Thursday, July 31, 2014

So How About Paris in August?


This post is part of the Paris in July blogging event. I’m delighted to be co-hosting this year! Please check out the blogs of Karen at “A Wondering Life” and Tamara at “Thyme for Tea,” creators of the event, for links to all participating posts.

The last day of July and the scent of vacation is in the air for many Parisians. With a minimum of 25 vacation days a year, Parisians traditionally take at least two weeks off in the summer – and the most popular time is August.

The shops and restaurants surrounding tourist attractions are usually open in August but if you go into a neighborhood just off the tourism route, you will get a feel for the real Paris in August: quiet, calm, sleepy.

In our neighborhood, our usual bakeries, cheese shops, and other artisans close during the same period, leaving us with the grocery store and one bakery. There is always one baker among the five or six in each neighborhood who will remain open so we don’t have to resort to industrial bread. (Whew!)

If I want to have lunch or dinner at a small café or restaurant, I think to myself: “It’s that time of year… I’d better call to make sure it’s open.” And it usually isn’t.

All of this until the August 15 Assumption holiday. Then, slowly but surely, shutters lift, hurried footsteps echo in the streets, the sounds of laughter and the scent of cigarettes permeate the air. And Paris awakens.


I hope you have enjoyed this year’s Paris in July. I certainly have! A big “merci!” to Tamara and Karen for asking me to co-host this year.

July is one of my favorite months in Paris, but if you love Paris as much as I do, don’t hesitate to visit during any month. Paris is a place for all seasons.

A bientot…


Another View:



Fellow Paris-based author Vicki Lesage is teaming up with me on a few “Paris in July” posts. We each will be writing our own take on a particular Paris-related theme. Here is Vicki’s wrap-up post for the last day in July…

 Paris in August is a unique phenomenon. It's both empty and crowded. Loud and quiet. Parisian and not Parisian. It passes slowly but is over with before you know it, and then it's back to the hustle and bustle of work. You have to enjoy it while it lasts... Click here to read more…



6 comments:

  1. I had a great time during "Paris in July". Hope you're enjoying August so far!

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  2. thank you Adria for leading us through a wonderful Paris in July from a Parisiennes point of view. I enjoyed sharing this experience you - have a great vacation!

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  3. Adria, I loved your posts for Paris in July. I've only been in France during August once, and I was at a vacation house until September. Then we returned to the outskirts of Paris when the rest of the city did. Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France. Here’s my Dreaming of France meme

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    1. Thanks, Paulita! It still is pretty quiet around here right now. I think activity might pick up in about a week -- hopefully!

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  4. I love Paris in August, was there in August 2009 for two weeks, amazing time,

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    1. Yes, since there are fewer people around, you can sometimes have the city all to yourself... It is a great time of year!

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