The first stop on our 2nd excursion in France in 2020 was Paris. It had been a number of years since either of us had been there, so we figured it was perfect for our roving retirement exploration.
Our impression of Paris in 2020
We took a rideshare car, through Bolt, from the airport to our hotel in the 9th Arrondissement. We were very surprised by the number of people on the road and the extent of traffic in Paris. Forty-five minutes turned into 75 minutes. We thought people were working from home or staying home but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Our Accommodation
We were pleasantly surprised by the hotel we booked, the Astotel 34B. Although the room was smallish (big by Paris standards), it had everything we needed. The distanced breakfast service was interesting. We were handed a tray with one lovely French roll, a croissant, and a pain au chocolate (chocolate croissant), through a plexiglass screen. Then we were offered our choice of juice and a hot drink (coffee). In the seating area, there was a small buffet that had butter, jam, cheese, applesauce, and yogurt on a help yourself basis. This setup was way better than how things were when we left in May.
Sightseeing in Paris
The only place we managed to visit was the Louvre, which was much less crowded than I have experienced before. Mike had a personal audience with La Giaconda (the Mona Lisa).
Why didn’t we go anywhere, you ask? Well, two reasons, even though we flew business class, we both seemed to have a worse than usual case of jetlag. We kept sleeping until late morning/early afternoon even though we went to bed on time. The second reason was that I didn’t yet have much stamina for walking. Between the two surgeries and the difficult walking conditions (with a cane), I just couldn’t go far and I got tired easily.
Covid-19 Concerns
Mask compliance was pretty high in town and about the only sign of virus concerns. Covid-19 cases are rising in Paris and a curfew has been imposed. The restaurants were pretty crowded and masks and social distancing weren’t really observed once you sat down. The restaurant owners are on TV frequently complaining that first the tourist business dried up and now there is a 9 pm curfew. People don’t even head out for dinner until 7:30 pm, so I guess everyone will be eating fast.
Dining in Paris
Every evening we explored our lively neighborhood and ate the fine French food always on offer in the neighborhood bistros. We did observe that the sidewalks were quite crowded and full of holes, which made it difficult for me to walk. It also had a marked effect on our ability to social distance. We had decided to stay in a neighborhood that I was unfamiliar with so it was fun to explore.
One evening we went out to find a place for dinner and we came upon this huge line on the street. Of course, when we saw a line like this we figured there was something exciting going on so we immediately got in line even before we knew what we were in line for :-)). After our place was well staked-out in line, Mike went to the front of the line to see what we had gotten in line for. It turned out to be a restaurant, in a hidden courtyard, that was packed. So, having spent our few minutes in line we had to try it. The food was passable and the atmosphere was very entertaining. We figured that the line outside was because the place was very inexpensive, which was ok with us.
When you see a line on the street do you just get in the line like we did?
5 comments
I had to smile at the comment about standing in a line without knowing what was going on. Parisians love going to crowded, lively restaurants We would never walk into an empty restaurant
Most restaurants have good food but a line usually means good price!
Glad you found a safe, clean hotel,
How long are you in Paris? My friend runs a Pilates studio and all classes are online except for private
Where are you off to next ?
So many places to go!
So glad to hear from you. We were only in Paris for about 5 days, most of which we slept through. We then came straight to Nice to deal with immigration stuff.
So how much is a “very inexpensive” meal in Paris? What would be a typical entree cost in a neighborhood restaurant? They certainly aren’t social distancing in the lines outside, or the tables inside! I’ll bet your French will improve even more rapidly after this winter! I hope your pain will subside with all of this walking!
At Chartier the menu du jour was 12€ each and a bottle of wine was 13€. But most of our meals were a bit more than that.
Looking at your pictures has made me hungry! Glad it appears to be going well for you two in France so far, jet lag notwithstanding. My fingers are crossed that getting your 2021 visas goes relatively smoothly!