August in Paris is woefully underrated. Sure, most stores are closed ("Annual closing from July 28th to August 31st") and there's tourists everywhere, but at least the Parisians are gone. No more traffic, smokers on sidewalks and at cafés, no need to
weave through throngs of aloof walkers. September, in contrast, in when everyone comes back and the mood suddenly drops as the French begrudgingly head back to work.
To get a better idea about what
la Rentrée means to the French, head to this
great piece by Steven Erlanger in the Times. In it, he describes how the French, who are like "eternal children who return to school" view this period of leaving the
chaise longue behind et heading back into morose offices. The economy sucks, the government is all over the place, the Russians have started Cold War II - the beach and a glass of Pastis sure sound better! According to the article, two out of three French adults are pessimistic about the future. Add to this the fact that Fall is not particularly interesting in France (the weather sucks, and there are no fun holidays like Halloween* or Thanksgiving), and you get a good idea of why I left Paris in the first place.
Of course when the French are unhappy, they bitch (but without ever offering alternatives - that's the government's job!) Usually this bitching takes the form of protests and strikes and big demonstrations. They call it
la Rentrée Sociale. Hundreds of thousands of people head to the streets to demand more and less. More money, less work, naturally. They don't do it during the summer because nobody would be there to see it and besides, they're at the beach themselves. This year is supposed to be low-key, with one tentative date for a Collective Day of Whining on October 7th. No massive rallies or headaches seem forthcoming though. You know something's wrong when even the French don't have the energy to bitch.
*: Halloween was briefly celebrated in France, but was just as quickly discontinued - "too American".
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