Traveling in the Time of Covid

As I write this, we are on the flight from Zurich back to Washington Dulles, approximately a month after our return from Portugal.

Between our Portugal trip and this trip, Europe got pounded by COVID.  So much so, as you’ve seen me whine, that Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemburg shut down their Christmas markets, definitely putting a damper on the beginning part of the trip.

Don’t get me wrong, both Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Esslingen were fabulous to visit even without the markets (Wurzburg was okay), but the entire vibe of the trip changed when we got to lively Strasbourg and beautiful Colmar.

The three countries took very different approaches to COVID whilst we were there.  Germany wasn’t the hardest hit of the three (Switzerland takes the cake), but I did read that less than 45% of Bavarian residents have been vaccinated.  Germany’s vaccination percentages overall are much higher (69%), so many Bavarians are clearly anti-vax.

In Germany, we had to test every 24 hours to get into historical buildings, and had to show our QR codes showing we were negative to get in.  For restaurants we only had to show our vaccine cards.  Some people at the restaurants waved us in right away, while others had signs indicating masking is required and peered carefully at our CDC cards and Virginia driver’s licenses.  The positive news is that the 24 hour Schnelltests were free, and we would get the results in 20 minutes or so.

We tested the first two days (Wurzburg and Rothenburg), but didn’t in the Stuttgart area.  Partly because Tim Hale’s tour was almost all outside (churches and cathedrals don’t require the QR codes) and partly because we decided to go first thing in the morning to Strasbourg, France, so we only had that one day in Esslingen, even though we stayed two nights in Ludwigsburg (a short drive to Esslingen and to Stuttgart).  

In France, we needed to get a digital COVID pass with QR codes.  To do so, we weren’t tested.  We had to go to a pharmacy in Strasbourg, give our CDC cards to pharmacist, and wait 15 minutes or so while she did a bunch of stuff on the computer before printing out the pass.  The pass was required to get in most places (including some churches/cathedrals).  Restaurants required it.  The COVID passes cost 36 Euros each, but there’s really no point in going to France without it.

Most Germans, but not all, were not wearing masks whilst walking around outside.  In Strasbourg, France, mask wearing was required on the island that includes nearly all Christmas markets and nearly all historical buildings of interest.  You could cross the bridges to the island without a pass, and could go into all but the biggest markets without it.  But, to get into two of three best markets, you had to show your COVID pass and wear a mask. 

Many French have the pass on their phones.  We only had paper copies.  My QR code was hard to read, so many times Carol and Julia were waved on through whilst I sweated the question of whether I could join them. 

Although a lot of people in those markets were wearing their masks below their chins, especially while drinking Vin de Chaud, which is French for Gluwein, or eating.  Both the wine and the food were supposed to be consumed in designated areas, although that was routinely ignored.  I would buy a beer and walk around outside of the designated areas.  A couple of times I saw guys doing the same, so wordlessly I would clink bottles/cups with them, nod knowingly, and continue on.  

And, let’s face it.  Everyone in those special areas of the two markets that required the pass were fully vaccinated, so jamming people together in crowded spaces with the masks on here (walking around the market) while jamming people together in crowded spaces with masks off to eat and drink and thinking that would make a difference is pretty silly.

In Switzerland, most people walked around Basel, and the Basel Christmas markets, without masks on.  Yes, certainly some people had masks on, but I would say it was probably one-third.  My favorite is seeing the guys not wearing masks while walking around with the mask-wearing wife or girlfriend.

And then, of course, we now had to test negative on a PCR test the day before our flight back to United States.  In Basel, we got to pay $193.11 each for the privilege.  That’s a big cost add-on.  Sigh.  Between that and the arbitrary tax sticker you have to buy upon entering the country, Switzerland really socks it to you.  It would be harder to take if Switzerland didn’t happen to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world. 

The woman checking us in at the COVID test tent said we would likely get the results before our flight, but it was not guaranteed. Julia woke us up to tell us excitedly that the results were in (yes, we all tested negative).  That meant we could sleep another hour till 5:30am before getting up to make our drive from Basel to Zurich.

Look, traveling during the current surge in Europe meant we had to spend some time and money getting tested/COVID passes.  And, of course, it impacted the German markets (many markets in Germany were open, just not where we had chosen to go.