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Published: April 5th 2020
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Good morning world! This is a weird entry to write. It didn't happen the last century, but it did happen in another era...the one where travel was still safe!
Tanya and I had both to travel for business....so we decided to extent our trip by a little week of holidays. Flights were booked to and from Nice...and the plan was to go to the right for a romantic week in Italy....Venice and la Scala were waiting for us! Well, Italy never happened. it was the very first few days of the Coronavirus in Europe....but we would simply not take the risk and cross the border. At the time, there were less than 20 cases in a region of over 10 millions inhabitants, I name Provence-Cote d'Azur. That would change days after we were back home!
So we spent our time practicing social distancing from day one. I have to admit, this is the very low season in the South East of France...so there is nobody around in most tourist places...made it easy for us. The last few days were also spent in apart-hotels...so no restaurants gathering either...but rather some serious cooking and wine in our
little daily homes!
So we spent some time visit Nice and the "arriere-pays". Loved the Fragonard parfume visit in Grasse...and having Saint Paul de Vence for ourselves. Bear in mind, all this was book some 48 hours before reaching Nice! The highlight was by far a night at Chateau La Chevre d'Or, few kilometers from Monaco. The place has literally just opened for the season. So only 6 rooms/suites occupied out of close to 50! Super good deal...and super nice upgrade. This place as been rated years after years by the like of CondeNast Traveler and Travel & Leisure as one of the top 10 places to stay in Europe. We had a blast...and the place for ourselves too!
Next, even less people...we drove all the way to Gorges du Verdon. A first for me...blue skies...close to 15-20 degrees outside...what a day driving those scenic and hairpins roads! Simply amazing! One more time, nobody at the Gorges! Followed a drive through the Luberon. I have to admit, the area around the Gorges where way more impressive!
We spent the night in Avignon....little apart-hotel flat...and now I'm in my place...it's top cooking
and some serious wines...love it! Another gorgeous day...the city center of Avignon is empty, as well as the Palais des Papes. But after asking around, we told this has nothing to do with the virus...it is like this at this time of the day...till, that weather was gorgeous! More driving around, more social distancing...and next stop, an even nicer crib in Aix-en-Provence.
Till that morning where we were supposed to drive slowly to Monaco. A gorgeous suite was waiting for us at the Fairmont Monte Carlo...205 euros for the night including breakfast...and a super welcome organized by the management. But that would never happen....situation in France was getting a little too "touchy" for us...we made it directly that morning to the airport and jump in an earlier plane back to home.
What i was super surprised on our flight from Nice to Dubai...and next to Seychelles...it was full of tourists going out on holidays. These people were not trying to go back home on what could/would be one of the last safe flight. The were going for a week of two, like if the holidays they had paid was more important than the latest
news all over Europe! crazy isn't it.
So we reached home...and the good boy I am, no golf or diving for 2 weeks...you never knew what we could have encountered. It was all about maximum self-quarantine. Checked temperature everyday...not meeting others and keeping distance with anybody once we had to meet them. 14 days later...all safe and good...but better be cautious than sorry.
Today, there has been no flights in and out of Seychelles for over a week. There is only 10 cases on the island....but all hopefully contained..and we believe most are already recovered. Hotels are closed, restaurants too...no diving, but everything else is opened...so we are living a pretty normal life...oh yes, and most of tourists have left...beside those who are ready to weather the storm here....no time will tell when we will be allowed on planes again...hopefully it will be sometime in 2020! We still have to make it to Italy!
Take care, stay safe, practice social distancing...and don't listen to Trump!
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