A LETTER FROM PARIS N°11

Hello Family and Friends,

As I write this letter to you I’m listening to the opera, Cavalleria Rusticana in the background. I used to listen to it with my grandmother every Easter when I was a little girl. It’s really high drama in a 19th century village in Sicily on Easter morning. According to Wikipedia:

Before the action takes place the young villager Turiddu returned from military service to find out that his fiancée Lola had married the carter Alfio while he was away. In revenge, Turiddu seduced Santuzza, a young woman in the village. As the opera begins, Lola, overcome by her jealousy of Santuzza, has begun an adulterous affair with Turiddu.

…And of course, Santuzza is pregnant, unmarried and cannot go to church. 

Why am I telling you this? Well, we are back in confinement and so it is the second year that Easter is not as it should be. Normally, I’m in Italy at Easter time for a tradeshow after which I like to go to Sorrento where there are amazing Easter events with processions where silent, hooded penitents walk through the streets in tribute to the Passion of Christ. It’s really something to see, plus Sorrento and the Amalfi coast are so beautiful….but I stray. 

So I must create some rituals to make me happy and to remember better times. This year at least I planned ahead and bought myself a beautiful chocolate Easter egg from La Maison du Chocolat. Can you believer I’ve had it for a week and have had the willpower not to crack it open yet?

On March 31st , our President announced that the entire country would go back into confinement (lockdown to you) and that it would last until May 2nd. (Paris had already been on confinement for a few weeks). On top of that, we still have curfew – and don’t forget we have been living under curfew since mid-December, although the hours are now from 7pm until 6am, for Daylight Savings Time, but it does mean we are home before sunset. 7pm in France is like 4pm in the US, so this is better than 6pm, but just think about it if you had to do it. And yes, there are police on the streets who will stop you and fine you (135€ for first offense). 

Much of the new confinement pertains to schools (online class) and the alignment of Easter vacation for schools. We are not allowed to travel more than 10km away from home, so no intra-region travel, and no travel outside the country except for extenuating cases. We are not supposed to gather in groups larger than 6, and outdoors only. 

Luckily, we don’t have to fill out the permission slip when we go out from 6am – 7pm. So people are out, in the parks, on the streets, gathering along the river, picnicking……and as of April 1st it is forbidden to consume alcohol in public spaces. It may be easier to deal with this now because, after 5 days of weather in the high 70’s, the temperatures dropped back down to the 40’s, and there is a possibility of snow this week!

Vaccines are a hot topic. The efforts have been stepped up, 9 million people have gotten their first dose (12% of population) but my age group won’t be eligible until mid-May now, pushed out a month. It’s all on an appointment system which I haven’t even looked at since I’m not eligible. I did register on a site where you can be waitlisted to be contacted if at the end of the day, doses haven’t been used yet. I’m number 33,000, but who knows? We do have vaccination centers that are working from 8am – 8pm, seven days a week, as well as pharmacies and private doctors. The complete story in Europe is complicated. But note that France is just behind Austria and ahead of Germany, Italy and Spain in terms of vaccination.

Paris is taking advantage of this downtime to become one gigantic construction site. So many projects are going on to renovate, to upgrade, to improve. All the streets in my neighborhood are torn up to upgrade the gas lines. It’s really nice to have the workers jackhammering from 8am to 2pm every day when we’re supposed to be working from home. 

I still manage to get out and about, walking around. I walk at least 90 minutes a day, usually early in the morning, alone. I have one friend who likes to go on long walks and we have discovered a lot of places together. Last weekend we met at the Pont Neuf, walked to the Jardin des Plantes (which then closed 20 minutes later due to an approaching protest), then the Grande Mosquee, the Arenes de Lutece, the Pantheon (closed), Jardin du Luxembourg, Saint Germain quartier, ending back near Invalides. It took 6 hours, but we felt like we had passed through Morocco and ancient Rome during our trek. Now is the time to take advantage of how quiet it is in Paris, no tourists, the gardens in bloom and really enjoy the beauty of the city. We even have some outdoor exhibits! The Belgian artist Philippe Geluck, known for his cat cartoon character, is behind a show of 20 bronze sculptures lining one side of the Champs Elysées from the Rond Point down to Place de la Concorde. Entitled “Le Chat Deambule” this is an injection of pure whimsy and humor that is much needed now. The exhibit is in place until June 9th and then it travels to other cities. Have a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5pn_ZtVgUo

I continue to write for Essencional and have some really interesting articles coming out. Just this week I interviewed a perfumer, a specialist in generational marketing, and curators for a multi-sensory exhibit combining artwork (16th-18th century Dutch paintings) with recreated smells inspired by the paintings. All great stuff! I’m grateful for my work and so happy to be busy.

Well, the opera just ended (it’s just over an hour in length) and I’m off for my daily walk. If you want watch or listen to the opera, here is the link to the version I chose. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlLbtJ1wiw0

Stay safe and healthy and please send a word so I know how you are too.

Bisous,

Karen