Why Paris empties out for a month
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2024
- Few foreigners believe that Paris actually closes for a month in summer, as its residents take vacation.
But there's a very good reason for that... as you'll see.
It’s the height of summer in Paris, and the city feels delightfully... empty. No need to fight for the best seats in cafés because, well, most of them are closed. And most of my friends have vanished too, off on their long vacations, leaving me in a quieter, lonelier version of the city I love.
So, why resist the flow? I pack a small bag and join the exodus. Half the population has already streamed out of Paris, and while many head south to crowded beaches, that’s not my scene. Instead, I set off east, toward the beautiful Bourgogne-France-Comté region, close to the Swiss border. It’s a historic area, full of ivy-covered villages and 17th-century hilltop fortresses. The Doubs River snakes through the landscape, and it’s such a relief to wake up to the sight of green hills instead of concrete buildings. Though I do miss my morning coffee, and the local cafés are proving elusive.
Every year, Paris empties out for a month. It’s a tradition that feels uniquely French, but also necessary. Paris can be a bubble-a world of high culture, politics, and intellectual debates, detached from the rest of the country. Other regions sometimes feel neglected by the capital, which is why this great summer migration is so important. For a while, we Parisians are reminded that there’s more to France than our precious city. It reconnects us with the rest of the country, and in turn, strengthens the ties that bind us all together.
Here, time slows down. I stop for a medieval lunch in a small village and feel like I’ve stepped through a tunnel into another era. It’s magical, in a way that Paris’s history sometimes isn’t-because it’s not just about the past, it’s living in it for a moment. Time stretches; schedules blur. You eat when you’re hungry, and that’s really all you need to worry about.
Being away from Paris makes me appreciate it even more. Paris is an idea-a vibrant, intense force. But France is a destination, and stepping outside the city reminds me of that. Eventually, I’ll return, along with everyone else, for la Rentrée, when the city bursts back to life. But for now, I’m happy here, letting the summer sun and slower pace recharge me.
*** Shot on on iPhone, edited with LumaFusion on an iPad
*** Music from Artlist
We hardly know how much healing we need until we sit on the riverbank and toss a stone into the water. A gorgeous video, as always, Aida.
Those ripples keep expanding outwards...
Absolutely charming 😊
Thanks!
This video is incredibly well done. I am a proud new subscriber.
That is lovely to hear. Welcome on board!
Beauty is inside! A beautiful person doesn’t need make up to glow ❤
This video had a most calming effect on me as I prepare for my workday tomorrow. Thanks !!!
Have a great week, stranger!
Happy to hear that!
so beautifully done, and the essay was brilliant merci!
Thanks -- I love this comment!
How lovely & calming this film. I love your taste & the camera-work. I just got back from Paris visiting my son & my old haunts. My favorite part of living there was la rentrée & it was so fun so have a little reminder of that these past few days. But when I was living there I so enjoyed the summer jaunts with my ex to all the rest of France. I am so looking forward to moving back. Thank you for your thoughts, your beautiful presence & your films.
So happy to hear how you liked this video! It sounds like you dived back into Paris enthusiastically in our recent visit. Yes! Move back and make it a daily adventure!
Good morning,
I like that your sentence "it's really nice to wake up to some green instead of buildings".
We say similar sentence in ANTALYA on the morning;
It is nice to wake up to blue sea and the beach instead of buildings especially autumn mornings.
The sea in Antalya is so lovely. I can see why you say that...
What a beautiful video! I love your production. Everything flows so well just like the river. Your music selections are perfect for each vignette. Do you listen to FIP radio? It is my favorite station which I stream in Los Angeles, California. You should come here and be a movie producer.
Yes! FIP radio -- I've even recommended it on my channel (in the recent video on Paris tips). Happy to hear it's also being listened to over there. As for movie ambitions - ha! I enjoy my TH-cam hobby, but there are some very talented people on the platform who are way ahead of me in terms of production values. I just do what I can.
Nice video! It was relaxing just watching it. Also, I never commented about FIP Radio, which you recommended in another of your other TH-cam posts, because I wanted to explore and listen for a while. Now I don't remember which vid, so I will say here...Great Recommendation! FIP is great! Such genre variety! Quelle différence! There are pieces I don't normally hear, even from familiar artists, even from the States. Thanks.
