I recovered from mild jet lag quickly and enjoyed being reunited with the New French Girl Friend (NFGF), both of which which involved good French croissants and champagne.
The French are taking COVID restrictions in stride, despite some weekend protests in major cities. The basic deal is that you must have a passe sanitaire, a national vaccination record represented by a QR code, and must have it scanned in order to enter restaurants, bars, the Metro, large event venues, and more.
French folk get their QR code via their national health system when they’re vaccinated. Vaccinated foreigners like me can apply for one online, and the US CDC vaccination is accepted in many places as a substitute. I received QR code a few days after arriving in Paris.
Publically, the French thought the passe sanitaire was an infringement on their freedom (hence the protests) but it turns out that privately they thought it was great to be assured that everyone in the bar, restaurant, etc. with them was vaccinated. So vaccination demand soared when this was put into place and, as of now, 85% of the eligible population here has had one dose, and 78% are fully vaccinated.
Social distancing and the wearing of masks in public spaces indoors is pretty widely practised.
All of which is very reassuring and lays the groundwork for our Southern France Road Trip.
The 2021 Edition is a 10-day driving tour, featuring great wines and wonderful food, starting and finishing in Paris, with stops in Bordeaux, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Nimes, and Lyon. We’re traveling with some American friends from San Diego.
Expect some gorgeous food and scenery pictures!
The Occasionally-Examined Life 