Paris CNN —Back in the 1980s, when I first began living in Paris, I once had to clamber onto the tiny exterior staircase that surrounds the Eiffel Tower and is used to paint or repair it. Still, at that time, nothing could have impelled me to risk a swim in that other iconic Parisian sight — the Seine River — not without a full biohazard suit. Today’s Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has made a similar promise, and local authorities have put 1.4 billion euros ($1.55 billion) behind it. Paris has indeed made strides in cleaning up its famous river — water samples from June showed “excellent results” in complying with European regulation, according to city hall. In 1972’s “Last Tango in Paris,” Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider first meet on a Seine bridge.

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