“Considered by many the most romantic river in the world, the Seine is also smelly, murky and — after big Saturday nights — fringed with the filthy residue of partygoers. During huge rainstorms, 40 portholes dotting the river’s paved banks gush with sewage.”

OK, so who’s up for a swim?

Apparently a lot of people are and that may soon include Olympic swimmers. But before anyone commits to that one singular Seinesation, Parisians must complete a series monumental tasks. NYT (Gift Article): Olympic Swimming in the Seine? How Paris Is Remaking a River. “Organizers of the 2024 Summer Games promised a waterway clean enough for Olympic swimmers and then Parisians to swim in. The job was bigger than anyone knew.” Ceci n’est pas une cuvette des toilettes.