Paris: Closed for the month of August

John Galliano's boutique on Rue Saint Honore is closed until August 14. The English translation differs slightly from
 the French in that it doesn't say that the boutique is "exceptionally" closed. I wonder why.

Paris, at least my non-touristy part of the city, feels oddly quiet these days, almost like a ghost town.  There isn't very much traffic on the roads and there are plenty of empty tables at the cafe behind my apartment. While I had heard about the mass exodus in August, which is when many well-to-do Parisians exchange their hectic urban lives for a month of relaxing on the beach, I had no idea that Paris would feel so strange without the Parisians. I miss them! Life just isn't the same without all of their frenetic energy. You may, however, need to remind me of this post when I start complaining about the woman who cut in front of me in the long line at the grocery store or the crowds on the metro in September!

Even though some of the smaller stores and restaurants in Paris are closed, here are links for two other websites with helpful information about what is open:

Things to do in Paris in August. (Things to Do in Paris: The Official Blog for Paris Museums)

What's open in Paris in August? (BonjourParis)

How do they do it? This store on the rue Saint Honore must be doing alright to be able to close for the entire month. Interestingly enough, it seems that only their French speaking clients are "aimable" because the word "kind" isn't used to describe the English speaking customers in the multilingual sign on the door. I wonder what it says in Japanese.

Comments

  1. Oh they all must take great pride in these announcements; a feather in their caps, don't you think?

    So how is this impacting your day to day life? Is your bakery closed? The butcher? Or do you get all your shopping from a Monoprix or such?

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  2. It's not really impacting my daily life that much other than that Paris just feels very, very strange...not at all like Paris. It's different when I'm where there are lots of tourists. I've even been able to take photos while standing in the middle of the street because there aren't that many cars. I had no idea that it would be like this.

    Can you imagine an American business closing down for an entire month?

    My grocery store will be open the entire time but it looks like the bakery and the butcher will be closed during the second half of August. About half of the vendors at the market seem to be on vacation, too.

    And even though I just returned from vacation, it feels like I've been left behind in this empty city. That's a bit of an exaggeration, but still...

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  3. left behind--c'est tristesse, bonjour.

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  4. I know...it's a hard life but I keep telling myself that someone has to do it. ;-)

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  5. My butcher, the good bakery for baguettes (the good one for éclairs is still open - thank goodness or my husband would go on strike), the corner shop – all closed. It is like a ghost town. I can’t imagine what people from the rest of France feel like when they are invaded by all the Parisians :)

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  6. Good thing that the bakery with the good eclairs is still open. On some days those are far more important than bread. By the way, I noticed that you were rather vague as to the whereabouts of this particular bakery! ;-)

    I also wondered how the citizens of the sleepy little town of X feel when they're invaded by all of the Parisian tourists in August. It's gotta be good for business, but still...

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  7. well, the South of France is even better in september, don't you think.

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