Who would not want to wear rose-colored glasses these days? Nine months into this pandemic, the virus continues to create chaos, our lives are still in limbo, and we still can’t see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Although France successfully flattened the curve through a strict confinement last spring, the number of infections rose exponentially after the summer vacations. After enacting curfews in large cities for a couple of weeks in October, the French government ordered another lockdown: it seems to be the only way to contain the virus propagation before all ICU beds are filled with Covid patients. Winter is coming and there will be tough months ahead.
Blessed are the dogs who know nothing about the nasty virus. Here is Lily surveying the edge of our woods. For her, life is as normal as ever. April 2020.
To shake off the blues, I binge-watched the Netflix series Emily in Paris and I was almost shocked to realize that everything looked so normal, except for her positively palatial chambre de bonne. How refreshing to see Parisians going about their life without face masks, colorful cafés packed with patrons, and fashion shows crowded with attendees close to each other! The first season was filmed in the second half of 2019 and the showrunners may have to wait a year or two before Emily can return to her charmed life in the City of Light. Since nobody needs to read a whiny post about the disruption and distress caused by the virus, I decided to showcase some of the positive things that I’ve observed over the past few months. Join me for a feel-good visual tour!
A very familiar sight for Emily’s fans: this hotel –and its fantastic glass and iron marquise– stands across from her office. November 2018.
Everybody knows how to REALLY wash their hands now
Next time someone greets you with a handshake –whenever that might happen– you will no doubt appreciate that our collective hygiene standards have substantially improved. Sales of Marseille soap have gone through the roof. Ah! It may just compensate for the disappearing use of lipstick.
But, but, but… where is the hand sanitizer? Photographed at Musée Rodin, October 2010.
Fashion is dead, long live fashion
On March 25th, my mother asked her sister-in-law to sew a cloth mask for her: it had to be maroon to match her purse and shoes! If an 88-year-old woman cared that much about the color of her mask, it was inevitable that face coverings would become the next hot fashion accessory. Predictably, the latest sartorial trend was in full display during Fashion Week last month. Of course, fashion houses will have to peddle many, many designer masks to make up for lackluster sales in other categories. I predict that, next year, all models will walk the runways wearing black leggings and fancy Zoom shirts, blouses, or jackets.
How about a stunning embroidered jacket for your next Zoom call? Spotted on rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, October 2016.
Thinking locally
In the early days of the pandemic, I kept waiting for signs of coordinated action, at least at the European level; I was dismayed when the EU hardly lifted a finger to help Italy. In my opinion, the French government’s efforts to blunt the economic impact were solid: massive layoffs were avoided, at least initially. Most of all, it warmed my heart to witness so many displays of solidarity at the local level. Cities and villages got quickly organized to check on elderly and vulnerable people, running errands or picking up medicines for them. We supported farmers who set up distribution points for local produce. We ordered take-out food from restaurants who had never offered such service before (check this post to see what one of my local “take-out” meals looked like.) And, of course, we collectively made cloth masks for the whole village in March, at a time when disposable ones were not available to the general public.
It takes a village, and detailed instructions… April 2020.
Small is beautiful
Les spectacles vivants like theater, dance, music, sports were all but canceled. Some large productions found creative ways to bring their performances in front of an anxious public during the spring lockdown, either on their websites or through French TV. By summer, many artists were later able to resume their shows albeit on a much smaller scale. Musicians were quite active indeed: they often set up by the terrace of local restaurants so we could safely enjoy a good meal and a concert. The city of Gourdon closed the circular boulevard to car traffic and organized street entertainment every Thursday evening; it could be used as a stage for a large swath of entertainers including Brazilian dancers, clowns, magicians, storytellers, and more.
La Bedoune performing en terrace at the Hostellerie de Goujounac, August 2020.
Everyone is an artist
Social media is often decried but it enabled everybody, famous or not, talented or not, to showcase their artistic endeavors: playing the cello on a balcony, dancing Swan Lake in a bathtub, building action figures with toilet rolls and chips packets… Perhaps my favorite series was the Getty Museum Challenge that prompted humorous recreations of famous paintings avec les moyens du bord. Rick was a good sport and indulged me when I staged him as my very own Lapin Agile.
A favorite painting and my favorite guy. June 2020.
