Peak summer, post-vacation
It's August in France, y'all.
The Infamous French August
It’s possible you’ve come across some France-themed content already that’s waxing poetic about August in France or warning you to stay away because everything is closed. It really is a weirdly magical time when you feel the pace of things come to a halt, the air ranges from warm to just plain hot, and many people have vacated cities for the countryside or the coast. There’s an anything-goes attitude; most attempts at #fashion are out the door. August is a permission slip to while away your evenings with ice cream followed by apéro and neglect some of the normal responsibilities. This is also, surprisingly, the first time I’ve ever actually been in France in August, so it was new for both of us and our worries about heat and boredom have been mostly allayed.
August is traditionally the month when the French take those infamous, long summer vacations, but these days a lot of people opt for July vacations, too (like us). Even before we left Lyon on July 17, signs were beginning to appear in windows warning customers of the upcoming vacation closures. The boulangerie would be closed for 3 weeks in August, the hair stylist is out for 5 weeks starting late July.
This hot, lazy August feeling is in direct conflict with my current half marathon training cycle, which was heavily altered and often neglected while on vacation (too hot, too many late nights, swimming in the ocean instead of running). Fortunately I had a pretty good base going into training runs, but the heat already has me burning out, mentally and physically. I’m reminded why I’ve never wanted to do summer training for long fall races! I hate summer running. However, I’m trying to put forth the effort for this October race.
Our First European Summer Vacation: Corsica!
We’ve returned from our summer beach trip that we took to Corsica, which was a longer trip where we tested a mix of work and vacation. This was our first attempt at such a trip, and it went fine…pros and cons. I think we’d both agree we would do it again, but only for certain types of trips and times of year.
Corsica was a natural paradise, but with lots of tourists especially in the South and a surprising amount of driving to do things. We spent a lot of time beach-hopping, did a 450m climb in the mountains (and nearly melted at the summit), and did not see a single Napoleon statue.
We did see a lot of Pascal Paoli statues though, who seems to be the real revered patriot for this island whose people strongly support autonomy from France. Apparently he and Napoleon had a falling out over allegiance to the French.
Besides that, we also did a great alpine hike and spent time at riverside beaches in the Restonica Valley and ate and drank more than I care to admit. Here’s my Corsican food post if you missed it.
Did I mention this trip was hot? Corsican is also a language that many people speak, and I got the feeling some locals preferred to speak English over French, I assume given their independent-from-France nature.
Heatwave!
We’re in the middle of a heatwave, where highs have flirted with 100F the last 4 days and night lows around 82. I’ve had this song in my head for a few days, and now you can too. Like us, the vast majority of apartments and houses in France do not have A/C. I checked today’s Lyon rental listings as a kind of straw poll, and out of 1706 currently posted, only 72 are being advertised as having air conditioning (often only in one room). Fortunately, it has so far been a dry heat that is mildly tolerable if managed correctly. Otherwise we would have had to pack up again and find a mountain cabin to ride out the month because I am not built for this. Neither are the dogs. Justin barely sweats in a sauna, so he’s fine.
*Last minute add before sending: the heat broke around 10 last night with storms and cool wind. We very slowly walked home from dinner in the rain, taking the time to cool off and enjoy the chilly breeze. Heaven on earth, if you ask me. Too cold, if you ask Justin.
Until our next post, I hope everyone stays cool wherever you are and that you enjoy the last bit of summer before fall starts next month (eeee!) We have two sets of visitors coming in September and October, and are so, so excited. I get to introduce France to my little brother, sister-in-law and 1-year old niece and that just fills me with so much joy I could squeal. Who am I kidding, I’ve already squealed. And might have already shed a tear I’m so excited. We will be 4 adults, 2 dogs, and a baby in Paris, so get ready for some amusing and chaotic Instagram stories. I can’t wait!
Bis bis.