We know that you might be concerned about how we are coping with the Coronavirus here in Europe. Our roving retirement has been put on hold for a while as we participate in social distancing here in Perpignan, France.
Arrival in France
We arrived in Nice last Sunday, March 8th and everything seemed normal but things changed rapidly this past week. Our plan was to gradually work our way from Nice to Barcelona until April 9th. At that time we planned a 1-week trip back to the US, then returning to Barcelona. Our plan was to then continue to Valencia Spain during April and May. Needless to say, that plan has been canceled, at least for now.
No Going Back
First, we can’t return to the US for a week in April as planned due to a lack of flights and possible quarantine. Then, we realized that it might be difficult to move from hotel to hotel for the next few weeks. Fast forward to last Saturday when we were at a hotel in Toulon. We had to decide what to do if France goes on lockdown or we get sick. At that point, we decided the best course of action would be to find an apartment near the city center in one of our target towns in southern France and just “hunker down” for a few weeks, maybe more. Fortunately, we found a reasonably priced apartment in Perpignan France through Airbnb. Our new home has plenty of space, parking, a full kitchen, good internet, a washer-dryer, and a market downstairs.
Shut down of all Non-essential Services
Then, on Saturday night the French government did shut down all non-essential businesses including restaurants. So, we decided to leave Toulon a day early and get to our apartment in Perpignan as soon as possible. Before we left Toulon, we made a grocery run in a very crowded Carrefour. Not the safest thing right now, but we had no choice. I can tell you that both Mike and I are thrilled to be ensconced in a nice apartment in Perpignan. Our current plan is to take things one day at a time, stay close to home, hope for the best, and maintain our sense of humor.
We hope you will all do the same. We plan to update our status via our blog site as appropriate.
7 comments
Hi Mike & Diana We are glad to read that your settled in over the pond. Stay safe for now and we look forward to following your journey once things get settled down. We were forced to book a earlier flight home from Playa this coming Sunday as that is the last day for a month our airline will fly back to Canada. It’s still pretty relaxed and casual here but feel that will change soon.
Thanks for the update. In many ways, Playa is a world away. I wish you an uneventful return flight. 🙂
Thank you for the update. We’re glad that you found a good place to wait this out. We’re in pretty much the same situation in CA except some restaurants are open for takeout orders. I think we’re all going to get to experience cabin fever. A sense of humor is essential!
Take out is OK here, but none of the places seem to be trying. Perhaps eating out is more about socializing than getting food.
Glad you guys are safe and well! Be careful over there
Hello
Well sorry to hear that all of those nice plans have been altered
We also have had to change our plans and now are doing absolutely nothing at home but watch tv and movies. The question is when is this going to be over to get back to our normal life, let us know when you are back here
Take care and stay safe
You stay safe, too!