Vive les vacances!

‘Vous partez?’ ‘Vous partez un petit peu?’ ‘Quand est-ce que vous partez?’ Since early June, Parisians have been asking and answering these questions remorselessly, their minds fixed on holidays and nothing else. Since early July, the capital has been emptying out dramatically: the markets are deserted, shops are boarded up, food supplies even run down. Children vanish as mothers take them to the country or send them on Scout camp, leaving the fathers to join the family when the office permits. The city will slow down even further in August, so much so that it does not even charge for street parking during that languid month. Given that September is defined by the bustle required to catch up after a two-month break, it is safe to say that the pre-, post- and holiday period in France lasts for one third of the year.

Actually it lasts for longer. The main function of the famous French summer break is to allow people to recover from the stress of planning all the other holidays which punctuate the calendar.