Le Retour des Parisiens
The French on holiday
The month of August in France is like no other. Special laws mean that the French are obliged to take their annual leave between fixed dates in August. Consequently, inner cities are transformed into urbanised zones of emptiness and eerie solitude at a time when most large cities notice sever increases in human traffic during a busy holiday season.
Admittedly, the areas around Notre Dame, the Champs Elysées and the Eiffel Tower all appear rather busy with the annual hoards of eager tourists. But the rest of the city is seemingly quite. Shops are closed for weeks on end meaning the purchase of simple objects often entails walking around aimlessly for lengthy periods of time. Whilst in Bordeaux last summer, I was astounded by the lack of people, the number of free parking spaces and the speedy service in restaurants. Quite simply, the French perform an act of urban exodus during the month of August.
It is no surprise to discover that the majority of French holiday makers do not chose to jump on a plane abroad, revealed a recent survey by French statistics organisation IPSOS. Rather, they plummet down to the south of France and reassemble somewhere along the Cote d’Azur. The annual decent towards the south has been likened to an act of pilgrimage, as opposed to a leisurely drive to one’s holiday destination. The French motorway network in August is an endless chain of stationary cars in which angry French fathers blaspheme and expire profusely.
At work a few nights ago, I questioned a fellow employee about his trip home in the evenings. He said his journey was “smooth and easy-going”, that is until next week (3rd September) when “they’re back from holiday.” The first Monday in September is known as la reprise de boulot or the first day back to work. Yesterday evening’s walk home from Luxembourg saw a noticeable increase in the presence of Parisians who had chosen to drink one final coffee before going back to work the following day. A heavily bronzed woman in the supermarket yesterday morning declared that she was in the south of France the day before soaking up some rays. Today she can label herself as one of the many French city dwellers who had to join in la reprise de boulot.
The French state - despite all its moralistic spiel on liberty and freedom of choice – is again guilty of invading society’s private sphere. In the same way that French businesses are authorised to implement their sales at limited periods during the year, French holiday makers are obliged to go on holiday at the same time. This cannot be good for the country’s economy, never mind all those people who would prefer a holiday in the winter. I believe that derestricted holidays laws should be in the books for France’s next major reform.
