From Andrea: Today was a lovely final day exploring Paris! We enjoyed the Musée d’Orsay which was perfect preparation for tomorrow’s journey to Giverny- Claude Monet’s home and gardens.
Speaking of museums, I thought I’d comment on what it is like being in Paris during the pandemic. Aaron and I visited Paris in October 2019 when he spoke at the American Cathedral. We have a fresh, pre-COVID reference of Paris in full swing, albeit in the off-season. The most striking differences are: 1) the total lack of non-French speakers. 2) the complete lack of lines at all attractions. 3) the empty museums. WE HAD THE LOUVRE TO OURSELVES in many galleries. We saw the entire Musée d’Orsay in three hours, with the audio tour, and we lingered wherever we wanted. We enjoyed Saint-Chapelle in thirty minutes- that’s with lingering until our hearts were full. These experiences are probably the most surreal of my life and we keep telling the kids how rare this experience is. The usual souvenir vendors are absent. Bathrooms have no lines. Many cafes are still closed (including in the museums). Mask compliance indoors is 100% everywhere (except young children) and it doesn’t seem to need to be enforced. Outdoors, masking is about 50% which is surprising because it has been very hot this week (though not as hot as Central Texas!). Otherwise, things look fairly normal. Parisians seem to be enjoying the lifted restrictions and are filling cafés, parks and sidewalks as usual. There is an impressive system of free COVID testing around the city and we took advantage of that to prepare for our next stop (Italy). We’ve enjoyed seeing the reactions to our American presence from various security guards, ticket takers and others involved in tourism. They have been surprised and elated that we (Americans) have returned for tourism. We are honored to be the first and mark what is hopefully the beginning of the return to a form of normalcy!
One other note- It has been probably one of the deepest joys of my life to watch my children open their eyes and hearts to Paris. They are wonderful travelers and have adjusted well. Watching their eyes light up when we turn a corner and see the Eiffel Tower, or when they enter a gallery and see a painting they’ve studied, or walking into the second floor of Sainte-Chapell…. What an absolute gift to watch the world open to them!
