A temple of consumption famend for its engaging costs, but additionally standard for its terraces and open eating places, the Perthus has not skilled the standard rush of the first Saturdays of the end-of-year holidays. The solely queues noticed till the starting of the afternoon, this December 19, unrolled their clients in entrance of the important tobacco outlets.
On this primary Saturday of Christmas holidays, the Perthus anticipated an actual rush on his metropolis. Its terraces, its outlets, tobacco, alcohol, perfumes, meat, memento presents … The police had additionally ready for it.
From the begin of the morning, a gendarmerie test is posted at Les Cluses, one other positioned at the entrance to the city close to the giant parking zone, incomplete. “We have a lot of people, but it’s not like after the first confinement or at the end of November, when the crowd was jostling. It was madness: we had up to 80 coaches a day which surged their dozen of passengers “, evaluations Bruno Comas. A neighborhood determine: he’s the proprietor of the Arc-en-ciel signal positioned reverse the Tramuntana created by his father; he’s additionally the native chairman of the merchants.
A couple of strides from its window, the customer bus parking space doesn’t really show full at the stroke of midday: barely a handful of automobiles, most of them registered in 13. “We are in a neighborhood association, we stock Christmas supplies, food, aperitifs, boxes of crisps and packets of candy. Put together, these purchases paid for less than in France make the trip profitable. “, assesses Alain. He got here in a gaggle from Bouches-du-Rhône. “We tighten our belts all the time; so here we have fun, and too bad if we empty our pockets”, his neighbor Ludovic will get carried away, impatient to take a seat down round a desk.
“There are people but the crowd does not jostle”
Few of the eating places are open and but, this Saturday, there isn’t a queue. Installed for 41 years in entrance of the church, on the Spanish facet, Pierre Parajua, the boss of El Tabasco, is aiming for round forty covers, out of the 70 that his institution usually serves. “By respecting the rules of distancing, I am half the capacity, but people do not rush”, admits the skilled. He will solely have labored 4 months this 12 months, for a 90% French clientele.
Élisabeth and Pascal, a pair from Montélimar, noticed the handle. “We will have lunch at local time; for the moment we are enjoying the pleasure of having a coffee on the terrace. We take advantage of it, you never know!”, style the vacationers with out another concrete mission. No procuring, no meals procuring, simply the pleasure of strolling … “And to come home before the curfew: we still have a 4 hour drive “, they glide, watching, amused, individuals dragging suitcases with wheels in every hand. “We have planned to bring back gifts, cartons of cigarettes and food for the holidays”, admit Martine, Virginie and Lucien, three Sétois accustomed to refueling in a Perthus usually crowded with individuals. Not like this Saturday, besides round tobacco outlets, unconditionally stormed by shoppers.
At 2 p.m., the automotive parks are 20% full
Pleasantly stunned to not should set off the pushback gadget, arrange in Cluses this Saturday, December 19 in case the crowd in direction of Perthus would have proved too necessary, the gendarmerie of the Pyrénées-Orientales doesn’t nonetheless raise the guard. . This Sunday, groups will once more be current on the street as at the entrance to the city to control site visitors if needed. And even when the customers clearly heard the message. On this primary day of the Christmas holidays, the Perthus’s attendance price remained low. As proof, at 2 p.m. the metropolis’s automotive parks recorded a filling price of barely 20%.
