EnRoute magazine: What it's like to be in Paris now
April 16, 2021
Amid the pandemic, the typical soundtrack of Paris – honking scooters, wailing sirens and the overall din of Parisian and tourist voices bouncing off one another in the electrically charged air – has been replaced with an unfamiliar but welcome stillness.
At noon on a recent Saturday at the Eiffel Tower, when I would normally be competing against awestruck first‑time visitors and influencers for the best spots to shoot the Iron Lady against an explosion of magnolia blooms, I find myself on my own. Aside from a few passersby who stop to appreciate the spring show and take a snap or two, I have her all to myself.
…When heartbreaking news from Canada reaches me, the transatlantic distance between Toronto and Paris suddenly feels colossal, and an acute, inky black loneliness and feeling of powerlessness starts to stain my days.
Every time my mother tells me she misses me during our near‑daily phone conversations, I feel a sad kind of heaviness. There is guilt, doubt and a sharp ache for home.
In the meantime, firm travel restrictions and the glacial pace of vaccinations in France leave me with no choice but to stay put for now.
More at https://enroute.aircanada.com/en/travel-inspiration/paris-covid/
All photos my own
