It's a funny bird parked at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
Daubed with blue and white, a duck in a striped sweater on its side: Marcel the Duck is a bus like no other.
Equipped with a propeller and four wheels, it is an amphibious bus.
"The first bus of this category in France", assures Paul Michel, founder with Philippe Mallet, of the Canards de Paris, and owner of Marcel.
Marcel has been traveling the streets of Paris since the beginning of July… And does not go unnoticed.
"People are debating whether it is a boat-themed bus or whether it is an amphibious bus," explains Paul Michel.
Once on board, his double helmet land and sea is obvious: the seats sit alongside the bright orange life jackets.
20-minute cruise on the Seine
10 am: the tour starts.
For 1h40, the guide goes on anecdotes interspersed with quizzes and karaoke session.
On the Champs-Élysées Joe Dassin echoes and in front of the Parc des Princes, passengers shout loudly "Go Paris Saint-Germain".
Suddenly, on the outskirts of the Isle of Monsieur (92), the bus deviates from its route.
Life jackets are distributed to children and the music of Pirates of the Caribbean sounds.
It's time for the "splash!"
», The plunge into the Seine.
The amphibious vehicle takes off and rolls down the slope that leads to the water.
A spray of water sweeps the windshield of the duck bus and the passengers applaud.
Now Marcel is floating.
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For 20 minutes, passengers will be able to discover the Seine from the barges.
At the helm: Jérôme, a member of the Canards de Paris who had to pass six permits to launch this amphibian.
“I am more comfortable on the water than on the road.
Fewer dangers, pedestrians or bicycles, ”says the driver.
Then Marcel comes out of the water. The passengers applaud. On board with her family, Soraya is delighted with the visit: “It's very interesting. It's a tour that we wouldn't have done on our own, we discovered a lot of places and, as a bonus, the explanations of a super nice guide ”. Price of the ride