After two months, Parisians (and the French in general) are allowed to leave home without a permission slip. We aren’t limited to one hour outside each day, we can go further than one kilometre from home, and we can finally sit on a bench without worrying about being stopped by police.
Of course, a lot remains locked down. Restaurants, bars and cafes can only open for takeaway. The parks are all closed. We can’t picnic by the river. And we can’t travel further than 100 km without a good reason.
So what now?
I had a chat with Ariel Weil, the mayor of the Marais (fourth arrondissement) for today’s podcast. He spoke of his life in lockdown, how Paris is looking to make some serious changes, and the concept of a pedestrianized Marais.
Have a listen wherever you get your podcasts, here’s the website version (scroll down further for Spotify). Subscribe!
I went to have a look at Rue de Rivoli today, now that I’m finally free again, and there indeed were a lot of bikes – and a lot of space for them (see below)!
More episodes on the way, and thanks to all of you listeners who helped me pass the million-download milestone this week!
Here’s a picture of the fourth arrondissement’s town hall, too. I took a bunch of pictures today, will be adding them to Instagram as always. Follow along for some serious Paris picture fun 🙂
And lastly, are you still in lockdown? Below is some suggested lockdown entertainment 🙂
