Day 73-Coronavirus-Post-Lockdown-Phase 1 France - the first few weeks after

Easing out of Lockdown - Opening of schools - living a new kind of life

I'm not sure if time is passing quickly or slowly these days.  We are eager to return to normal life but at the same time cautious and concerned about the spread of Coronavirus.  Since May 11 - we have had more freedom here in France but to be honest, returning to a "new" normal has taken some time. 

If you read my last post, we were eagerly awaiting for May 11 to see if the government would give the green light of lifting many of the restrictions.  And yes, - due to a very small percentage of the virus still circulating, our region of Nouvelle Aquitaine,  as with many other parts of France - the restrictions were lifted and new protocols were put in place.  Yes, life isn't exactly like it was before, but we do have more freedoms.

We can go out and about when needed without documentation & travel within 100km. Many stores and businesses reopened but with new sanitary measures put in place.  Stores reopened, most requiring masks when you enter.  Public transport - masks are also required.  Hair salons reopened - again - mask wearing is required of both the hair stylist and the client.  To walk outside, masks are not required, but social distancing is required.  Masks are required outside in areas that are more crowded - like our Pedestrian shopping street in Bordeaux - St. Catherine street.  Stores are asked to limit the number of people inside and to provide hand sanitizer at the door for people to use both coming in and going out.  It's definitely a new style of living and being more aware.  We can socialise and gather with friends, but for now it's limited to 10 people. Some parks are reopened but not playgrounds.  Beaches are reopened but in an active version - meaning one can swim, surf or run/walk along the beach but no sitting, picnicking or sunbathing.  (Trying to minimize crowds)  Restaurants, bars and cafes are not open yet, nor hotels.  It's definitely strange to go to Bordeaux but not be able to stop for a drink, or coffee.

Probably the most controversial change has been the re-opening of schools.  As I explained in my last post, they did make it optional for parents, but at the same time encouraged children to return with new health precautions put in place.  This opening was for regions of France where the virus was minimally circulating.  The elementary schools started progressively returning the week of May 11 and the 6th &7th graders at the middle schools started back the week of May 18.  They will make the decision about 8th & 9th graders and high schoolers in the beginning of June.

For schools to reopen, classes had to be limited to no more than 15, schools had to decide how the students were returning.  Many elementary schools chose to split the classes in half and each group returning 2 days/week - Mon/Tues or Thursday/Friday. (For elementary schools - there is no school on Wednesdays).  Masks were not required by elementary age students and each school could decide what worked best for their school.

For my daughter's middle school - they defined the new protocols based on 5 fundamental goals:

To maintain physical distance between all people.

To respect each other's personal space - min. 1.5 metres

To limit the flow and the crowding of students

To clean and disinfect the whole school.

To send information and communication to all families and school personnel.

The 2 entrances of the school will be divided to enter only and exit only.  

Students when arriving will go directly to the center court and find their groups (already marked out for appropriate social distancing).  

There will be hand sanitizer available in the halls & at the entrance for all.  It's recommended that students also bring their own and wearing of masks is required by all (students and staff)  in the hallways and in class.  Classes will be divided into half  (Group 1 & Group 2) -with a max of 15 students in each group.  Each group will attend school for a 1/2 day (morning or afternoon) and follow their normal school schedule.  When they are not physically in school, they will follow the distance learning curriculum.  The first week, Group 1 will do mornings and group 2 afternoons & the following week it will switch.  Each group/class will be assigned to one room and the teachers will come to this particular classroom.  The student's don't move until the end of their classes.  The groups would be escorted from the courtyard to their designated rooms and back again at the end of their classes.  They would then be dismissed by small groups to again limit the flow through the halls.  All school personnel helps to supervise the halls and flow of students for entering and exiting in addition to the courtyard.

Lunch is optional for the group that has morning class, but if they stay - the cafeteria has been arranged so students sit the appropriate distance apart.  Only cold lunches will be served.  

In addition to publishing all of these new protocols, the school, teachers, counselors and the director called all parents to review the new rules and also ask if our child was returning to school or not.

