We are starting the tour tomorrow, but I wanted to provide some information about two days in Paris pre departure. No judgments just observations about life so far.
We flew Houston to Paris via Washington Dulles on United airlines. Things went reasonably well and no issues on the planes. Several announcements on the planes strongly reminding people that masking was enforced. No incidents were observed. Prior to departures the gate people announced to have you passport and CDC card available. We used facial recognition to board and passports and CDC cards were not presented by anyone.
Upon arriving in Paris, I had the French non-covid declaration ready but no one asked for it. Been here two days and no
one has asked for it.
While walking the streets outside almost no one is masked. I have not seen anyone unmasked inside of a building except when they are eating or drinking. It seems is is allowable to keep it off during the entire meal, and most all people mask up when they leave their table. All the waiters remain masked.
The Passe Sanitaire and CDC card (we have been vaccinated for almost 7 months)--- We stayed at a non Tauck hotel for two days using hotel points. They looked at the CDC card at our check in and there were no issues. They provided information for a nearby pharmacy which could provide us a QR code . We had applied for our QR code three weeks before our departure, but no response until yesterday. That response basically said that the French government was over whelmed with applications and that it was too bad Charlie, I wasn't going to be getting one.
The non Tauck hotel provided pharmacy information as follows: Pharmacie Opera Casanova, 6 Rue Danielle Casanova, 75002 Paris, telephone 01 42 61 48 93. QR conversions cost 29 Euros per person. The hotel said that they are closed Saturday and Sunday, but the pharmacist said they were now open seven days a week (business may be good). We went to the pharmacy stating that the hotel sent us. We also saw a sign posted beside the cash register stating the price of QR conversions and vaccines, also 29 euros. The pharmacist was very friendly and helpful. He took our CDC card and our passport and the QR code was issued in less that 5 minutes. He gave us a paper with our QR code on it and we scanned it into our French covid app. You may want to download the app before you leave home, maybe not. This pharmacy is a 5 minute walk from the Tauck hotel, the Park Hyatt Vendome.
We met another Tauck couple who had checked into the Park Hyatt. The clerk told them that the CDC card would not work for the breakfast. I gave them the pharmacy information because the Park Hyatt had not provided any information. It did not seem to matter in the end because the next morning they went to breakfast They did not have to show anything. I guess it depends on who you talk to?
We went to the Orsay museum today and I used my CDC card and the wife used the Passe. Both worked fine. We went to an outdoors cafe for lunch and they did not ask for anything.
These are just my observations and thought they might answer questions people may have about Covid and Paris. I will report additional info as our trip proceeds.
