Nearly there...

France, currently under its third national lockdown, is set to lift restrictions on May 3rd. Relaxed travel rules are planned as of Monday on expectations that daily Covid-19 cases will soon begin falling, however, the nighttime curfew - now in place from 7pm to 6am - might be maintained.

Nine more days... a month ago it seemed like we were back to square one but this time things are looking a bit more promising. Restaurants are set to serve patrons outdoors from mid-May, while cinemas, theatres and museums will be opening with reduced capacity. This is huge since restaurants, cafés and bars have been shut since October 30th, 2020. 

The Covid case decrease remains fragile, so we'll need to wait for the government to give further details on the reopening during its weekly press conference on Thursdays.

I cannot wait to finally be allowed to sip a coffee on a "terrasse parisienne" for 6.- Euros a cup... it will be worth every penny for the first time.

Spring is in the air... and we are allowed out for some exercise.

Lovelocks are hard to come across without tourists in town

Three more weeks to go before this place will be buzzing again

Some bars are pretty even when closed

Full points for initiative and marketing

Hanging on to the belief that soon this place will be full of life again.

Easter under lockdown

It is Easter weekend... we were suppose to be in Madrid, maybe Ibiza with a bit of luck even in sunny Ticino. However, we are... once again... in lockdown... this time across all of France. Graciously we will not need to fill out a "justificatif de déplacement" every time we leave the house and we are allowed to venture out 10km rather than 1 km but nevertheless the Parisian have all but resigned and the mood is very subdued. 

All the French aggressiveness has been sucked out of the people. Obviously amiability is still not Parisians' forte but the city has become more liveable. The lack of millions of tourists has calmed the speed and intensiveness of daily routine. The city renowned as global center for art, fashion, gastronomy and culture is unrecognizable. We have now reached a point of utter monotony. All the reasons that make Paris such a unique city are not available... restaurants, bars, museums, cinemas, arenas, concert halls, monuments, galleries, shopping malls, exhibitions, tours, all gone since October 2020!!!!

Still Parisians are showing their defiance. The river banks are full to the rim with picnickers when the sun is shining (despite lockdown) and personal trainers are making a killing giving exercise classes in the parks... who would have ever believed that is what living in Paris boils down to?

Indeed, while the country's first lockdown a year ago meant closed parks and gardens as well as a stay-at-home order that allowed just a single hour a day for getting fresh air, France's latest lockdown encourages venturing outdoors. The new rules allow unlimited time outside within a 10-kilometre radius before the 7pm nationwide curfew and public green spaces remain open. The upshot: Easter egg hunts are allowed.

So, for those of you who have not fled town in search of greener pastures, enjoy your Easter Sunday in an usually quiet city known as Europe's most popular tourist city. Joyeuses Pâques!

A quick escape to Madrid

Parisians weary of their strict national lockdown are flocking over the border to Madrid, where bars and restaurants are open and people can stay outdoors until 10pm, even as COVID-19 batters Europe in a virulent third wave.

With France’s cultural venues shut, restaurants unable to serve meals on-site and a strictly-enforced 6pm curfew, leisure-seekers have eyed their southern neighbour’s capital and the Spaniards are everything but thrilled. 

Airports have been eerily empty and most duty free shops have been closed. Until recently you could breeze through customs (yes, IDs are required within the Schengen area again) and they whizzed you through the security check. Travelling hasn't been this easy since before 2001. 

As a regular commuter between Paris and Madrid, I have noted the increased activity as of late, the aircrafts are fuller and passengers look younger than usual?! 

It has been almost half a year, since Parisians could enjoy a drink on a terrace. The overriding feeling, traveling to Madrid, has been one of freedom. It must be said that mask-wearing and social distancing is much more respected here than in France. I consider myself lucky having a valid excuse and being able to escape to Spain regularly to get a taste of what life will hopefully look like again in the near future. 

Blue skies awaiting me in Spain

A welcome apertivo of Cava and truffle-flavoured chips

Waiting to serve clients on the terrace

A taste of Argentina

This is pure luxury

Enjoying the sun during a Sunday lunch

Buon appetito!

Suggerencias del dia

A funky bathroom

No day would be complete without an ice cream

 

Globetrotting and loving it!

Lockdown No.3

Well, twelve months on and we are back into lockdown - for the third time. Every time it's a little different and even if President Macron refuses to use the term "confinement" we all know how this will go down. No restaurants, bars, theatres, cinemas, discos, stadiums, galleries or any other social gatherings allowed for another 4 weeks.

The attestation is now TWO pages long and has so many option you do not know which one to tick without getting into trouble. Fortunately, even the government realized this and less than 24 hours later word has spread that we do not need an "attestation de deplacement" as long as we remain within a 10km radius of our home. Merci M. Castex.

Given you are allowed out the house for exercising, all of a sudden Parisian have become sporty. A year ago the population took to the bikes as our green city mayor took full advantage of the trend extending Paris' bike paths to over one thousand km... literally!

Today the river banks were overflowing with joggers, bikers, boxers, zumba dancers, yogis, weightlifters and capoeira athletes working out in the sun.

