May
is the month of holidays in France. There are eleven public
holidays a year, called jours
fériés, which we might call “bank holidays” in the United
States. They’re official holidays/dates when government offices, schools,
banks, and most stores are closed, except for a few supermarkets,
convenience stores, and bakeries, which need to follow certain rules
as to when they can close in the summer, so they’re not all closed
at the same time and no one is without bread. Like October,
May is also known as “strike season” – since so many people are
traveling, strikers know they can make the biggest impact this month, so
they often happen during this period. And if planned right, they can be
scheduled next to holidays, so you can have a few days off in a row.
We’re
not on strike around here, and no one would miss me if I was gone a few
days. (Although I do dream about a strike, and will check my calendar
after I finish writing this post.) But we needed a break right now and
felt like it was a good weekend to take off, so take off we did, and
headed out to our friend’s place out of town for a little r & r.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment