August and Artesian Wells

Since we have arrived, Parisians have been “warning” us about August. They told us how everyone leaves, no shops are open, how it’s possible to walk down the middle of large streets because there are no cars out driving. They then usually continue to tell us of their August vacation plans, which interestingly enough usually seem to involve a trip to the States.

As August drew closer and closer, when we were asked where we were going for the month, we said “Nowhere” and tried to explain that essentially taking a vacation from a vacation was absurd and frankly, we were intent on staying in Paris and enjoying the city.

After we agreed to dog sit for some friends who live across town in the 15^th arrondissement, Josh and I joked that we could now say, “We decided to holiday in the 15^th”. But somehow, I don’t think the Parisians would get our joke.

A usual response by Parisians to our reluctance to travel during this time is to look at us with honest pity and suggest, ‘Well, perhaps you can get away for a day or two.” It’s funny—there seems to be more understanding of my poor French than of our decision to stay put.

And then August arrived. For a few days, we were skeptical of this true emptying out of Paris. We still saw people and they weren’t all tourists, but something happened yesterday—everyone seems to have really disappeared.

As we were walking Chaco the dog across town in a neighborhood a bit more upscale than ours, it was a literal ghost town. We walked for 20-30 minutes before we saw an open café or bakery—something that can usually be counted on every block or two. As I went out to get groceries for dinner yesterday, I knew I would have to walk a while to find an open bakery and even then, I couldn’t be sure I would be thrilled by the bread.

Of course, not everyone leaves. One newspaper said 60% of Parisians leave, but what they forgot to mention is that the remaining 40% are especially unhappy about being left to deal with tourists and obviously insane Parisians who don’t choose to exercise their right of vacation.

The customer service we’ve experienced in Paris, which up until now has been truly welcoming and open, has dipped quiet a bit in the last week. From the bakery to the café, if they are open, someone will eventually help you, but not usually with a smile.

But for us, this is our time to be true tourists again. Each week we pick a new part of Paris to explore and we spend a full day being tourists. We’ve seen some really neat things. My favorites have been the Chateau de Vincennes (a castle built in the 13^th Century by Charles V at the edge of Paris)--and the Basilica of Saint Denis (a church where all the French kings are buried, from Clovis, the first real king of the Franks, crowned in the year 481, to the guillotined Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

We also visited a park that was once a large Citroen car factory and is now full of trees and fountains. Josh took a hot air balloon ride while we were there (I chickened out since I wasn’t sure I thought I would like the heights). We’ve also had a lot of ice cream (even if our favorite ice cream shop is closed for the entire month, we’ve managed to find a few other vendors), seen a few movies (including the Simpsons and Harry Potter, with French subtitles) and even spent a few hours here and there sitting down in a café reading.

One of the more random things we’ve ever visited is a true artesian well right in Paris. The well has been known for over 100 years and people come from throughout the city and the suburbs to fill water bottles since the mineral water from the well is said to have restorative powers. You know you have time on your hands when you trek 30 minutes for water, and even consider it fun!

In general, we don’t really think of ourselves as tourists any more, but for August, I’m happily changing our status from “temporary expat” to “long-term tourist”. And heck, with our temporary tourist designation, I don’t even feel badly for not being able to speak French very well and wearing tennis shoes out sometimes. Just for emphasis, today I am wearing a t-shirt I dare only to wear in August. It says, “Everyone loves an American girl.”

Parisian life for everyone will speed up in a few weeks. We will begin to work normalish hours again and we hear that the “rentree,” or return to work and school after vacation, is a big event. Several people are promising to check in to say hello after “the return”, but until then, I’ve got a picnic to pack and a guided tour to catch.

sPg