It’s well over a year into this global pandemic and these lockdown days, it often feels like we’re back where we started, at least here in Paris. Last April I shared scenes of a nearly empty Paris. I also wrote about what Paris is like without tourists for Fodor’s. These days, with the sun shining brightly and the promise of summer in the air, the city is far from empty and this lockdown (our third) is far from strict. Notes are not necessary and masks must be worn. We are free to roam up to 10 kilometers from home until 7 pm curfew beckons us back.
All along the quays, tourist boats lay idle, waiting for their turn to coast along the Seine, filled with eager onlookers hopping on and off to view the sights.
With schools closed in April, many locals have left the city for homes and home-schooling in the countryside.
Parks and gardens fill up with life during the weekends. Alcohol is no longer allowed to be served or drunk outside, attempting to limit the number of people gathering.
Restaurants and cafes remain closed since October, creating outdoor dining and picnics wherever possible. Terraces plan to reopen in mid-May.
With museums closed and now shops too, activities are limited. The French sport of Pétanque is often played in the gardens of the Palais Royal and along the Seine, reminding us of normal pre-pandemic days.
Most of all, simply sitting on a bench and watching the flowers in bloom, reading a book, or speaking with a good friend, is keeping us sane.
It’s impossible to predict how life in Paris will unravel in the months to follow. But I like to believe the city will reopen soon, both for the Parisians and ex-pats proud to call it home and for those who long to return.
There are few places in the world as captivating as the quays along Paris’s river Seine, especially in the springtime, but any season proves ethereal. At least for this adopted local. Having been off-limits for the past two months due to the pandemic, it’s no wonder so many Parisians flocked to this pedestrian-only kilometers long expanse on our first weekend of deconfinement, or what I call the return to freedom.
While the sun continues to shine brightly as a reminder that summer is just around the corner, what now? Are Parisians behaving responsibly given their privilege of freedom? From what I could tell, spending Saturday afternoon biking along the river and Sunday evening snapping these photos, adults and kids alike are soaking up social contact. Half of those I passed were wearing masks, and almost everyone was respectful of space, remaining in small groups at a safe distance from one another. In other parts of the city, I’m not so sure.
What I hope we all understand, and by all I mean, EVERYONE EVERYWHERE is that just because we are allowed outside and shops are open again, with schools to follow and restaurants soon after, COVID-19 is far from over.
By now we all know someone afflicted with this deadly virus, and none of us are completely safe until a proven vaccine is developed. In order for life to continue safely for all us, please be mindful of each other. Wear a mask, continue to socially distance, and do what you can to help those more vulnerable.
Life will return to normal in time. We’ll all be able to travel beyond our homes, dine with friends at favorite eateries, fly to exotic locales, hug and offer bises freely… and this chapter will feel like a bad dream. But until then, let’s respect the ‘new normal’ and keep ourselves and those around us safe.
Anyone else missing going to museums and learning about art while getting a lesson in history? Well, now you can, and from the comfort of your own home. Join these leading tour companies as they adapt to this unprecedented time during which travel is restricted, and will be for a time to come. Companies including Context Travel, Take Walks, and THATMuse are offering alternative methods of learning, from home! Ready to stimulate your mind by joining classes in history and art led by leading experts in their fields?
Join a historian at Context Travel for Context Conversations, inviting guests into the real life of the people, history, and culture of the world’s greatest cities. Online live learning seminars include ‘The Colosseum and Roman Forum in the Time of the Emperors’ and ‘Tate Modern: What is Art?’ Each live lecture via zoom is 40€.
In Take Walks Tours from Home, join Archaeologist & TV Host Darius Arya as he presents ‘Ancient Rome for All Ages’. This three-part series highlights the foundational myths to the rise of the emperors to Rome’s decline. Other Tours from Home include ‘NYC Met Museum Tour With a Twist’, ‘Journey into St. Mark’s Basilica, the Venetian Gem’ and ‘Descend into the Darkness of Paris’ Catacombs’. Each hour-long tour costs 9€-10€.
Meanwhile, a leader in museum treasure hunts in Paris and London, THATMuse is helping families Play With Art at Home by offering free portrait party kits to help kids learn about art. This skillfully crafted educational kit includes Michelangelo connect-the-dots, French Neo-Classical perspective exercises from David’s Oath of Horatii, and a deciphering a da Vinci exercise. Join the THATMuse blog to keep up to date with all the artful fun!
