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August 29, 2005

Vacation and La Rentrée

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Posted by Elizabeth Albrycht

Today marks the real beginning of La Rentrée, when the French return from their 2, 3, 4 plus weeks of summer vacation. In fact, for most retail and restaurants, tomorrow is the day, as they are usually closed on Monday. My experience last week makes me wonder how much longer there can be a real "rentrée" here. Many schools started last Monday and the commuter trains I rode on Friday were virtually full. The news is reporting that some tourist locations are hurting as more and more families are taking shorter vacations, and those vacations are being spent at the homes of relatives and friends, leaving hotels less than full during the peak season. Sure, the French are a long way from losing their standard five/six weeks of annual vacation, but vacation habits seem to be changing.

As an American, I have to admit being jealous of the tremendously generous benefits afforded to the French employee. Yet, having heard the horror stories of being an entrepreneur in France, I realize how difficult those benefits makes it for small companies to succeed. France is braced for big social movements and strikes in late September/early October as people react to government reforms designed, among other things, to make things easier for businesses, in the hopes that it will decrease the unemployment rate.

But back to vacation. I just returned myself from a 2.5 week vacation, during which I stayed in one place, and spent most of my time relaxing vs. running around "touring." It felt exceedingly strange. My usual vacation is one week spent frantically travelling about seeing things and doing things, and a return marked by tiredness vs. rejuvenation. This time, while I checked my email once per day and had to take care of a few work items, for the most part my days were spent reading, getting ready to eat, eating, napping, reading while laying in the sun by the pool, doing a little embroidery, getting ready to eat, eating, watching a movie, then sleeping. Day after day. I got a great tan, put on a couple of pounds and feel simply fantastic. What a great way to prepare for the hyper busy fall months!

Speaking of the fall months, I've got a couple of great interviews lined up to share with you over the next couple of weeks, and will have some commentary on other recent news and events. Stay tuned!

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