Most of Europe has finally moved towards normalcy after COVID-19 disrupted our daily lives for what seems to be the most chaotic 4 months in memory. In its wake, the virus has left the world a little stranger. Handshakes have gotten awkward, several restaurants and independent businesses have closed for good, gatherings are frowned upon, visiting grandparents might put them in danger, and at least in here in Germany, wearing facial masks has become a civil duty.
It’s a new 'normalcy' definitely requires some getting used to it.
The German government has to be commended for their handling of the crisis: even though things drastically slowed down across the country, we never had to go through a full lock-down as experienced in France and Italy.
One of the few positive aspects of the pandemic was getting extra time to tackle some personal projects. I seized the opportunity to explore a handful of cities across Germany to observe how people were adjusting to those new regulations, during and after the pandemic. Always while abiding that social distancing, of course!