Holidays Season

French vacation season is upon us - or, as the French call it, "holidays". Which means a few annual changes:

1. Commuting traffic is lighter, and parking spots are easy to find. Even before we start our own holidays, we are relieved some amount of anxiety every morning and evening when there are fewer cars on the road.

2. Work has gotten crazy. This weekend starts holidays for a good chunk of people, so everyone is rushing to get stuff done at the last minute. When I worked in Detroit I always wondered why the number of e-mails from France went up in mid-July. Now I know: tying up loose ends.

3. You can forget about getting any services done for the rest of the summer. It's one of the great paradoxes of France: all the shops run great clothing sales, but all of the tailors go on holiday. Last weekend I tried to get a new pair of pants shortened and new heels on a pair of shoes. I went to two tailors, who both turned me away, saying "We are closed as of tonight". I had to throw a regular fit of whining to get the shoe man to agree to repair my heels. He said "If you don't come back for these shoes before 6 p.m. (holding up 6 fingers to stress his point), don't expect to see them until September."

So how does this country operate between late July and early September? I'd tell you, but I'll be off on holidays.