The Passerelle Solferino, a bi-level pedestrian bridge connecting the Musée d’Orsay and the Tuleries Gardens, now has a new name. Not that the maps have caught up. I was meeting a friend there last night, and I know Paris pretty well by now so I was sure I was on the right bridge, but the sign now says "Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor". I checked my little Paris par Arrondissement map, and it still says "Solferino". Apparently the name changed in October 2006 to commemorate the birth of the Sengalese writer, poet and politician Léopold Sédar Senghor (he was the first president of Senegal in 1960 when the African country won its independence from France).
Of course all French people know his name, so it’s easy to remember. For Anglophone tourists, I fear it may be a mouthful…in any case all of the maps will probably say Solferino until they’re updated. You may also see the bridge listed in guidebooks because it’s a great place to picnic (and much less crowded than the Passerelle des Arts), so take note.
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