For Parisian Elie Ayache the world was a little closer to normal on Wednesday after the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic: he was back at his favourite cafe drinking coffee and eating a croissant.
French cafes and restaurants were allowed to start serving customers in outside areas on Wednesday, ending a six month shutdown that was mandated by the government to try to contain the spread of the virus.
"I was impatient to get back to my life, and to the person that I was before," said Ayache, as he sat on the terrace outside Les Deux Magots, a Paris cafe that was once a hangout for Ernest Hemingway and other literary celebrities.
The global pandemic has forced the closure of hospitality venues around the world, but in France, the nation that invented haute cuisine, the shutdown was felt especially keenly.
French people spend more time eating or drinking than citizens in any other developed nation, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and eating out is viewed as part of the social fabric.
Ayache, who works in the financial markets sector, said that before the lockdown, he would come to the cafe every day, including at weekends. It was part of his morning routine, and allowed him to collect his thoughts.
"I feel at home because I know the place, I know the people," he said, his laptop open on the table in front of him.
His routine was not completely back to normal. His favourite spot is inside the cafe -- still off bounds because of COVID-19 restrictions -- and he said the terrace was a little chilly.
"But things are going to come back, bit by bit, and I'm very happy," he said.
(Writing by Christian Lowe, Editing by William Maclean)
