Cyberspace
Are We Ever Really Here?
Or are we all lost in cyberspace
I was in a coffee bar in downtown Lisieux on Friday. It’s a small French town, so downtown doesn’t mean much — three roads come together and meet in a town square called Place François Mitterrand.
I’ve lived just outside the town for five years, and regularly visit a café called Café Amour. It’s actually a boulangerie/pâtisserie with a seating area at the back where you can eat your viennoiserie, and drink coffee or tea.
I go there a lot. One, because the coffee is good, a rarity in this town. And two, they serve Croque-Monsieur Au Salmon plus a Flan au Chocolat, with a coffee or cold drink (beer or Orangina), all for €10. In addition, they always have free newspapers on the tables to browse through. This is also rare.
The owner, a heavy-set man called Bernard, calls me L’Anglais, but is friendly and always engages in some local town gossip. Mainly, the latest crime wave. A crime wave that has been going on since I arrived in 2019.
I visit the café about once a week and always make a point of NOT taking my phone with me. My wife says, ‘Have you got your phone?’
I say, ‘No.’
Why do I need a phone? There are newspapers to read. People to speak to. Windows…