Even though how the school functions is very different and much more regimented than before - it ensures safety  and protection for students and staff.  As a parent, it's reassuring to see all that they have tried to do to help all of us begin to return to "normal" life.  

Obviously, for various reasons some parents chose to continue to keep their children home on the distant learning curriculum.  But for many others, they have sent their children back to school.  As students are restarting school essentially part time- the government has asked employers to continue to prioritize telecommuting for their employees where possible.   

My daughter returned along with 80% of her classmates.  Her half of the class is actually 11 students.  We are now in the middle of the second week - she did mornings last week and is on afternoons this week.  Her day varies from 2 hours of instruction to 4 hours maximum.  This will schedule will continue until the school year - for France - last day of school is Friday July 3.  We are beginning to return to living life...

It's been strange to slowly return to normal.  After 2 months of being confined to the house except for necessities - to have the freedom to go out was actually strange at first.  On day one - May 11 - it actually rained all day...Mother Nature's way of reminding us to take it slow.

We still need to think about bringing a mask out with us.  The town provided all citizens with washable masks and I have made some too.  With my youngest back at school, it means washing masks almost daily - new activity for post-lockdown life.  As far as work, for most life is slowly getting back to normal.  Companies are starting up again, stores are opening and soon hopefully restaurants and cafes will be opening soon.  Yes, there will be some businesses that couldn't handle the shutdown, other companies needs to lay off personnel.  France is slowly waking back up.

It's been nice to be able to go out.  Last week, I had a strong desire to put my feet into the ocean - so my youngest and I went off to Arcachon - my favorite little seaside town - located about an hour from us.  It was great to walk in the sand - breathe the sea air, and take in one of my favorite spots.  Luckily for us, ice cream shops are open - so what a treat.  It felt normal, it felt good and it felt like we are finally moving in the right direction - returning to living life.

We wait to begin Phase 2 next week.  The First minister - Edouard Philippe will speak this afternoon and announce when & where restaurants and bars will open, discuss 8th & 9th graders along with high schoolers, & parcs, gardens and pools.  Will they lift the 100km limit of travel?  So many questions.

In any case, France is waking up slowly and carefully.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Corona Virus in France - Starting week 2 - Total Confinement, venture to grocery store & Importance of routine

As I start writing this morning, it's still shocking to me how much of the world is currently living confinement like we are in France - and everyday it is increasing.  All due to Covid-19 or the Corona Virus.

We are now starting our second week in confinement - Day 7.  Second week of home-schooling - second week of only leaving the house out of necessity.  As I shared last week, we can only leave our homes for food shopping & pharmacy, work (if unable to tele-commute), medical appointments, a small bit of exercise close to the house (by foot) and families who share custody can exchange the kids.  That's it.  Yes, and each time we leave we must have our ID and an official signed sheet stating what your are doing. You could meet up with a police officer who has been assigned to patrol the area.

So yesterday for the first time in a week we ventured out to the grocery store.  We filled out our sheets and off we went.  We were actually not only shopping for us, but also for a friend, who has health issues and is advised to not leave the house.  We decided to try the large grocery store as it should have everything we would be looking for and due to size would allow more people inside.  Social Distancing is the new way of life.

This particular store is located inside a mall (the rest of the mall is closed, only the grocery store remains open).  As we drove up, we noticed there was a long line formed outside the first entrance.  People all politely standing behind their carts keeping their proper distance from each other.  I counted about 20 or so in the line outside.

We parked our car and noticed that the second entrance was open too.  There was also a line but not as long, so we chose to join that line. It moved slowly at first but then quickly.  There was tape markings on the floor indicating how far to stand apart.  If you look at the photo below, you see silver horizontal strips to the right of the people, each.

As we arrived closer to the entrance we saw a sign that read - only one person per household could enter the store.  Okay - I understand the logic (make sure everyone has an opportunity to shop) but 1 person?  really?  I could see why they wouldn't want families, parents with kids etc. but really?

