Empty city centres

[idun]

For all it is also weird, I have found seeing the empty city centres rather beautiful, can see the buildings for once.

We all know why they are empty ofcourse, but imagine if you ended up in one and had no idea why.

I ask, because that happened to me in my first summer of living in France.

A Saturday, husband at work and we lived in a city. It was red hot and I decided to have a mooch around the centre, explore and do a little shopping. I left our oven of a flat, because I think that they forgot the insulation before 2, and the main road round the corner was quiet, but it could be at lunch time.

The bus was an age, but I caught it into the centre and got off at my usual stop.

The place was deserted. A french city, a Saturday and not a soul, no cars, nothing. All the shops shut.

I decided to walk home, we lived about a 20 minute walk out and in the end ran.  Truthfully I was in a bit of a panic. I hardly spoke any french then, and we didn't have a tv and if something had kicked off, then I did not know about it.

I was very very upset, I think apart from one bus, I had seen about five people in the distance on my way back. So back to the oven and on the phone to OH.

I asked if anything had kicked off, a war, anything. He asked his colleagues and they said no, nothing. We had a problem then, because they didn't think that there was anything wrong.

We eventually worked out that it was the 15th of August. And that was what it was like then, everything closed and no one about.  There is a beauty to empty streets as long as you know why they are empty. Not being religious in any way, I didn't. Also, I am not sure if I had got my head around the jour ferie being actually on the 'day' it fell either at that time.

What a learning process.

[Lori]

What a great story Idun.

Yes, it is so strange to see the aerial photos of all the cities empty of people and cars.

I have not been out in many days, but will need to go out tomorrow to replenish a few things.  Especially since our food delivery had no fresh items (sauf potatoes) in it.

I won't go far.  Such a bitter sweet thing.  I just love to go out and walk and walk and walk.  So, going out sound like such a treat now, yet with a dangerous side effect lingering.

[idun]

Enjoy it Lori. You cannot catch it if you are not near anyone, or touch anything, but simply 'walk'.

[Lori]

Agree, but I must stop in the Franprix grocery store.  Most folks are good about distance, but it is next to impossible to completely avoid being anywhere near a human.

No avoiding it.  And, I'm too nervous to go out 'just' to walk. 

[nomoss]

While travelling north through the French canals in 1984, we stopped in a fairly large town which was supposedly the/a "Venice of the French canals". It wasn't.

Whilst wandering around we met a Spanish family who asked us how to use a French telephone box.

As our son, who spoke Spanish better than us at the time, was explaining, the father asked why the town was so empty, this being around 9 pm on a warm summer evening.

"Has some important person died?" he asked.

"No", I replied, "this is normal in France, everyone's gone to bed".

[idun]

Ah yes people going to bed early.

How often have we been in hotels in France, then that night after having met up with friends, back at around 11 or midnight and the place has been so quiet, not a soul stirring, no tv sound zilch. We have crept in.

[NormanH]

https://video-mrs2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.24130-2/10000000_207746300495275_7711324568563603664_n.mp4?_nc_cat=108&_nc_sid=985c63&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6Im9lcF9oZCJ9&_nc_ohc=QoL6A5Pdk-0AX9NLqx7&_nc_ht=video-mrs2-1.xx&oh=2d3485f3f314c58573dfcc6a3cb2f2ea&oe=5EA6AE19