We will all be fit and ready to hit those restaurants when they finally open... in the meantime, my Swiss chocolate stock is diminishing rapidly as my exercise level intensifies.

A view down the Seine onto Le Grand Palais

All that is left of the tourists... lovelocks!

Working out in front of Musée d'Orsay

Picture perfect

Time for lunch on the go

Enjoying the last rays of sun...

before the clouds take over! 

A week in photos

Just your regular Parisian entrance by Hector Guimard (1867- 1942), French architect and designer, and a prominent figure of the Art Nouveau style.

Homage to Luís Vaz de Camões, Portugal's greatest poet.

One of the favorite points of photographers and considered the most beautiful staircase in the city.

The frothy double-decker Belle Epoque carousel sits right in front of the iconic Eiffel tower and is the perfect setting to take a souvenir snapshot.

A colourful riverboat is moored right below the Eiffel Tower.

Many a water-loving entrepreneur has turned their houseboat into a lovely business or venue.

The Wallace Fountains in Paris are named after Richard Wallace who designed and paid for these drinking water fountains. In 1870, 50 fountains were spread around the city. Today, there are around 120 of them, dotted all over Paris and still providing Parisians water for free.

An expensive bunch of Lavender!

When a blackboard tells a story...

Guimard designed metro stations, with and without glass roofs. Built in cast iron, they make heavy reference to the symbolism of plants and are now considered classic examples of French art nouveau architecture. 141 entrances were constructed between 1900 and 1912, of which 86 still exist.

The local hang out spot while waiting for tourists to return.

"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" is the national motto of France.

Strawberries, chocolate and Prosecco... the best ingredients for a "Déjeuner sur l'herbe"!

Counting lovelocks in absence of tourists

Now that the confinement has been lifted and Paris is finally back in the green zone - who would have thought we'd ever make it into the green zone before summer break - it is a pleasure to stroll around Paris.

Tourists have not found their way back to the city of love yet. Orly airport is still closed and most airlines have grounded their planes, however, the local residents are doing a good job of filling the city.

Everyone is out and about either exercising, going for a walk, hanging out along the Seine, enjoying a coffee on the terrasse or queuing at the fresh produce market. 

Picnicking in one of the "bois" (the bigger parks) is high on everybody's priority list! It is easy to score one of the green metal chairs dotted around the fountains and under shady chestnut trees in the city parks. The Mayor has allowed cafés, restaurants and bars to annex more space on pavements and added pedestrian-only streets, giving the city a joyfully chaotic vibe.

Paris welcomes about 50 million visitors, making it the world’s top tourist destination, but for now only the lovelocks remain proof of their presence. So, don't tell everyone yet that Paris is back in business, let's enjoy this unusual opportunity of having the city to ourselves.

A place in the sun

Feeling very energetic and thrilled to have rediscovered my love for city biking I resuscitate my 20-year old Rossignoli bike which had transported me with little Expat boy far and wide across Milano back in the days. 

So, I might have been a bit ambitious wanting to bike from the 16th arrondissement to the Bois de Vincennes but luckily I have girlfriends who hurl me back to earth.

Bringing out the car for the first time in two months I followed a lunch invitation by a dear friend and drove myself the other side of the city. Boy, it feels good to get around town again. I missed flaneusing the streets of Paris and although it's not quite the same in the car it was nice to salute Notre Dame Cathedral all wrapped up in scaffolding, drive along Ile Saint-Louis admiring the 17th century building in the sun, navigate around the Bastille in the bus line by mistake and admire an empty, very pristine looking Place de la Nation.

What I did not expect after our lovely walk around the Lake Daumesnil was the enchanted garden that welcomed us at my friend's house. Clearly a great deal of time, dedication and passion had turned this little green patch into an English garden complete with Laura Ashely patterned deck chairs... and much to my delight in PiNk! This is definitely my place in the sun for today.

A colourful moment at the market

Today I ventured down to the local market curious to see how they coped with the government's Covid restrictions knowing that the Avenue President Wilson's market is the largest open-air market in Paris. Apparently this is where all the top three-star chefs come pick the best products.

As always, there were multiple stands with a wide array of prepared foods, cheese, produce, fish, meat, breads and pastries, olives, dried fruits and flowers as well as some less interesting clothing goods. 

What changed was the space left between each stand and the little amount of people. Usually this place is brimming with shoppers and you need to squeeze around the food trolleys and baskets. Today, however, there were few queues at select stands and lots of moving space to avoid close contact with others. All in all, it was a rather pleasant experience albeit the untypical circumstances.

What makes the farmers' market such a special place is that it creates a community around food. Just take a glimpse of some of the lovely stands that typify the President Wilson market:

Who can resist "produits italiens"?

A splash of my favourite colour

Sheets of see-thru plastic are wrapped around most stalls

 in order to protect produce

A tropical vibe

Ratatouille anyone?!?

Essential ingredients for a "Soupe à l'onion"

Loyal clientele

Home-made apple juice

Loving these colours

Fresh eggs, anyone?

My favourite fish mongrel

I'll take a kilo of that, please.

May is not a month for oysters as it does not have an "r"

Could not resist a shot of the fish packaging