Coffee break

 

In Paris, many are still working from home, so when the inevitable pause-café rolls around it's time to head out to the new office water cooler: nearby café / restaurant counters temporarily set up for take-away coffee (and more).

 

Above: a coffee drinker makes his way to join others on a nearby bench

New rule

 A new "no more than six together outside" rule goes into effect today and includes coffee gatherings, only this time around subject to fines.

Café klatsch

Before...

After.

Above: temperatures - and life - return to normal

"Kaffeeklatsch (German): an informal social gathering for coffee and conversation"

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"In the world of the Parisian sidewalk café, where rudeness is no more remarkable than cracks in the pavement, Jean Francois, the waiter at La Palette on the rue de Seine in St-Germain, looms as a cultural high-water mark. 'He is the rudest waiter in all Paris,' says the Paris-based Barbara Pasquet James, editor-at-large for Bonjour Paris, the Internet Franco-zine. This is more than one person’s opinion. Jean Francois’ disdain for his customers, his capacity for inattention, and his penchant for brusqueness have been documented on web sites and limned in guidebooks: 'You must order quickly and without indecision, or he’ll ignore you until you’ve learned your lesson,' says Access Paris (HarperCollins Publishers)." - From "Café Klatsch" (2002) by Jack Smith, luxury lifestyle magazine Robb Report