Luckily as we have the right to shop for someone who can't leave the house, we split up a bit and if asked were going to explain that one of us is shopping for our household & one for our friend.  No one asked as we were allowed to enter the store in an orderly fashion.  Of course, one woman a few people behind us noticed that we split apart in line and of course, once we were both inside, told me that we were cheating that it was one person from each household.  Typically, French!!! Those that follow the rules, follow them exactly! I could have tried to explain to her that we were actually shopping for 2 households but I chose to ignore her comment and moved on my way.  

Once in side, everyone was going about their shopping.  Some had masks, some had gloves.  (The general recommendation in France is that unless your sick, leave the masks for health care professionals).  There is currently a shortage in France of masks & factories are doing 24 hour continuous production to get more out to health care professionals.  But there were people wearing masks, even scarves and I even saw one woman wearing a large heavy duty mask used for sanding. (Sorry no photo but it was a sight!)

Overall everyone kept their space from one another.  Weighing stations at the fruit/vegetable section also had marked out squares of security indicating where to wait.  A very surreal and odd experience.  Everyone extra vigilant and extra aware.

We finished our shopping and headed home. The roads are eerily quiet, only a few cars. We didn't meet any controls on the road nor at the entrance of the store.  We did see Police walking inside the store verifying that everyone was following the rules of social distancing.  We do live in the suburbs of Bordeaux so it's pretty civilized here.  We are hearing though that in certain parts of France, and even here in Bordeaux - there are people who are really pushing the rules.  They have increased fines and even giving jail time for repeat offenders.

What surprised me the most about our non-eventful run to the store was actually how stressed I was but didn't actually know it.  I am a calm person - I take everything in stride and I try not to get overwhelmed by life in general.  I'm positive and optimistic.  Deep inside, using China as a good example, I know it will be a matter of weeks or perhaps a couple of months that we have to endure this virus - this pandemic.  But I do believe that we will get through it by following what we have learned worked from the Chinese.  So we stay home, we stay confined and we keep our distance from others for a time to stop this virus from spreading. 

All of that swirls in my head, and all the news that keeps coming at us.  Unfortunately we are still in that time where we are waiting for the peak, waiting for the confinement to take it's effect, waiting for less cases, less deaths etc. So all of that produces underlying stress - underlying worry - it pushes wears on our system.

So yesterday afternoon, after our outing and after lunch - I took a nap - I was tired.  Not achy tired, just tired.  I think all the stress of it all caught up with me and even though I sleep pretty well at night - this whole experience is tiring.  So instead of fighting it, I let myself enjoy a nap. A good nap!

I felt much better afterwards.  The other thing that I noticed this week without the girls - is that there is no routine.  I don't have to get up at 7:30/8:00 to make sure my youngest gets started on her work.  The routine is up to me.  Routine is important - even if it's a fluid routine. 

So without the kids it's  Get up, get dressed, breakfast - work, write, our 1 hour of exercise, lunch, afternoon project/cleaning/arranging the house, dinner & evening TV.  Yes, at any point a movie could be added in to pass the time.  Flexible but a routine in any case.

As France talks about stricter rules of confinement, closes open-air markets, talk of hopes in research trials of the drug Cloroquine to combat the virus - we wait, we stay home and we stay safe.

We dream of the return to normal times, to our life - it will come - we just have to wait a bit.  This is definitely a test of our patience.  

In the mean time, here are a few photos of Arcachon- our lovely seaside town on the bay of Arcachon - one hours west of Bordeaux, for your travel dreams.  This photos were taken just a month ago!

The open air market in the center of Arcachon - always selling lots of interesting items.

On a nice day, it's great to eat by the water

The walk along the keyside

 

 

Stay safe, dream of better times, we will endure this.

Happy 4th of July & Cap Ferret

Happy 4th of July - Enjoy your weekend

Just a quick post this morning to wish all my American readers a Happy 4th of July.  I hope everyone is able to enjoy it and spend it with family and friends.  Additional thoughts going out to military men and women who continue to protect the Free world. Their dedication is truly at the heart of what who we are as Americans.  