Thanks! Glad you liked the video - and very happy to hear the FIP recommendation was rewarding.
Perfect! In America,people are obsessed with work and are afraid to take real time to feed their souls. I once had an employer who expected me to be on call 24/7! Yeah,good luck with that! How refreshing you are, thanks!
It's a trade-off, isn't it? In America, salaries are 2x or 3x what they are in France -- but the number of hours handed over to a company reflects that. Per hour worked, I guess French and US salaries are similar. After, it's just prioritising what's more important for you....
Anyone ever told you that you look like the actress Brooke Adams? She was in "Days of Heaven" and "The Dead Zone" in the late 70s. Same gorgeous smile and brown eyes. Ahem, anyway, cool video. Love those shots of the sun's rays on buildings.
I'd never heard that before -- but now I've looked up old photos of her I guess I see where you see some points of resemblance. Dark hair, dark eyes and lots of teeth in a smile...
@amusingaida haha, glad you took the comparison in the right spirit. Definitely a compliment 😀 btw thanks for the Pili Pili recommendation. Visited tonight and had a blast 😉
C'est pour les même raisons que nous autres, provinciaux, nous rendons de temps en temps à Paris. Chemins inverses, même motivations. Le problème c'est que chaque fois que je vais à "la capitale" je croise plus de touristes que de parisiens. Très belle vidéo, j'espère que votre virée provinciale dans cette magnifique région qu'est la Bourgogne vous a redynamisé. Bien cordialement
Et ces échanges sont bien précieux, je crois. Bien que chaque région ait ses atouts et spécificités, c'est le croisement de ceux-ci qui fait la force de la France. C'est vrai qu'à Paris on trouve énormément de touristes dans le centre-ville. Heureusement qu'il existest aussi pas mal de quartiers épargnés.
@@amusingaida J'ai mes habitudes du coté de la place d'Italie, pas trop touristique en effet encore que! Mais comme je ne suis pas parisien j'aime bien profité du centre ville, l'île de la cité, les champs, ect, enfin vous voyez bien. Mais j'ai à chaque fois le sentiment d'être le seul autochtone au milieu du reste du monde. Est ce que Paris appartient encore au parisiens?
Il y a bien un Paris pour les Parisiens, mais je doute que vous le trouviez sur l'Ïle de la Cité ! Faudrait aller plutôt aux quartiers un peu excentrés, comme Belleville, Jourdain, Butte aux Cailles, Jules Joffrin, la rue du Commerce dans le 15e....
@@amusingaida Ben oui, je sais tout ça. Mais lorsque je vais à Paris, c'est le plus souvent pour des expos, ou des concerts et profiter (ou du moins essayer) du centre historique (comment ne pas se lasser d'admirer les vitraux de la sainte chapelle ou de flâner au jardin du Luxembourg). Bref, pour résumer mon propos, mon interrogation est quelque chose du genre " Si l'on doit se cacher dans sa propre ville (ou du moins y être invisible), est-ce encore notre ville?"
Dole est décidément une très jolie petite ville !
C'est vrai ! C'était une jolie découverte pour moi
Some really nice shots !
Thanks!
Its good to see you back ! Time tunnel …love it !)
Merci .
I agree with the comments below, this was very well done, and just the dose of France I needed. We're just back from a month in Scotland, so the reverse culture shock (I'm American) has set in. (Although, I don't miss the weather!) The beauty of France was a perfect remedy. Also, thank you for including "Capricho Arabe" in the soundtrack.
Ah, that music track is lovely, and I thought it matched very well the countryside and pace of life I was experiencing there....
Sympa Besançon et ses environs !
Bien répérés !
Another fine video my lovely raven-haired friend, as per always.👍While many expats or visitors/travelers cut down & disrespect The City of Lights, it is still an _AMAZING_ city. Oh yeah also in the English language world that I am from, I also never understood others laughing at the French citizens for taking off for an entire month from the major French cities (e.g. Paris, Nice, Avignon, Lyon, Marseille) for traveling abroad. Never made any sense to me. I'm like "Meh, why are ya'll mad? They're allowed to self-educate & to enjoy time abroad as well. Its no reason at all to make fun of someone." So silly.
