Paris Cafes Open Again

Now this is good news: I just read in the Times that cafés in Paris are once again able to open for outdoor service. I've never even been to Paris, but that is still a welcome sign.

I have written before--it probably deserves another reflection sometime--that this lockdown has not been a big deal for me. I worry about the college, and naturally I'm not thrilled about a salary cut forced by the college's losses. But in terms of my day-to-day life, the lockdown is more or less irrelevant. It makes grocery shopping more of a pain, and it keeps me away from my office, but otherwise interferes with little that I want to do.

But the thing that I do miss is the opportunity to get to Europe once in a while. I had to cancel a planned trip to Germany with students over Easter. And this very morning, as it happens, I was supposed to arrive in Poland for a conference of the Austrian Studies Association. Alas, those trips were not to be.

And of course one of the great pleasures of traveling to Europe--one of the great pleasures in life, period--is sitting outside at one of the cafés in the summer and nursing your espresso or cappucino while you talk, or read, or watch people go by for an hour. So rejoice with the Parisians on a big day. Wish I were there.

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