 In France, their Independence day is July 14th, but being American and having children who have grown up enjoying time with family and friends for the 4th of July.  We like to celebrate it in some way.  What is lucky about living in a community where we have Americans friends. This year we are headed to Cap Ferret to celebrate. 

 It will be a tradition afternoon barbecue filled with games, fun and of course swimming.  What is lovely about Cap Ferret is that there is a choice of swimming on the Bassin side or on the ocean.  Either choice is  makes for a lovely time and it's such a picturesque setting.

 So as I prepare for our departure for the day - I wanted to take the opportunity to share a few photos of Cap Ferret with everyone.  It's a beautiful - natural spot and so perfect for a hot summer day!

These photos were taken last August - this area is so natural, still a bit wild and I'm definitely looking forward to spending our afternoon there. After of week of being in some of the hottest weather that France has experienced - it will be nice to cool off! It's similar to Cape Cod in Massachusetts - you need to get an early start to avoid the masses of traffic heading out there. 

 So Happy 4th of July for those of you who are celebrating!  Enjoy your day and here' s to toasting Independence and Freedom!  Bon Weekend!

Cap Ferret & Oyster Tasting - Appreciating the Basin d'Arcachon

 Cap Ferret & Arcachon

Looking back onto the town of Arcachon as we head toward Cap Ferret

As I said in one of my earlier posts - I have started a new job as a tour guide. It's definitely a change of pace and brand new - but loads of fun!  In the tourism industry - one has to also be prepared for the unexpected and be willing to adjust to quick changes.  Luckily, I'm the type of person who is fine going with the flow.  It's wonderful working with this group, as part of our training we follow around  more experienced guides - so we can see expectations and exactly how the tour will flow, before we do it on our own.

So this past Friday, I had the luxury of tagging along with another guide to learn the Arcachon/Cap Ferret excursion.  It was this reason that I was able to snap a few photos and be able to share this great experience.   I know when I do the tour myself - I will not have any time to be a photographer.    But wait until you see what was done in one day - just 45 minutes from Bordeaux! (Please pardon the quality of some of these photos - all of them were taken with my phone, not my favorite SLR camera.)

We left Bordeaux with a group of about 30 tourists and headed to the town of Arcachon by bus.  We did a very quick drive around parts of the town and then arrived at the dock and boarded a small chartered boat to head across the Basin.  The captain pointed out some of the islands and talked about the tide, the history and how on the far Eastern side of the Bassin the tide goes out so fast, it all becomes mud!  There are several islands with fishing cabins, along with the famous Bird Island or Isle d'Oiseaux.

It's about an hour across the basin to Cap Ferret  - the long peninsula on the other side. We arrived at a wonderful little fishing village called L'Herbe. This picturesque village truly takes you back in time.  It grew due to the fishing and oyster harvesting that is a primary occupation of many of it's residents.  Many shacks along the shore-line are Oyster farmers who have to tend their plots in the sand.  This is a year round business here and one that takes much hard work.

Exiting the boat!

We docked during high tide and exited the boat on the side of the stairs.  The picture below is a photo of arriving into the village.

Village of L'Herbe & Canon

Looking down the street

This village is very quaint and one feels like they stepped back in time.  Oyster harvesting has been going on here for centuries.

The shoreline & the Oyster boats

Many of the businesses have tastings available for tourists.  We went to Chez Yannik - He was all set up for the arrival of our guests.  He explained how he farms Oysters - the different kinds and ages..and then of course - how to eat them!!  Just for some interesting facts - The Bassin d'Arcachon is about 15,000 hectares in size (37,000 Acres) and about 1,000 hectares (2500 Acres) are licensed to be Oyster farms.  These farms have an annual production of about 22,000 pounds of Oysters.  Arcachon Bay was the first European Breeding center.  Approximately 60% of Oysters sold in France come from the basin, although they are not generally bought by supermarkets as the producers are not large-scale enough to supply them.

There are about 350 Oyster farmers in the Arcachon Basin and their production is about a third the size of production from up North in Brittany.  Arcachon is limited in the number of producers as it's an enclosed bay.