I also dig that you showed underground tunnel passages in the canal plus waterfalls. It's a lovely side to Paris. For the most part I'm a natural stoic Southern loner from the Southeastern United States. So those cool "little off the beaten path spots" are what I oddly adore in my travels. Vive La France! 🗼☮🗽
Thanks -- but maybe there's a misunderstanding somewhere? This was a video reflecting about life in Paris -- but while I was hundreds of kilometers away, in the Bourgogne and Jura regions (even if there was some Paris images thrown in there too to illustrate some of my musings....)
Ah indeed, I believed that this was "hidden away", more rural or under populated parts of Paris? So yeah, I see now that it was more Bourgogne. I see! A big thanks for the clear up. Real quick by the way: I've been enjoying your content a lot. Truly. Your lovely & amusing commentary in your travel videos is something else. For the time I've been viewing your videos I've liked all of them. Merci! Passe une bonne journée! ☮
That's truly gratifying to hear. Thanks! I think I'm slowly improving at this TH-cam thing...
No worries there my friend. Keep at it! I'd love to see a lot more content from you. Your voice is _SO_ cool to my American ears. 😊😉👍
Bonjour et hos geldinez pour la rentrée de Paris. Great story telling, nice montage and adding of music and mostly great camerawork. Appreciated. Sometimes you wonder whether you actually did have a holiday. Enjoy your studies.
And much appreciated is your comment on it... that makes all the work that went into it worthwhile!
I do feel as though September is the second New Year.
Though it's not Paris, so thankful to live in Cognac. Whenever returning from travel be it Paris, Spain, Germany, etc., there is such a calming effect from the perfectly manicured rows of grape vines and fields of sunflowers. Do come and visit.
Cognac sounds absolutely brilliant... A part of France I have not yet seen, but would very much like to.
I loved this!
Thanks!
Great stuff! Thanks and have a great year.
Hallo Aida. I was delighted to watch your latest video and find you refreshed following your summer holiday. Following on from your self questioning your home in the Marais you seem to have been re-energised which is confirmation of your reasoning that such summer vacations are necessary.
The truth is I am an old man from a long way away (but granted residency here) living on a boat very close to Paris and I ride my bike through the Marais exploring this and other arrondissements several days a week, which is the advantage of being retired. And I love the Marais area and while I can see what you were explaining, that it was changing in a way you don't like, I would hate to see you driven out as my experience of moving, moving, moving all my 70+ years makes me envious of people who have a home and a strong connection to that.
Interestingly I was able to spot many of the locations of your video as previously have been along the Doubs by boat (and loved it) so am very familiar with Dole and Besancon. Until close to the end I was thinking I must write to Aida and tell her about canal boating since this is such a wonderful relaxing way (and inexpensive) to see many parts of this diverse and beautiful country, but there you were aboard a cruiser, so you know this secret.
Also when you did your video on the Olympic Games I nearly wrote to sympathise with you as I found for these past almost two months that the total freedom of the past was severely curtailed and as a pensioner access to the various locations was really financially impossible.
Thank goodness I could feel the old Paris buzz returning as I rode through the city in the past days. Certainly a huge CONGRATULATIONS to all who organised such a successful pair of events but it is great to return to the wonderful normality.
Looking forward to your future videos and thanks for those to date. Happy Days.
That's great that you recognized the spots on the Doubs. It was a delightful boat trip, well worth it.
As for maybe moving away from my (once) beloved Marais.... well, there are certain qualities that I like to have in my life. I guess I'm just weighing up whether the Marais still gives those to me. They are becoming diluted here, I must say.
good you're back 😀
Thanks - and working on the next video!
@@amusingaida can't wait 😀
Loved it, Aida. After studying English for over 20 years (I am Brazilian), I wish I still had the strength to learn French, so I could experience living in France.
Oi Lola, e obrigada pelo comentario! Portuguese and French are not so far apart -- I'm sure you could pick up very quickly!
Hi! We Americans never get a month off unless we're retired. Years ago it was common to get two weeks off for family travel..often challenges of survival between parents and children or sibling vs sibling. Europeans have always been light years ahead of us regarding the value of vacations to decompress and recharge. There seems to be an added positive for you...doing it in the French countryside. But...a kid horseback riding, swimming in the lake, eating hot dogs on the grill and making smores after wasn't too bad for a kid either! 😋
I hear a nostalgic ode in what you say.... Thinking back to a time lost. Are Europeans light years ahead? I don't see it like that. Europe has its way of functioning, which is focused a lot more on daily personal life. But America rewards long hours and efforts at innovation. I think there's plenty of room on the planet for both... and indeed, the barriers are not so big for citizens of one Western region to try out life in another, if it appeals better. For me, definitely I prefer the French respect for personal time, because that suits who I am. But I understand European friends who go to the US in search of financial or professional rewards. That suits them...
