So, today we did exactly what the government recommended yesterday while imposing the lockdown restrictions—we did our brief shopping for basic necessities (aka fruits, veggies and more strong bread flour*), pairing in a group of no more than two and regarding it as a certain form of daily exercise (aka wandering with a sole purpose).
That was a glorious day, and I mean it: the sun was beaming, and everything was blooming—tulips, narcissi, daffodils of all shades, magnolia and cherry trees. And the city was absolutely empty.
Zero people on the streets—nil, none. We finally met a handful of busy folks (mostly, walking their doggos and jogging), and every time we spotted someone, we immediately made a huge loop (which was not difficult, since the roads, including the busiest ones next to the Mill Road bridge, were mostly free of cars), and the other passersby did the same: sometimes we smiled to each other awkwardly.
Marx&Engels at the Beehive Centre surprised us pleasantly: unlike the other shop of that chain on the Market Square, this one had a reasonable selection of foods of all sorts, and once we nearly felt like we were doing our normal shopping, although that feeling faded away quickly. Random strangers in the shop (yet again, there were only very few of them) were mindful enough to keep a huge distance with us, but the older ones freaked out when they spotted us near the dairy section.
And perhaps the saddest thing that happened to us there and which was a clear confirmation that everything is not quite right, was the huge number of lovely bouquets of exquisitely assembled flowers (mostly roses, freesia and alstroemeria) left unclaimed for Mother’s Day. One of the members of the M&S stuff, a nice lady, told us that we could take one or two for free if we wanted. “Otherwise we’ll just throw them away,” she said with a bashful smile, and it was heartbreaking.
I took one of those home. It’s beautiful and serene and looks like nothing bad is happening.
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* UPD. Didn’t manage to buy the last one at the end, alas.
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