And just like that, our European sojourn has come to an end with a session of clapping. I will miss that; the little girl across the road with the blonde curls bouncing as she claps; the other little one waving to us across the way; a lovely lady that we've made friends with who lives below us, smiling up at us as we all clap. Somewhere someone plays the bongo every night, and there are horns beeping. It's been a month since I arrived and the country of France closed down.
I'm in the city of wine and I've only seen within a kilometre radius. I was here with my late husband maybe 29 years ago. He wanted to go on the fast train to Paris and we randomly picked Bordeaux. I remember it well because on the way we stopped at a station and the husband got out to chat with the conductor as we waited. I sat there wondering whether I should get ready to jump out with the bags if he didn't make it back on. It was the days of no phones and I remember thinking as he ambled back to me probably not even knowing I was worried that from then on, I would and should travel with a flask of alcohol. When we arrived we had nothing booked, we wondered around and knocked at a door with a sign saying: Room for rent. I still remember the room because it had an amazing circular stairway up to the apartment and they'd put a toilet and plastic shower in a corner and when we showered the water made it's way across the floor towards the bed. We also had Raclette in a square. There was a little grill on every table, with a machine above it that melted the cheese. We had duck, meat, chicken and dipped tiny potatoes into the melted cheese. I remember it was the most perfect early summer night, people everywhere. Who'd have thought I'd be here 30 years later in a pandemic, needing to work up the courage to go to the supermarket.
Who'd have thought I'd ever be fearful of taking the train back to Paris and getting on a plane home. The daughter has made a corona kit with gloves, disinfectant wipes, masks, tea tree oil nasal spray and alcohol disinfectant spray. We are armed and ready for stage 1 of our journey to Paris on the one remaining train per day.
Today on my last walk, so many spring flowers had unfurled!
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