Oysters are best served with lemon and some bread & butter

Did you ever wonder how Oysters are cultivated?  Here's a short version:  

When Oyster larvae are born, they float around in the sea, looking for a rough surface to attach to.  Every July, the oyster farmers submerge terracotta tiles painted with lime (or plastic replicas) and wait for the larvae to cling to them. This practice has been employed in the Arcachon area since 1904 and it means that all the oysters from Arcachon start off wild.  Once the Oysters are big enough, the oyster farmer (Ostreiculter- in French) scrapes them off the tiles and places them in nets - that look something like a rope-mesh pillow case.  These nets are not filled as the Oysters need plenty of room to grow.

These cases are then placed on racks and left for over 2 years to grow.  Oysters are about 3 years old by the time they are eaten.  Arcachon oysters take longer to grow due to the tidal variations.  When the oysters are ready to be sold, they are graded by size and placed in oxygenated storage tanks.  

Delicious Raw Oysters

Ever wonder why or how one can find pearls in Oysters?  A pearl is a result of a foreign body introduced into the tissue of the oyster.  The reaction of the mollusk is to produce a layer of calcium carbonate in the form of calcite or more commonly called "nacre".  The shell continues to successively coat this layer of nacre and eventually the "intruder" will become the center of the future pearl.  Naturally, this process is pretty rare - one would need to consume about 10,000 oysters to find a gem!!

The rinsing tank & of course you drink white wine with Oysters!

Loved the informal but lovely deck at our tasting

Demonstration of how to open an Oyster - much harder than it looks!

After everyone enjoyed their share of raw Oysters, we climbed back into the boat and cruised along the shoreline and headed to Lege Cap Ferret.

In a couple months they houses will be bustling with activity

Arriving in Lege - inside the enclosure are Oysters growing...hard to see in high tide.

It is a very picturesque ride. We landed the boat and dined at L'Escale Brasserie - in Lege, situated on the water.  We enjoyed the view of the Dune du Pyla in the background and the Oyster farms along the shore.  The restaurant is known for it's FRESH seafood and it didn't disappoint.  The Fried Calamari for an entree and then the Cabaillaud (Cod) for the main dish - superb!!  I will definitely return here.Leg

Our view at lunch - Plus - Oyster nets more visible as the tide went out

As the tide went out, it was very interesting to see all the Oyster racks and nets.

Definitely looks like pillow cases all lined up in rows!..Oysters growing

After everyone was stuffed full of delicious seafood and had taken in the beautiful seaside view, we headed back across the basin and cruised along in front of the town of Arcachon.  Beautiful sight!  The day was PERFECT!!  Partly sunny, a nice breeze and by afternoon, warm enough to sit on the back of the boat and enjoy the fresh salt air.  

Arcachon  - View from the Basin

Now this excursion was created and organized for the tourists on this River Cruise ship.  However, There are Oyster tastings (degustations) given by many, many different harvesters in Cap Ferret, Arcachon, & Gujan Mestras which are open to the public.  There are also many boats that ferry people across the bay to allow visitors easy access to Cap Ferret - many allow bicycles too - making it a great way to further explore the peninsula. This is certainly a great way to learn more about this area and it's very special industry.  

Hope you enjoyed learning about Oysters.

Over at - The Paris Busy Bee Blog - Today - Love the Place you Live!

Posting over on The Paris Busy Bee Blog today - Jump on over to check it out

View of Arcachon from Parc Mauresque

Good Day everyone -

I hope you are enjoying this day of summer - it's so nice to be on vacation with the kids & summer has finally arrived in Southwestern France (& from what I understand most all of France is experiencing the long awaited sunshine and warm weather!)

The Boardwalk area along the beach

We have no big vacations planned this summer but it's so nice to be enjoy our local area - we are so blessed to be very centrally located - Countryside to our East, Mountains to our South and  ah,...the Atlantic Ocean to our West.  The sea air seems to often call our names.

Today - you will find me over at The Paris Busy Bee Blog where I wrote a guest post on "Love the Place you Live!!".  It's actually the perfect follow-up to my last post about the Dune du Pyla.

