, the once-polluted River Seine is swimmable again following a years-long clean-up and a long-overdue upgrade to the sewage system that was first floated back in the 1980s.
Under the watchful eye of lifeguards, bathers last week plunged into three swimming areas – one near Notre Dame Cathedral, another near the Eiffel Tower and a third in eastern Paris. Talk about scenic backdrops.
The long-awaited return of swimming to the Seine marks a major turnaround for the iconic river, which has also seen a revival of local wildlife. But Paris is not alone in revitalising its waterway.
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