Summer in France

Now, I'm only really talking about Lyon here as it is probably slightly different in more touristy places but here goes...

On Friday, I walked up the hill (please note the 'up the hill', it was about 34 degrees and it is a steep hill.)to go to the local transport office - TCL, to pick up some bus timetables that I will be using a lot this summer. I arrived and the office was closed. It was only 10.30 in the morning - way to early for lunch, even a French lunch. I then noticed the sign on the door, helpfully pointing out that the office was closed. The reason given - because it was July. Not because of staff shortages, a strike, the aircon not working but because it was July (FYI it will also be closed in August too)

The annual French migration has began. For some reason everyone goes on holiday during July and August. Once the schools have closed, zoom, everyone goes. Lyon becomes a ghost town. People who can afford to, go away for the whole time or at least a month. Others make do with 2 weeks.
The first summer I was here, I was nannying for a couple who are both journalists. One of my French friends was amazed that I was not going on holiday in August because I had to work.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because the parents are working."
"Why aren't they on holiday?"
"Because they work for a 24 hour news channel."
"But why don't they go on holiday? It's August?"
"What part of 24 hour news channel don't you get?

As all the French go on holiday at the same time there is chaos on the roads and you get Red days - when you are advised to avoid the autoroutes, but everyone ignores these messages and sits in a traffic jam on the autoroute. (The one sensible thing that does happen on these days is that they ban lorries from the main roads.) You try and politely suggest to a French person that they may want to travel on a Friday or a Sunday to avoid the traffic and you get an incomprensible look and the explanation that they always travel on Saturday.

Then as everyone is away, everything closes. Transport services are reduced, libraries and other municipal services have shorter opening hours. Usually the little local shops manage it quite well and take their 2 week breaks at different times, so there will always be a bakers, pharmacy, bar etc open. Some of the larger shops remain open but suddenly shut at lunch time or earlier in the evening. Or if you are the information office of the local transport service, you close for 2 months. The 35 hour week and the fact that of your 5 weeks holiday you have to take at least two weeks together, takes some getting around. As the French go on holiday in France, I suspect the more touristy places like Corsica and Paris remain open, but I haven't been there in the summer time to find out.

There are usually several expats left as the big expat employers here are the 24 hour news channel, the RAC and the AA and Interpol. All needed throughout the year and of course the young, childless non-French have all worked out that it is cheaper to go on holiday outside of July and August!