MOSCOW (Sputnik) — La Bonne Biere cafe, targeted by gunmen on November 13, reopened on Friday. For now, condolences for the five victims have replaced the regular menu at the cafe's entrance.
"First and foremost, we are thinking of the families who have been directly impacted by the tragedy, and about our customers who were here that evening. We are grateful to the rescuers, police, and all those who helped us that terrible evening. Thank you for coming to our cafe in the days after November 13. It is time to come together, to unite and not to forget," the street menu board reads.
Among the customers present, there are those who are visiting the cafe for the first time.
The cafe had always been busy, but on the reopening day it was busier than ever, a waiter noted.
Customers drink wine and coffee, share news and leave generous tips. "Thank you for opening again, we will help you with all we can," a woman said, leaving a two-euro tip for a cup of coffee.
"I was working that evening… We hid quickly, and none of the staff were hurt. Of course, we were terrified, but it is all in the past now. We have done some redecorating and returned to work. We missed our customers, they are like friends to us. It is especially nice to see them supporting us," the cafe's waiter continued.
SHARED PAIN
While some insist that life is returning to normal as the first aftershocks fade, this view is not shared by all Parisians.
People also stop at a boulevard nearby, where chalk messages are being left on the ground. Pictures and writing in different languages offer support and reassurance to the city. Light drizzle has not washed the messages away.
BATACLAN
The largest memorial can be found outside the Bataclan theater, where the terrorists took people who came to see the Eagles of Death Metal band play live hostage. People continue to bring flowers and candles, which have now accumulated along the theater's walls and even on the ground across the street, where the memorial spans tens of meters.
A few hundred meters away, there is a bustling street market. In Paris, street traders move to different parts of the city on different weekdays. People buy clothes, haggle and talk noisily. No trace of mourning is in sight.
Neither of the owners and none of the theater's staff have gone inside since the attack. The French police advised against going inside, expressing concerns about the potential emotional consequences.
REPUBLIC SQUARE
The Place de la Republique, which served as a place of national unity after January's Charlie Hebdo shooting, has again become a source of strength for Parisians. Locals and tourists alike gather here to remember the dead and to support each other.
"I spent the whole of last week at funerals, three of my friends died in Bataclan. It is awful and horrible, it cannot be explained or excused. It was so difficult, you can imagine so many funerals in one week. We will always remember them. We will live and remember," a girl said, holding flowers.
On Friday, December 4, exactly three weeks after the attack that shook France and many beyond its borders, the square is full of people. The crowd is diverse, with Parisians and those travelling by filling the space. Life really does go on. People move on after a minutes pause at the heel of the monument to the French Republic, where flowers lie next to a lit up Christmas tree.
