The Journey Ahead

This book invites you to explore France through its waterways—to understand how these ribbons of water have shaped and continue to shape the nation. We'll travel from source to sea, from ancient times to an uncertain future, always keeping our focus on the human stories that bring these waters to life.

We'll meet the people who live by, work on, and love these rivers. We'll explore how different communities have found meaning and sustenance in these waters. We'll examine the challenges—pollution, climate change, competing demands for water use—and celebrate the solutions being pioneered by diverse voices across the country.

Most importantly, we'll discover that the story of French rivers is not a tale of the past but a continuing narrative in which we all play a part. Whether you're a longtime resident or a recent arrival, whether your family has lived by these waters for centuries or you're seeing them for the first time, these rivers belong to you. They are part of the shared heritage that makes France what it is—a nation defined not by uniformity but by the beautiful diversity of its flowing waters and the people who cherish them.

As we embark on this journey together, remember that every river begins with a single drop of water. Similarly, the great story of French waterways is composed of millions of individual stories—including, perhaps, your own. Let's discover them together.# The Seine - Paris's Lifeline

The Seine begins its 777-kilometer journey as a trickle in the Langres plateau of Burgundy, at a modest spring marked by an artificial grotto built by Napoleon III. From these humble beginnings, it grows into the most culturally significant river in France, a waterway that has shaped the destiny of a nation and continues to pulse through the heart of its capital like a vital artery.