It’s hard to describe the feeling of Paris these lockdown days. While the spring sun illuminates the empty streets, windows open wide to let in the promise of impending freedom. During my infrequent walks to pick up essentials in the neighborhood or weekly runs to the river, I share scenes from Paris under lockdown.
The river Seine is uniquely peaceful beneath blue skies without tourist boats or picnickers lining the quays.
Only permitted to exercise in the morning before 10 am or after 7 pm allows for beautiful sunset views.
Curious to visit the Louvre, home to some of the world’s most admired artwork and revered treasure hunts THATMuse, I make my way to this former royal palace.
Every time I pass the many shuttered cafes lining the streets, I imagined their terraces bustling with life.
Back in the Marais neighborhood, every day in the usually bustling Jewish Quarter looks like a Saturday.
Like all of Paris’s many cultural venues, the recently renovated Picasso Museum patiently awaits better days.
On an early evening walk to the neighboring tenth district, Porte Saint-Martin, one of Paris’s original doors looms grandly, inviting those willing to pass through its historic 14th-century gates.
The calm Canal Saint-Martin invites those out for their daily stroll or run to reflect along its now empty quays.
Every time I head out to buy groceries with my note in hand, I smile at Marianne looming in the distance.
We are now well into week three of lockdown life in Paris. The sun is shining brightly and the sky has never looked so blue. At least nature is at peace these surreal days, while we struggle to make sense of current affairs. For more on life in France, head over to HiP Paris where I share thoughts along with fellow ex-pats. Meanwhile, I trust and hope that you are all safe and sane at home. In an attempt to share a little bit of Paris with you until we’re able to travel again, here are my top ways of bringing the City of Light home to you.
What better way to dive into a culture than via the pages of a book? Privileged to know so many talented authors, here’s my selection of inspiring reading material to add to your Paris book or kindle collection.
Since most of us are at remaining safely at home these days, add a touch of Paris to your interiors by accessorizing. Square Modern is a favorite Parisian pillow brand that adds just the right pop of color. I myself decorate with these custom cushions, each made in Paris of designer remnant fabrics. Read more about founder Suzanne Flenard, here. As for your walls, leave it to photographer Rebecca Plotnick who has an impeccable eye for Paris.
In terms of dressing yourself, local designer Mari of Koshka Mashka is shipping orders directly from her Parisian atelier. Doing her part to keep us all safe, she’s including complimentary face masks with every order. If you’re in Paris contact her and she’ll happily give you a mask.
While we are nourishing our minds by reading and our homes by decorating and dining, let’s not forget our bodies. The founder of Broadway in Paris, Michael Pereira is now offering a dance class via Facebook Live every day at 5 pm Paris time. Ready for a little ballet or Broadway jazz? Read more about this inspiring dance professional, here. If you prefer an intense cardio class, head over to Instagram where you’ll find Paris-based fitness experts @StephNieman, @CaliforniaBarre, and @jujuontherOcks, each teaching classes in English.
Lastly, what better time to start those French classes? Babbel is currently running a promotion and offering three free months of lessons for all students. Bon courage!
Today marks two weeks since the French government enforced a mandatory lockdown, limiting our freedom of movement to grocery shopping, doctor or pharmacy visits, 30-minutes of exercise close to home and bakery runs. Long live the French baguette! I’ve only ventured outside on a few occasions thus far, abiding by the #stayhome, or should I say #restcheznous rule. On one of these outings, I captured scenes of an empty Paris.
Never have I seen Place de la République so deserted, while the statue of Marianne continues to stand tall.
In case you’re wondering why bakeries remain open all over France, I recently wrote about why boulangeries are deemed essential, in this cultural feature for BBC Travel.
A walk around the Haut Marais proved that my neighbors were safely at home or when out of doors, abiding by the social distancing rules. The bises greeting so much a part of the French culture, will have to wait.
Without its terraced cafes, strolling locals and tourists, Paris feels even calmer than on a Sunday in August.
While just two weeks ago Parisians were crowding into still open parks and running along the Seine, as I wrote about for Urbansider one week into lockdown, an eerie quiet now fills the empty streets.
Read more about life in Paris under lockdown and how the French are uniting, in my article for Fathom.
