Makeshift patios take over Paris streets in virus summer

Paris (AFP) – At his cafe under the shadow of the Paris district of Montmartre, Guillaume Dubois shows off the brightly painted wooden pallets enclosing a quickly built patio that he says has transformed business in the summer of the coronavirus.

Following a loosening of regulations by city hall, customers at the Sunset cafe are now spread out on tables and chairs across three parallel parking spaces, in a scene repeated throughout Paris.

“It completely changes the face of Paris,” said Dubois, adding that it helped propel a surge in sales last month, when the city’s bar and restaurants were allowed to reopen after 92 days of COVID-19 lockdown.

With the general scientific consensus that it is much harder to catch the virus outdoors than inside, cafe-goers are more at ease on the street in the summer sunshine.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo eased outdoor seating limits so owners could lure virus-wary clients, and commandeered hundreds of parking spots for additional seating.

Hammers soon rang across the city as plywood platforms were cobbled together over uneven roads, with delivery pallets serving as “walls” to offer a sense of security from drivers who are often just an arms’ length away.

“It’s a little ragtag, but it reminds me of the beach and paddle boats — you feel as if the entire city is on vacation,” said Roxane, 50, enjoying her coffee at the Sunset.

While some owners stick with the rough look of raw wood, many others have added splashes of colour and installed plants or small trees and other decorations.

As a result, pallets that usually languish behind stores or warehouses are being put to new use — some restaurants have even reported having their newly installed structures stolen.

“Everyone is scrambling to get hold of them,” said Momo, whose Taverne 28 is a few streets away from the Sunset in the 18th Arrondissement.

He said he enlisted a friend in the construction business to get the 10 pallets he covered the French national colours of red, white and blue. Continue reading “Makeshift patios take over Paris streets in virus summer” →

Georges Brassens “Je me suis fait tout petit”

Je n’avais jamais ôté mon chapeau,
Devant personne,
Maintenant je rampe et je fais le beau,
Quand elle me sonne
J’étais chien méchant, elle me fait manger,
Dans sa menotte
J’avais des dents d’loup, je les ai changées,
Pour des quenottes
Je m’suis fait tout p’tit devant une poupée,
Qui ferme les yeux quand on la couche
Je m’suis fait tout p’tit devant une poupée,
Qui fait Maman quand on la touche

J’étais dur à cuire, elle m’a converti,
La fine mouche
Et je suis tombé tout chaud, tout rôti,
Contre sa bouche
Qui a des dents de lait quand elle sourit,
Quand elle chante
Et des dents de loup quand elle est furie,
Qu’elle est méchante
Je m’suis fait tout p’tit devant une poupée,
Qui ferme les yeux quand on la couche
Je m’suis fait tout p’tit devant une poupée,
Qui fait Maman quand on la touche

Je subis sa loi, je file tout doux,
Sous son empire
Bien qu’elle soit jalouse au-delà de tout,
Et même pire
Une jolie pervenche qui m’avait paru,
Plus jolie qu’elle
Une jolie pervenche un jour en mourut,
A coups d’ombrelle
Je m’suis fait tout p’tit devant une poupée,
Qui ferme les yeux quand on la couche
Je m’suis fait tout p’tit devant une poupée,
Qui fait Maman quand on la touche

Tous les somnambules, tous les mages m’ont,
Dit sans malice
Qu’en ses bras en croix, je subirai mon,
Dernier supplice
Il en est de pires il en est d’meilleurs,
Mais à tout prendre
Qu’on se pende ici, qu’on se pende ailleurs,
S’il faut se pendre
Je m’suis fait tout p’tit devant une poupée,
Qui ferme les yeux quand on la couche
Je m’suis fait tout p’tit devant une poupée,
Qui fait Maman quand on la touche

Coronavirus: which parts of France are seeing more cases?

Health authorities in France are warning of a “worrying development” of the coronavirus, as new clusters are reported across the country, and the crucial “R” transmission rate rises above 2 in Brittany, and 1 elsewhere.

Health minister Olivier Véran has said that there are “small signs” that the virus is returning in Paris, as health authority l’Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS) of Nouvelle-Aquitaine issued its own warning about a rise in cases in the region. Continue reading “Coronavirus: which parts of France are seeing more cases?” →