As shown in this picture (this afternoon), the banks of the river Seine have been one of the few places here to stretch out and get some fresh air in this glorious weather. In a few days, the cafés and restaurants will gradually serve again, it’s announced, but outdoors only and with the necessary precautions.
What’s exciting for me, the vast Tuileries Gardens, the Parc Monceau, the Buttes Chaumont, the beautiful Place des Vosges, the flowered Luxembourg Gardens, the Jardin des Plantes, and even the little Jardin d’Anne Franke, right behind my house, will be open again to the citizens of Paris, starting this weekend!
Believe me, I also take the virus very seriously. I’ve lost one friend in New York (intimate, to say the least), and a well-known Met conductor with whom I worked on my very last job there; not to mention that there are now two elderly folks in my immediate family, tested positive, for whom we are praying – for that’s all we can do.
But in France, after all this human suffering, with so many artist friends and colleagues who are extremely hard hit financially, and afraid for their future, it is now at least permitted, starting in the next days, to sip a coffee seated with friends at a café, or stroll in the parks again, enjoy the flowers, and get some healing sunshine.
As I said: Caution. Optimism. And a bit of Joy.