Life goes on, though security is beefed up

An information board about climate change is seen on a bridge near the Eiffel Tower ahead of the Climate Change Conference, in Paris, France, on Saturday. [Photo/Agencies]

In a cab from the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to my hotel, the driver told me I was lucky to arrive on Saturday as the highway from the airport will be closed in the coming two days when more than 100 world leaders will be coming to Paris.

I inquired if he knew what exactly would bring so many leaders together in Paris, and he said the leaders will be here to attend an ecological exhibition or something like that.

There is no surprise that he does not know many details about the United Nations two-week Climate Change Conference beginning on Monday. I hardly saw any logos, posters or banners about the conference, either in the airport or on my way to the hotel.

As a journalist who has reported on climate talks for several years, I feel a slight sense of loss. I remembered the conference logo was almost everywhere in some other hosting cities.

But the Le Bourget metro station, the closest station to the Paris Le Bourget conference center in northeast Paris, is marked with the conference's logo, Paris2015, as a reminder. Public transport will be free in Paris on Sunday and Monday to allow people to travel during peak periods of the conference.

The soccer stadium, the Stade de France, that was one of the targets during the terrorist attacks across Paris on Nov 13, is just several kilometers away from where the climate conference is to be held.

I think many visitors were a bit nervous about security before they arrived, just as I was. The driver told me, "It is safe everywhere. The TV talks a lot about the attacks, but for me I didn't see any difference, you will see. "

An hour later, when I sat in the lobby of the small hotel I am staying in and looked out the window, I felt quite relieved.

In five minutes, I saw many passers-by－young parents with kids in strollers, a man with his dog, young ladies carrying shopping bags, and people returning public hire bikes.

It's just a usual Saturday. It's still the same city with lots of people sitting in coffee shops on the street and enjoying their leisure time.

The staff of the hotel also said there was no reason to feel scared. "Paris is very safe now. The city has much bigger security forces patrolling its streets," one told me.

A planned Paris march during the climate talks was canceled at the request of the police due to security concerns.

The conference venue has also increased its security.

I believe Paris is on the list of the most charming cities to visit. As Ernest Hemingway wrote, "Paris is a movable feast." I hope its security returns completely soon so it can be a lovely place once again.