The Call of the Wild
City dwellers were forced to reevaluate the value of their lodging choices: small (and expensive) quarters may be fine when restaurants, museums, and parks are waiting to welcome you but will feel unbearable when a whole family has to share 700 square feet, 23 hours a day, for 55 consecutive days. Parisians who were lucky enough to own a second home in the country quickly exited the city to settle into their résidence secondaire, as long as WiFi coverage was decent enough. It may or may not be a long-term exodus: only time will tell. But, based on my conversations with local agents, the real estate market here is very lively and they just don’t have enough properties to offer. Many French rural areas that saw their population dwindle during the past few decades will enthusiastically welcome a fresh influx of younger working professionals.
Too late! This medieval timbered house in old Gourdon sold in June…
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose
You’ve got to love the French who were nevertheless making plans for their vacations while the epidemic was raging in April: les vacances sont sacrées! They mostly chose to stay in France (not that there was much of a choice…) and headed out to la montagne, la campagne, or la plage. For those who opted for the seaside, this was a great opportunity to (re)discover beaches in Northern France and Brittany that are not as popular as those on the Mediterranean. It’s clear that the French are in no mood to sacrifice their vacations –even during a pandemic– but it’s nice to see tourism money sprinkled all over the country.
The French do love the beach! Avoid July and August to “enjoy” more social distancing. Piémanson, in the Camargue area. October 2017.
Bicycle kick
Trying to avoid mass transportation, city dwellers are rediscovering the many health benefits of riding bicycles: physical distancing AND exercise! Paris and other large cities are encouraging this trend and adding bike lanes. In many regions, substantial subsidies are in place as incentives to purchase electric bicycles (we bought a couple of them and our net cost was 20% of MSRP.) Although bicycle use helps lower pollution indexes, I suspect many riders will flock to buses or the métro as soon as the weather turns nasty. In related news, sales of gas-thirsty converted vans and campers are through the roof, with a 6 to 10-months wait until delivery of a new vehicle. Win some, lose some…
We love our new electric bikes! Payrignac, October 2020.
Nouveaux maux, nouveaux mots
New words are invented all the time and merely reflect new technologies and human activities. Old words that we didn’t even know suddenly invade our everyday conversations. By now, everybody knows about nose swabs (écouvillons) and N95 masks (masques FFP2). We practice social distancing (distanciation sociale) to avoid superspreaders (super propagateurs). We wear our Zoom shirt (chemise visio) while holding videoconferences (visio conférences) with colleagues. And when it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, we can toast our friends with a Skype apéro or a coronapéro. Unlike George Orwell’s Newspeak in 1984, this novlangue doesn’t aim to suppress individual thinking; it just underlines that we all share the same concerns, at the same moment.
France is a divided country: are you Rosé or Ricard? Chez moi, August 2020.
A new way to travel?
For some lucky travelers, the pandemic offered a rare chance to explore popular locations without the usual crush of tourists; for the majority of us, it meant cancellations galore. 2020 will be remembered as the epitome of armchair travel. Thanks to Facebook, YouTube, and other apps, I’ve enjoyed virtual tours to many destinations, old and new. Whether filmed by locals or professional tour guides, these videos keep me in the travel loop: exploring, learning, dreaming. Perhaps they even force me to see more of the world, not less; to watch with more intent and wonderment; and to select my future destinations with more insight and desire. Who knows what next year has in store for me. The good all USA remain high on my list, of course. Vietnam was booked, canceled, postponed; perhaps on track for late 2021. And the light of Venice still haunts me: I must return. Besides, I hear La Serenissima has a fantastic selection of beautiful masks…
Where will you be going next?
It takes a city, and centuries of craftsmanship. Venice, October 2019.
Vocabulary
Le confinement: lock-down
La chambre de bonne: maid’s quarters (usually a tiny bedroom under Parisian rooftops)
Le spectacle vivant: live show (performing arts)
Avec les moyens du bord: lit. with the means at hand; with what we have on hand
La residence secondaire: country home
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose: the more it changes, the more it stays the same
Les vacances sont sacrées: vacations are sacred
La montagne: the mountains
La campagne: the countryside
La plage: the beach
Nouveaux maux, nouveaux mots: new ailments, new words
To feed your dreams of Paris and plan your next trip, please consider buying a copy of my book Moments Parfaits in Paris, where you’ll explore every arrondissement through forty photographs and essays. Hint: it’s also a thoughtful holiday gift for this dear Francophile friend of yours… When you purchase the book, I will mail you a signed bookmark from France and stamp your envelope with this stunning timbre Trésors de Notre-Dame. Merci! Your support helps me maintain this blog.
Buy a copy of Moments Parfaits in Paris: I'll mail you (from France) a signed bookmark in an envelope bearing this collectible Trésors de Notre-Dame stamp!