Who Can Enter France? My Two Cents

I woke up at the crack of dawn not to miss the live showing of our most recent House Hunters International episode – From Heartbroken to Happy in Nice – which aired in the U.S. last night at 10:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. EDT. I even woke up my daughter to come watch with me, even though she complained bitterly about getting up so early knowing it would be on Youtube to watch a bit later. In fact, it had already been posted (even though the HGTV network won’t be happy) on Youtube.com at…so watch it now, or forever hold your peace, as it won’t be there for long!

This episode ranks way up there as one of my favorites. Recorded during confinement with John Garland Jones in Nice and me in Paris, the producers did a brilliant job of directing us “à la distance” using equipment they had shipped to us to record ourselves in our home environments.

Edited together were segments we recorded on Zoom, together, as we rewatched our original episode (“Finding a Voice in Nice, France” – Season 139, Episode 8) and commented on it, doing things at home (John shaving his head and curling his mustache; me showing off my collection of berets). They interviewed each of us separately about our experience taping the show and developing our friendship. They wove in photos of me as a kid (even at seven years old and toothless), in high school and later in France that really brought back memories. I laughed till I cried…and now I hope it brings you as much pleasure watching it as it did me.

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Lots of our readers and clients are asking “When will Americans be able to travel to France again?” It’s such a popular question that The Local just ran an article about it. First off, if you have the legal status as a French resident, then all you need to do is show proof of residency at the border to be admitted. That’s what my daughter did on Monday with her Carte de Résident arriving on an Air France flight from Los Angeles. Other people who can enter France directly fall into the category of “essential workers,” such as healthcare workers, delivery drivers, international students, and others.

Borders to the E.U. countries opened officially today, but not so for Americans, although there are a few “work-arounds” if you’re willing to make an effort. If you travel to another E.U. country first, then enter France, you can get in. So, book your flight to Germany, or Holland, or the U.K. and then train to France…or take a car in, or even a flight. Be clever.

Meanwhile, every two weeks, the list of restricted countries will be revised based on how good or bad those countries are doing containing the virus. Unfortunately, the U.S. has one-half of the world’s confirmed cases. Excuse my French, but I call that a “shit show.” I am deeply ashamed by the abominable handling of the pandemic in a country that touts itself as being the most powerful nation in the world. (See https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-most-powerful-countries-2020-ranked-us-news-2020-1#21-the-netherlands-5)

France is asking newly arrived people to self-quarantine for two weeks, but this is voluntary. My daughter isn’t isolating herself, but when she arrived, I didn’t dare go near her until she stripped, showered and we washed everything she was wearing. She reported that her Air France flight was the best she’d ever taken, with a whole row to herself, a clean plane and great service. I have always been a big fan of Air France and now, even more so, as I believe you can trust it more than American airlines to be organized and efficient. This is what I’ve heard from traveling friends.

American Independence Day is just around the corner. Normally we celebrate it in some way with American friends over burgers, or something of that nature. This year, we’re a bit unorganized and unsure how we will celebrate or if we will at all. Truth is, it’s tough to honor the nation, our nation, that has treated its own people as badly as it has during this health crisis. So, exactly what is there to celebrate? Our “independence” or our “dependence” on a failed health system and the administration who fails to recognize it?

That’s my two cents for what it’s worth.