Tired of suspiciously observing your neighbor with each sneeze, taking out your hydroalcoholic gel every five minutes or wearing your bandit scarf from the wild west? The government issued an order Thursday March 12 banning gatherings of more than 100 people Since then, psychosis has gone up a notch ... So decamp crowded exits and take a deep breath: here are five places where the word "crowd" is everything relative. From stopovers in the great outdoors to a game of puzzles, let's go to relax in places where you should not meet too many people.
1. Discover the magnolias at the Arboretum de Chèvreloup (Yvelines)
Exit the anxiety-provoking promiscuity of theaters, auditoriums or public transport. Here you will have space: this open-air plant museum, halfway between the Palace of Versailles and the Parly 2 shopping center, corresponds to the equivalent of 250 football fields, or 200 hectares. Unlike its neighbors, this haven of peace is rarely visited. A dreamlike parenthesis perfect for romantic souls where the eyes feast as much as the smell.
So we open our lungs wide to smell the essences of magnolias, Japanese cherry trees or blue cedars in the alleys of the park sheltering more than 2,500 species classified by geographic sectors.
In this terrestrial paradise, we meet more animals than walkers. Herons, cormorants, passerines and pheasants regularly point the tips of their feathers. Ideal for decompressing on foot or by bike, in complete peace of mind. In these troubled times, let's be a poet.
Arboretum of Versailles-Chèvreloup, 30 route de Versailles (Yvelines). From 5 to 7 euros.
2. Cuckoo to Thoiry's animals
It is basically written on the home page of his website. The Yvelines zoological park does not intend to close. “We are fortunate to welcome you in large open spaces. We do not have confined areas that bring together more than 100 people at a time, ”says the zoo, located about forty kilometers from the capital, where more than 750 animals live.
So, we can walk around quietly, say hello to animals with long necks like ostriches or giraffes. And why not make new friends by going to see the hippos? There are gibbons, right? Yes, but there are also marmosets!
In any case, good news, no trace of pangolins, these charming beasts accused (unjustly?) Of having contributed to spreading the coronavirus to humans.
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ZooSafari, rue du Pavillon de Montreuil in Thoiry (Yvelines). From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. From 23 to 29 €.
3. Getting lost in the middle of nowhere in Vexin
We remove the gloves and the mask to feel the caress of the wind on his cheeks. A few kilometers from the capital, hop on a bike to the park house in Théméricourt to pedal on a 32-kilometer route through the Vexin Regional Natural Park. A nice ride that winds on small paved roads alternating with dirt roads. Cultivation plots, undergrowth and old houses follow one another along this bucolic path.
Along this escapade deserted by almost all humans, we pass the tool museum in Wy-dit-Joly-Village. A little-known jewel: in their pretty building, Claude and Françoise Pigeard have preserved for several decades the objects attached to the know-how of the rural world. A spinning wheel as if out of "Sleeping Beauty", a winemaker's hood or old keys are available to the curious who venture there. A cabinet of curiosities as charming as it is surprising.
4. We set sail on the Ourcq canal
Fed up with the troubles that flow freely? Rental agencies offer a nice boat or pedal boat tour on the canal for a smooth cruise. We let ourselves be carried (or we pedal dry) at the option of the Ourcq on these boats while eyeing onlookers who stroll on the quays, along a modern and pleasant promenade. Depending on the number of hours reserved, you will pass in front of the Géode and its gigantic dome shining in the sun, near the Cité des sciences or the Cabaret sauvage. All with a good safety distance, comfortably installed on the water. Bye bye the Coronavirus: we take off!
5. Make an escape game by yourself in Paris
During an epidemic, nothing like having fun solo. That's good, the capital now offers an escape game to test alone (yes, you read that right).
Goodbye the excitement of the groups, lock yourself in a room for an hour. Well, it is better not to be claustrophobic and to have a good heart: this terrifying mission classified in the horror category is reserved for 16 years and over. The start-up Phobia offers its “Loft 13” event in a disturbing setting. The scenario: in search of an apartment in Paris, you come across a charming two-room apartment. Except that it shelters a mysterious urban legend: crimes would have been committed there by a macabre sect. Will you get out alive?
Phobia, 127 rue Jeanne d'Arc (Paris XIIIth). From 1 to 2 people. From 35 euros per person.