Hans Nijsen is a Belgian blogger living in Paris. He visits Paris Plage every year. His blog.

I normally go to the plage at the beginning of the week, because later it's just crazy. It's the only way to avoid the queues - although we can't complain about them when it's free. I think it's a great place to have a nice stroll. Last weekend I wanted to try the pool but it was closed for some reason. That's a shame, because a swim on the quay would be great. I tried out a Segway, the two wheeled personal transporter thing. The whole thing's just wonderful when you can't get on holiday.

It also gives a good reputation to foreigners in Paris. It changes the classic view of Paris being old and full of museums. I know the project's been copied in Belgium and Berlin, but Paris will always be Paris."

Serge Federbusch is a former adviser to Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë. He's a local right-wing politician. His blog.

This project is environmentally unfriendly. The whole thing doesn't turn up on a barge like the organisers would have us believe. It's a much more weighty operation than they say it is. That's why the quays are closed a week before the opening - it's a carnival of trucks and lorries for that week.

Then, when the plage is actually there, traffic jams are caused by the vehicles that would normally be driving on the quay, at a time of year when we should be able to get some fresh air because most of the city is on holiday.

This event is the just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to life in Paris. It's a kind of temporary smokescreen. Paris Plage, Velib [low cost bike hire throughout the city], or these white-nights [when the city's attractions and museums are open all night] are all publicity stunts. When you look at the city of Paris, it seems like nothing but parties, sand and palm trees. The council house is becoming an events organiser. We'd do better to sort out the run-down metro lines than to promote a bicycle system that only benefits a small amount of the population.

All this sweet-talk about the beach costing us nothing is rubbish. The sponsors only finance up to a million euros, so that leaves us with two million to pay. We can't get hold of the real figures because of data protection. And some of the sponsors have mixed incomes, so if they're partly state funded, it means the tax payer is dishing out anyway! Another thing - visitor numbers. They're laughable! To say that 3.8m people go each year would be multiplying the real amount by 20. It's pure propaganda produced by the mayor; driven by press attention and motivated by not one of the essential objectives of the city of Paris."

Photos by G. Fontaine.

Photos by Hans Nijsen.

Photos posted on Flickr by "Rocknpol".