La Greve

Just one word is enough to strike fear within the hearts of travelers across France. SNCF staged a massive grève on Wednesday so all trains ground to a halt, including the Paris metro. The picture says it all: the painful wait for the tramway, which was the only thing running in the city besides the new, auto-piloted metro line 14. Paris was paralyzed. Bumper-to-bumper red lights, crowds of commuters numb with cold. And when I headed to the Limoges university today, the students were also staging a strike. The halls were blocked off with piles of chairs; the walls plastered with angry literature. Next week, a different strike will keep me from class on Tuesday. Administration and teachers. It seems everybody wants to join the party.