THE END IS IN SIGHT!

We are hoping that today marks the beginning of the end. For 15 months, the world has struggled with COVID and France is no different though it has taken a stricter approach to lockdowns, this having been our third lasting, I believe, around 10 weeks. To be honest, I’m losing track – probably the result of ennui (an interesting French word implying boredom but also annoyance) with the whole thing.

But today, cafés and restaurants with terraces can open up to serve outdoors. As of June 9, barring worsening data indicating it wouldn’t be prudent to do so, the interiors of restaurants will be permitted to open as well. And maybe then life will get back to some semblance of normal. After all, what’s France without an outdoor café and the ability to sit and watch the world go by?

We’ve been without restaurants since October and we have definitely felt the pain. It will be nice to be able to socialize and enjoy culinary entertainment once again. 

This is the schedule we’ve been under since March. As of May 3, we were allowed to leave our homes without the form (printed or electronically generated) attesting to the need for our departure. Freedom!

The French confinement calendar

And today it feels even better! Even French President Emmanual Macron was shown having coffee on a terrace with one of his ministers in Paris. It feels so good. I’m almost giddy….

So the past few months have been rough. I know we have all felt the impact of continued isolation and, if you can call it that, deprivation. It put me into a bit of a funk in March that I ended up deciding wasn’t worth it. I am where I want to be and feel fortunate. I can’t complain because I have a nice home with a priceless view of the Pyrenées, a pleasant village with nice neighbors,  the opportunity to immerse myself in the culture, language and history of this beautiful country and move towards greater integration. 

In fact, last week was a big one in this regard. So I put the funk behind me. 

First, I had an appointment on Monday at the Aude Prefecture in Carcassonne to renew my long-term visa for the second time. I had requested the appointment via email (usual protocol) early December, but May 10 was the first available date. Between COVID and BREXIT, they’ve had their hands full. 

Then the next day, Tuesday, I received both a text message and an email from ANTS, the administrative arm of the government responsible for issuing official documents like drivers licenses and passports. They are reportedly understaffed and, like with most French bureaucracy, ladened by rules and procedures, that it takes FOREVER to get what one might require. 

I submitted the documents for a French driver’s license along with my first visa renewal way back in December 2019. There is no choice in the matter by the way, because by law, after one year, if one is a permanent resident, their driver’s license from anywhere else becomes invalid. So here we are, 17 months following submission, I still don’t have my French license. But the news was good. They asked me to mail in my Florida driver’s license which means I’m getting closer to receiving the French license. 

This is also important because if one doesn’t play by the rules (see this earlier post on this topic) one’s auto insurance is cancelled and it becomes illegal to drive. I know because my insurance agent has emailed me on several occasions asking for updates. It is common knowledge that ANTS is slow to act so the delays are not my fault and make me legal – for the moment. God willing I’ll have my French license soon. 

The third thing was good news from my attorney. Long story short, I have an issue with a leaking terrace into the studio (third bedroom suite) below. It is becoming uninhabitable and has forced legal action. Hopefully there will be more good news soon as the tribunal in Carcassonne (at our request) ordered a second expert opinion to support my position. Stay tuned.

But still, between the funk, continued confinement, and the lack or even possibility of any day trips, there hasn’t been much inspiration. While I’ve contemplated various topics about which to write, nothing really grabbed me or provided sufficient energy and inspiration to actually write. Until today. 

I have a HUGE library of music that I maintain on iTunes – the bulk of it is classical though I have some pretty good playlists of pop music beginning with, believe it or not, the 1920’s organized by decade. The library evolved as I digitalized all my record albums in an attempt to downsize while preparing to move. I’ve since added to the library with purchases from Apple’s music store. Music is a gift and one of my greatest pleasures. I have my favorites but every once in a while I thirst for something new.

One playlist assembled by Apple is entitled “Classical Music.” It seems to be pretty randomly organized but I decided to listen to see if there was something I might have forgotten and renew my acquaintance. Maybe even discover something new and overlooked. It’s going to take a while because it has 7,225 tracks with 641 hours and 9 minutes of listening pleasure. 

I’m only less than 10% into it, but I have already discovered a new composer and his music. I have no recollection how this album came into my possession, but I am delighted to discover it. 

The composer is Étienne-Nicholas Méhul, a French composer who lived from 1763-1817, dying at the relatively young age of 54 from tuberculosis.  He is best known for his operas, but it is his first two symphonies that I have and with which I am happily becoming acquainted. 

Méhul was a contemporary of Beethoven and it is evident as there are great similarities. He is considered the first of the Romantic composers. You can check him out here: 

Symphony No. 1 (first movement, second movement, third movement and fourth movement).

Symphony No. 2 (first movement , second movement, third movement, and fourth movement)

Today I went to YouTube to explore his remaining three symphonies. These are the recordings I heard from his Symphonies No. 3 and No. 4. The fifth symphony is incomplete with only the first movement composed, and I’ve not yet found a recording (none may exist).  Nonetheless, the entire compendium is enticing so I look forward to getting to know them better – including his operas. 

So with our new found freedom, life is good and inspiration stimulating no matter the source. As I sat having my breakfast of an omelet filled with chopped chives, rosemary and crème fraiche, homemade bread (made with herbes de Provence) and my own kumquat marmalade looking out to the beautiful sage plant on the doorstep of the 17th century convent across the street, I once again counted my blessings. Retirement is liberating to pursue one’s interests whatever they may be. Life is never easy nor is it perfect. But life in France is probably as good as it gets.