23.07.2021 – 08:59
In France, summer vacations are sacred, so much so that the government is willing to change its COVID-19 vaccination policies to let French workers enjoy the beach without worrying about their second dose.
But public outrage over the possibility that new vaccination plans could endanger people’s lives over the summer was enough to unite one of France’s biggest divisions – the “juilletist” – those vacationing in July – and aoutiens ”- those who prefer the month of August.
To appease these fanatical vacationers, the authorities have agreed to drop instructions that insist the second vaccine should usually be taken in the same place where you got the first. Now people can choose places, including popular holiday destinations, reports cnn.
The monthly preference of French sun seekers may seem a simple curiosity to the rest of the world, but for those who live there, it is a serious matter – and a feature that blocks the entire nation each year.
For anyone considering visiting the French state in the summer months, it is also worth considering, especially if they do not want to find their favorite restaurant in Paris closed for weeks, or if they want to avoid one of the biggest hustle and bustle of traffic in the world.
Understanding why some people in France prefer the holidays in August and others prefer July means making progress in understanding what it is like to be French.
“Everyone in France is looking forward to the summer holidays,” said Julien Louap, a 30-year-old Austrian. “It’s like Christmas, but in the summer,” he added.
For Louap, a proud Parisian, the reason why August is better than July for the holidays is simple: Paris is very exciting to leave in July. Every year the city hosts a magnificent fireworks display for July 14, French National Day, accompanied by public events and private parties.
Fireworks on the beach
When August arrives, the city is overwhelmed by another sensation: tranquility. Most residential areas of the city will be emptied as residents leave on holiday, which gives Arthur Cuhel, a 26-year-old aoutien, another reason not to go on holiday in July.
Cuhel does not want to return from vacation in late July in an empty and busy city while most of his colleagues are away enjoying their August free time on the beach.
In addition, August for him also means better weather, guaranteed sunshine.
“There are fewer people in July,” Cuhel said. “But the weather is even worse and I need the sun,” he added.
But for many July fans, a less crowded beach is more valuable than a sunny and hotter beach. Plus, celebrating July 14 on an empty and relaxing beach is as much fun as having a party in Paris.
“You have fireworks on the beaches,” said Juliette Gache, 21. “While for August 15 it is usually full of retail,” he added.
The cost of going on holiday in July is also lower as the demand for hotel rooms is usually lower than in August. Vacationers in France booked 23.4 million nights in July compared to 24.8 million nights in August in the summer of 2019, the last pre-pandemic summer holiday season, according to a study published by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.
Despite being divided on many fronts, supporters of July and August can agree on one thing that is not their month either: traffic.
“Traffic jams are a kind of tradition,” Gache said. “Even if you leave your house at four in the morning, which my family usually does because we are mentally prepared, you will always end up in traffic jams,” he said.
“The infamous blockade”
Getting stuck in a small, sometimes unconditioned vehicle with three or four other family members on the A7 motorway is a childhood memory shared by many French people. This motorway, which connects the French cities of Lyon and Marseille via the Rhone River valley, has been dubbed the “sunny motorway” as it leads to the sunny French Riviera.
“The Rhone River Valley is very hot during the summer,” said Lilian Delhomme, a July vacationer. “You will just die and then be resurrected as soon as you are on the beach,” she added.
The most infamous annual traffic jam in France takes place every year on Saturday of the week when July meets August. It is the day when the July supporters clash with the departing August, which results in blockages across the country, called the “blockade of intersections”.
“This year, as in previous years, we are expecting more than 700 kilometers of congestion,” said Fabrice Vella, chief forecaster at Bison Fute – “Smarty Buffalo” – the French transport ministry’s traffic information service.
In fact, the traffic service was set up as a result of a bad intersection block, that of 1975, called the “blockage of the century”. On August 2, 1975, the 800-kilometer National Road 10, which connected Paris with Spain at the time, saw a maximum of 450 kilometers of traffic jams, meaning that half the road was blocked by traffic.
Bison Fute currently uses a four-color ranking system to indicate the overload level with green at the good end and black at the bad end. France sees only one or two “black days” each year when the whole country is covered in black and usually the day of the crucifixion will be one of them.
The city in a stalemate
A major reason behind French passion for summer vacations is that French labor laws guarantee five weeks of paid leave for most of its workforce. In fact, France was the first European country to implement a generalized two-week paid vacation in 1936, under the socialist government led by Leon Blum, according to Alain Chatriot, a professor at Science Po University.
In the summer of 1936, for the first time ever, hundreds of thousands of French factory workers went to the beach and enjoyed their vacation, a privilege previously reserved for the bourgeoisie and aristocracy.
“It remains one of the most symbolic provisions of labor law,” said Chatriot.
The French love of the holiday also means that American tourists planning to visit Paris this summer, especially in August, will find most of the restaurants and cafes closed.
A Parisian, Cyril Choisne, 40, has worked in the gastronomic world of the French capital since 2006.
Eclipses, his restaurant recommended by the Michelin Guide near the Musé d’d’Orsay, like most other restaurants in Paris, closed its doors during the first half of August because most of their customers disappeared.
“Last year, I tried opening from August 1st to August 15th,” he said. “Demand fell by more than 90 percent,” he added.
But for Choisne, the tranquility is exactly why he encourages everyone to visit his city at this time of year.
Just remember one thing, he said, “Always bring a bottle of water and keep in mind that it will be difficult to find a toilet, because most of the city will be in a settlement.”
