Paris is on Vacation.

That's right.  Paris is on vacation.  As is most of France.  

Allow me to explain: Tons of people go on vacation in France in August.  Not just for a few days or a week, oh no.  Many people go for almost all of August -- two weeks at the very least.  This might be more common in Paris than in the rest of France, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

So, this touches my daily life in a couple of ways.  First: It's hard to find lunch.  Okay, if I'm being honest this is the only way this changes things for me.  There are two bakeries near our office that have good sandwiches, salads, etc.  They are both closed.  For the whole month.  There is also a Subway nearby that is still open where I can grab a sandwich but... ya know... I live in Paris.  Subway doesn't even KNOW what "eat fresh" means.  There is fresher.  And more delicious.  And I miss it.  (Sigh).  

If you don't believe me, please note that it took me all of about 10 minutes (mostly because I walk slowly) to accumulate these pictures.   Please excuse the fact that my reflection is in almost all of these -- I need to be more mindful when taking pictures.

These two shops are on our street.  They are the only shops on our side of the street.  Both closed.

This is where you can get amazing quiches and pastries for dessert at lunch.  I will go there just to celebrate when they reopen... and have a chocolate moelleux because theirs are delicious!

This place was in Tours, France.  Just a little bit of proof that this doesn't just happen in Paris.

Again, you can't really read it, but this is a sign announcing that the bakery IS open in August.  Because you need to say that, because it's not assumed.  This was taken on a Sunday, though, which explains why the place was closed.  

So there you go, just a fun little fact about what life is like in Paris in August.  I hear that if you actually work in a regular business or office, it's impossible to get anything done because too many people are on vacation.  Surely most things can wait until September.  

What's that you ask?  Why do people use up all their vacation in one month?  Surely nobody has more than 4 weeks of vacation to spend!  

Wellllll.... the minimum amount of vacation a person can have each year in France is five weeks.  Five!  Is there a minimum in the U.S.?  Here in France you also have people like my husband who work 40 hours per week instead of the typical 35 (!) who get about nine weeks of vacation to compensate for all of those extra hours.  Nine!  Nine WEEKS!  I think in my earliest jobs I got nine days per year!  Can you imagine how nice it is to just take off for 3-4 weeks in the summertime and either totally decompress on the beach until you are so relaxed you look 5 years younger?  Or you now have the time to drive across the U.S. or fly to Europe or Asia and just travel around.  Or do all those little projects around your house that drive you crazy so that when you're back to work you feel completely relaxed and ready for whatever life brings.  So many possibilities.

Just a thought about life and how nice it is that people here are allowed more time to actually live it.  I miss the bakeries, but have to say I appreciate the vacation.  We're storing up our vacation days to spend Christmas in the States, but we'll still manage two getaways in August, not to mention the two-week honeymoon we took in May.  There really are some things I truly love about France and vacation is one of them.

La fête des Tuileries

I never knew this, but for most of the summer there is a carnival on the Northern edge of the Tuileries Gardens, called La Fête des Tuileries.  (Note, I say carnival because that’s what it looks like to me, but Paul insists that this is not what it is called in French.  In French, anything called a “carnival” has to do with Mardi Gras).  There are the typical rides, such as the Ferris wheel, the Swings, and Bumper Cars.  You can also go into a haunted house, or play carnival games that involve shooting or picking a plastic duck out of flowing water (everyone gets a prize!).  It’s the kind of country fair that almost everyone has been to at least once in his or her life, though probably not in the middle of a city.  For me, it felt like a little piece of the Great New York State Fair brought to me in Paris, just a month early.  (No salt potatoes, though.  Alas).

Paul and I went to check this out with some friends, and it was another one of those things in Paris that he had never done before.  It’s amazing to be married to someone who grew up in Paris, as he can show me all the hidden things a typical outsider can’t find.  However, it’s also nice to make friends with other expats in the city who are excited to try anything and everything the city has to offer, even if it seems a little cheesy.  In the end, my Parisian husband was really pleased to have tried this once. 

The Ferris wheel was our first ride, and we were initially disappointed because it was enclosed in glass.  We had a special treat, though, as we could see a man in the building next to the carnival who was standing on his balcony in his underwear!  Yikes!  (It was quite hot out that night, so I guess we’ll give him a pass?)  I’ve seen a lot of things on the midway of the Great New York State Fair, but never that! 

Also, we happened to be riding the swings at exactly 11:00pm, when the Eiffel Tower began to sparkle.  That made the moment pretty magical.   (The picture below is of the Eiffel Tower with her sparkle lights, though it's not taken from the Tuileries.  The fête was much farther away than this photo).

This last picture is of the moon rising over the Louvre.  Unfortunately, this is one of those things that I simply couldn’t capture with a camera.  The moon was huge and bright rising right over the chateau that night.  It was even glowing a bit orang-y as it climbed into the sky.  I guess it’s the type of thing you just have to come to Paris to see.