As we travel through France, Italy, Austria, and now Germany, can we detect any patterns?
We observed the Designer Mask in Portofino, and this got us thinking about masks generally.
Firstly, we have only really seen two of the four UK most-used-mask designs here. Disposable blue/white ones, yes, and sewn cloth ones in your design of choice, yes. No repurposed bandanas and no sanding/ welding/ underwater industrial strength ones. Oh and also we have seen the clear face visors for hospitality staff although these are causing the same problems with reflections that they do in the UK, resulting in people tipping their heads back to look and talk underneath, which rather negates the point.
In the past few days in Germany we have also noticed an increase in these natty little chin-mounted ones, modelled for me here by a nice lady from Amazon as you can’t always be sticking your phone in people’s faces while they are trying to work. Very neat for preventing you from shedding your virus onto people’s food.
Next, we muse on pavement etiquette. In Bishop’s Stortford (the only non-Continental place we have for comparison, due to lockdown travel restrictions) as soon as the 2m rule was announced, an unwritten etiquette started.
As you approach your fellow traveller, you each move apart, unless the other person is obviously infirm in which case you do all the moving yourself (although the infirm person will often already have taken refuge in a garden/wheely bin/tree when you are still 20m away in order to give maximum distance). If you are on a narrow pavement then the person facing into the oncoming traffic steps out into the road. As you get closer, you make eye contact and you pull a face that says “we are both splendid citizens doing our bit to reduce infection, but in normal times I would not avoid you like this”. That bit is completely compulsory, and is usually accompanied by a cheery comment as well, such as “I have found a really good place to stand in this waist-high group of nettles, please pass me here”.
On the whole of our Grand Tour so far, nobody has made eye contact when doing the avoiding thing. We wonder if this is because France/Italy/Austria/Germany never went for the full and impractical 2m distance and so people can just edge gently apart while discreetly holding their breath, anyway, we have had zero eye contact even when it is obvious you are making a bit of an effort. Odd that the undemonstrable Brits are different.
We finish with Where Do You Store Your Mask When Not Wearing It. It goes without saying that Sid and Doris have pockets in every garment so can stow their masks away, but many people wear less practical and frankly prettier clothes. On the arm is a common one, to do this you put your arm through both earholes and wear the mask bunched up just above your wrist. Under the chin is more common with the sort of young men who think that a man bun is a pretty cool look. Hanging from one ear is fairly common but surely must lead to some levels of mask loss.
But for Italians the answer is obvious. Hang it next to the crucifix, lucky beads and other impedimentia already dangling from your rear view mirror. Bit of a shame that the car in this photo was parked so it hasn’t really worked as a way of remembering to take it with you.