No, I haven’t been away (unlike most of the inhabitants of the city) but instead have been taking advantage of the comparatively empty city to explore it a bit more.

Of course, it’s not really empty but it is true that the vast majority of Parisians do go to the country or the seaside for all of August. The only people who remain are in the main tourists or those employed in the tourist industry.

The biggest change to the city is seen on the roads. The normally clogged boulevards, avenues and rues suddenly empty and driving becomes a pleasure rather than a continual battle. I usually have to drive out to Charles De Gaulle airport once or twice a week and for the last month, a journey that takes anywhere between 50 minutes to an hour and a half has been achieved in around 25 minutes or so even in the rush hour (and that’s without breaking the speed limit). Equally, my jaunts to Orly have been satisfyingly quick and painless. Alas, it can’t last and all through last week the traffic was building up as people drift back to Paris in readiness for a wholesale return to work on Monday morning.

One unpleasant side affect of the holiday, is that all the little newsstands that are dotted around the city close. This means that I have been unable to buy my copy of the Daily Telegraph. Of course I could (and have been) reading the web version on my P.C. but that is not the same thing as relaxing in a streetside café reading all the latest gossip of the Evil Manchester United and the Pathetic Bristol City.

Some what surprisingly, a large number of restaurants and shops also closed for the month even in some of the more touristy areas.

I have to admire the French for this. Despite the pressures of modern society, pretty much the entire nation has August off and even those that don’t usually manage to get at least 2 weeks holiday.

A far cry from my last posting in Japan where it was akin to breaking the law to have a day off at any other time than the all to rare Bank Holidays.