Day 41 - SkyLines from the French Lock-down: Stormy Weather

Salut, chers amis, (Hi dear friends!) The weather is trying to decide if it's going to be nice or naughty in the south of France. It must be taking its cue from the news reports, though for every good one we see there are five frightening ones. We rely on a tourist-based economy here along the Med. There is a real fear that this is the year there will be no summer, no matter how hot and sunny it gets.

Normally Tourists flock to the long sunny beaches.

Day 41 - It was a sunny morning and almost too warm for the long sleeved tee shirt I was wearing. My partner, Y, demanded, "N'as-tu pas chaud dans ces vêtements?" (Aren't those clothes too hot for you?" "Nope!" I said, "I'm loving this." And I was. We had mid-morning coffee on the terrace and looked out toward the distant snowy mountain of Canigou. Before long, we decided it was going to be too hot for a lunch in the sun. 

Sometime between coming in to fix a stir-fry for our midday meal and making tea to enjoy

After a sunny morning, clouds gather again!

afterwards there had been a change in the weather. A few clouds gathered and although the sun still shone, we heard the distant thunder somewhere along the chain of the Pyrenees Mountains. The slanting lines from the clouds to the top of Canigou told us it was already raining there.  That snow will soon be just a memory, I suppose.

The weather reminds me of the daily news. Some good, some bad. One report I read early in the morning was very encouraging. On the island of La Reunion, researchers are testing a nano-particle spray that is charged with anti-viral molecules. The patient inhales them and the lungs are coated with these particles. The molecules fight the Corona-virus 19 from within. That sounds really promising as a treatment. We'll see what the results are in time. Time. Everything takes so long - except for the speed at which this horrible virus moves.

Gloomy news. Time to go airplane mode.

The next story was about how difficult it will be to develop a vaccine for CV-19 when scientists have not been able to do so for any of the other Corona viruses. That was a downer.  But like the changing weather, the last paragraph said that they might be able to develop a weak vaccine. Like those we've created for the flu,  it won't be very effective but might keep the virus from killing people.

Then I read the third story in the local news. It talked about the devastating effect the lock-down was having on the economy of our little village. Argelès-sur-Mer has a population of about 10,500 people and is referred to on television and the internet as "la Capitale Européenne du camping" Yep - it's just what you think it means, The Camping Capitol of Europe. With 53 campgrounds in and around the village, you can understand how it got the name.

By this time of year, the campgrounds are normally 50% occupied and when summer arrives

Normally, the beaches are getting
ready for the summer visitors.

there are few vacancies. During the whole summer season, the population swells to over 150,000! I can vouch for the fact that finding a parking spot on market days can seem like an impossible task. Even Hercules would rather divert the river Massane than attempt it. There are times when so many campers are walking in our little streets on their way to the beach, I can't go the low speed limit and have to resort to stop and go until some of them grudgingly move to the sidewalk. (I've been tempted to stop and nudge, but so far I have resisted!)

But the tourists are more important to us than they are ever irritating. They are the lifeblood of the restaurants, cafes, boutiques, museums, beauty parlors, barber shops, and sporting goods stores in Argeles. Of course there are businesses that supply the locals with everyday goods and services, but I

The lintel at St. Genis de Fountains
The preservation of sites like this
depends on the donations of visitors.

am sure they also rely on that injection of over 280 million Euros per year that our visitors spend over the course of a year. Since the middle of March, the village has been closed for business. People are not allowed to travel farther than a kilometer from their place of confinement. The tourist sites all around here are also closed. The only commercial places open are the bakeries, butchers, and épiceries d'alimentation (read food stores like greengrocers and supermarkets). It's getting grim. I look out the window and see that the sky is as grey as my thoughts.

And that's when I hear Y exclaim, "Merde!" I'll be right back.

Okay - we've shut every door and window to the house. Yes, it is raining. How fitting. But I will

The cathedral at Elne - it survived
the previous plagues. They
kept the faith. We will too.

not let it get me down, not yet! Given time, it will stop. And that is the hope we must hold in our minds and hearts. With time, we can find a way to beat this or at least make it less deadly. The sun will shine. Hang on and we hope that the village  and the whole world survives not only the rain of the infection, but the storm that is ravaging the economy. I have faith that it will.  We humans are tenacious. We are innovative. Things will get better. But it's going to take time and I hate to say this - it may be a very long time. 

So, keep safe - the confinement is getting us all a little bit down. Hopefully it will lift in May and we can find the sun again. But there's always going to be a bit of rain. So, when it comes, we'll continue to follow the guidelines and

Pre-virus - so no mask. But you know I'll be wearing one
when I am out in public until told it's safe to leave it at home.

think of these inconveniences as like wearing a raincoat (read mask) and carrying an umbrella (social distancing so the microbe won't fall on you).  We can get through this - together!

A demain, les amis! (Until tomorrow, friends!)
Link to Day 42