Check it out over here - The Paris Busy Bee Blog

The Casino in Arcachon

Beautiful Square as one walks into Arcachon

The Elevator up to Parc Mauresque ,
which overlooks the City of Arcachon

Hope you enjoy it and I also hope it inspires others to explore and enjoy the places they live!!

Happy mid-week - Hope everyone is enjoying the Summer!!

Dune du Pyla...A beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Dune Du Pyla

Happy July 4th to all my American friends & readers.  July 4th is not a holiday in France - their Independence day is celebrated on July 14 - Bastille Day.  Since July 4th is also about getting together with family & friends - I thought I would share about last Sunday - when we spent the afternoon with our American friends, who unfortunately for us are headed back to the States at the end of July.  

Last Sunday was beautiful - I think if was one of the first hot, sunny beautiful days we have seen in a while.  We made a spontaneous decision to head out to the Dune du Pyla.  The Dune is considered one of the tallest sand dunes of Europe and each time I have been there - it doesn't disappoint. (Read an early blog about the dune - here )

Sunday was no different - it was magnificent!  It actually wasn't until we started heading up the dune that I realized that my 5 and half year old had never been there before.  Yes, I had been to the dune many times and the older girls also a few times - but I figured out that the last couple of times we had gone as a family - out to the area - either we didn't climb the dune or she wasn't with us...anyway - I have to say - she was thrilled and overwhelmed!  So overwhelmed that when she stared up the stairs, she looked up at my husband and asked if he could carry her.  (Which he loving did!)

As you can tell from the first 2 photos - one has a choice of the stairs up or the side of the dune.  My husband & the husband of my friend opted for the dune - while the rest of us headed up the stairs - Although I have to say - no matter which way up...it's a hike!

At the top, everyone took a breath and of course pictures!  Above is my oldest daughter and her best "American" friend here.  They don't attend the same school, but they do get together a few times a month - their American connection was an instant bond!  It's been nice to have another American family to share frustrations & experiences with and as we are all living it together ...we understand each other.

At the top, it's also great to just sit, rest and take in the view!  Here's my middle daughter and her best "American" friend - the son from the other family. 

Previous times when we have climbed the dune, we have gone up and walked along the top - taking in the view and the majesty of the whole place.  This time, the kids wanted to be different, they wanted to go to the beach at the foot of the dune. ...why not?  So down we headed....

Amazingly, it's a pretty long way down to the front of the dune...it seems to keep going and going.  Then, right near the bottom, the sand drops off pretty steeply before the beach.  All sand, all fun and thank goodness it was not too hot that day!

Voila - the beach at the dune - you can see we were not the only ones with this idea.  It was a Sunday afternoon and a beautiful day!  A little tip here is that one can access this beach one of 2 ways, either from above, like we did or from the Northern side parking lot near the water.

Another interesting feature to this beach which we discovered was old German bunkers built into the side of the dune.  

There is just lots of sand!  My oldest's favorite quote - a humongous sand pile!!

The kids had lots of fun beach time - the sand is soft & fine.  My oldest decided to turn my youngest into a mermaid!

Little Miss Mermaid!

The group hanging out on the beach!

There were sail boat races going on in the Bassin or bay - fun to watch!

As we relaxed our way through the afternoon with lots of water and sand fun, the clock ticked away - and unfortunately, time came to head back up and over the dune.  In our case, what came down, must go back up....My youngest this time decided she could do it herself...but it wasn't always easy.

The initial slope up was pretty steep ....

Then it just seemed to go on forever....

If your legs get tired, one can always crawl I guess...

But once you make it up the front slope, the reward is the back down the other side...This was the fun and easy part!  

Of course, the true reward at the bottom....Ice Cream!!  There are some cute shops and restaurants at the bottom of the back side and after that climb - it tasted wonderful!

So we may not be having the typical July 4th celebration here in France today - (Actually, my 2 younger girls are finishing up their final 2 days of school!).  But I feel like we celebrated this past weekend & I hope with the weather finally improving that we can have more beach, sun & fun days together with friends.  

I hope everyone who is celebrating the 4th of July has a wonderful day!!