@amusingaida I hit 78 in May...everything is nostalgic now. 😁 But..your sociological comments are fair and probably true. Living in 🇺🇸 all my life...I see the much darker side of my country which I abhor..but I've always been a closet eternal optimist. It's interesting how Europeans who move to France flourish in their new environment (they say)...but I seldom hear French expats say much of anything??? Interesting topic. Lovely weather here in Wisconsin today! Hope the same for you in Paris! Bonjour!
very well produced
Thanks -- you mean the images?
nice!
This is a such great video ,
love your summer ☀️ 🌞
I can feel the good vibe
from there .
Thank you so much .
Hugs from Utah 🥰🌞☀️🌷
Glad to hear this little blast of France made it as far as Utah (what are the canals like there?😁)
I love road trips or canal trips. I've taken a good number of them here in the US, like along old Route 66 and would love to do road trips on France and Europe. Thanks for the video.
Europe is great for backroad travel. There's a village every 6km or so....
@@amusingaida That sounds great
It was lovely 💜
Super
You are really something. All the things!
Many thanks
Vos publications sont des plus plaisantes !
Merci, c'est bien gentil et très encourageant de lire
@@amusingaida , je crois que vous serez bientôt inégalable pour parler de la France !
Nous aimons la façon dont les Parisiens y passent leurs vacances...
Moi aussi !
I’m a city mouse too… it’s fun to go on a summer trip, but the idea of spending winter isn’t good. Also it’s just drive, drive, drive everywhere. In the city I can walk or bike or bus. Great video!
Thanks.... I am very sympathetic to people who want the calm and quieter pace in the countryside (or even in smaller cities and towns). Sometimes I feel like I need some of that too. But, yeah, my own personality is best suited to big cities. That's what I like best.
In Paris, the sun doesn't shine at all, especially this year.
I actually thought it was pretty good in Paris in July and August. But now in September it does seem unusually gloomy....
It is almost irrelevant what feelings try you in other corners of France - good or less good - as long as you live in Bogard's line: "We'll Always Have Paris"! Right? :)))
And Ilsa still left on that plane....
Nice work Aida
Thanks Bill
@@amusingaida Keep it up, I like how your videos are progressing.
I am a mused by this.
Ha ha, glad to hear it!
Nice! Seems warm! Coming from Manila, I like the weather there around Sep. What camera do you use?
I don't think France is anywhere as warm as what I imagine Manila to be! The camera? It is always an iPhone in my videos....
Regarding coffee, a mug, coffee and an Aeropress always go in my suitcase. A lot of hotels provide kettles. I know not in Paris. For visiting Paris I might even skip the coffee and buy some ground coffee at HEMA😂.
You bring coffee to Paris? Really?
@@amusingaida no I will not, but you were complaining about your morning coffee during holidays. That can easily be solved with an Aeropress.
Ah that - yeah, well there are cafés everywhere, so I got one in the end. I just can't function without my morning coffees. Addicted.
Lovely video! :) Are you French?
Many thanks for the feedback! Yes, I am French.
Love the latest video Aida, but I have to disagree with you that you are "..not a philosopher". Isn't Philosophy just the science of curiosity? Your videos portray beautifully what it is to exist in your world and your curiosity about life in France (and in general) is infectious. Oublier Satre and de Beauvoir!
Interesting
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it... and maybe it transported you to France for a few minutes...
the real reason d-day happened in june, because the allies knew no one would be in france?
Très amusant
You sounded sad!
Did I? Wow... I certainly wasn't sad in this video. I was having a fun summer!
You are really full of it, aren't you? Why continue the old cliché of Paris being empty in Augut? You know it isn't at all. We appreciate there being fewer people than usual, but it is far from empty, and only a few places are closed. It sounds like you posted this from 30 years ago.
Such aggression is disappointing to read. Paris was exceptionally quiet this year - partly because of the Olympics. You take exception with the word empty? It sums up the experience felt this year, but perhaps you need mathematical videos more than vlogs/essays told from a personal viewpoint.