After last week's tutoring session with Christine, one of my English "pupils", we chatted about this European Constitution business a little, but mostly we chatted about her vacation plans. The French are blessed with five weeks of holiday per year, three of which are typically used in the summertime. Would this not be EVERYTHING you talked about if you were about to have 21 consecutive days without seeing your boss? I thought so.
Christine's 15-year-old daughter Candice, I learned, is at that age where she does her own thing. In fact, she's having three separate vacations this summer: one in Biarritz with friends, one at a camp in Corsica, and one with a host family in England. Meanwhile, Christine tells me she and her husband might go visit her cousin. Her cousin lives in the south of France and just bought a mobile home.
"I sink it will not be a good one, this idea."
"Why’s that?"
"Jean-Pierre, he says we are too old."
"Too old for mobile homes? Nah! What you mean is too young."
"No, too old for camping."
According to Christine, there are no showers on these particular mobile homes. (When I pressed, I determined it's probably more like a camping car. I'm still calling it a mobile home only because I'm from Florida and take every opportunity to say "MO-bye-ull.") Thus, they need to wash outdoors, in a communal-type setting, and this is the part Jean-Pierre takes issue with.
"And what do you think, Christine? Are you up for the showering?"
"Sure! I think it would be funny!" (She meant "fun." The French sometimes do this with the "y." As in, "Were you very drunky?")
I love Christine and really, how can you NOT love anyone who would describe showering outdoors as "funny"? But the vacation plan? Christine may or may not be going camping and her daughter gets three trips, one of which involves BIARRITZ?
You know, a certain someone in my family, the someone who grew up on a french farm, he used to suggest that to be born The American Child was quite the picnic of tomfoolery, as if no kids ANYWHERE else on earth ever did ANYTHING besides play with wooden toys and milk cows on their summer vacations.
How could you Dad? Shocking.
I went to Biarritz once... and I'm pretty sure it would be more "funny" than anything involving a motor home, even if said motor home IS in the south of France.
Posted by: rachel | 21 June 2005 at 02:57 PM
Ew - camping in the South of France reminds me of Houellebecq; it's ruined forever. I myself was too old for camping about thirty years ago.
Posted by: R J Keefe | 21 June 2005 at 03:13 PM
The last time I went 'camping' in the south of France, the 'campground' had 10,000 plots for people to hook up their little MO-bye-ull homes, and about 15 sq.meters of breathing room for each of them.
Having been born in Alaska, were camping means telling bear stories in the wild mountains and fishing for king salmon for breakfast, it was quite a shock to me.
Posted by: sammy | 21 June 2005 at 06:28 PM
Here I was thinking that camping was a uniquely American thing.
Something tells me that the French would do it with so much more panache.
Posted by: megs | 21 June 2005 at 06:38 PM
A question: assuming that they don't use bull's sun-bleached skull'n'horns, what do the French attach to the front grills of their RVs to give them a insouciantly rustic air?
Posted by: Chester | 21 June 2005 at 06:38 PM
Parisians yearn constantly for the clean air of the countryside. So even if the campsite is on the austere side, it will be a nice counterpoint to city life. Plus, since they are French, they are probably genetically programmed to prepare and serve lovely food at every meal. With la bonne bouffe, dans la nature, they probably will not care so much about the accomodations in the end.
Posted by: jean | 21 June 2005 at 08:26 PM
Well, that is how it is nowadays. Sometimes the kids get to go on more vacation than the parents. The parents get to stay at home, go to work, go on with regular activities, while the kids are off somewhere fun.
Er, I must say, I have NEVER in my life ever been camping before. The closest thing to camping is when I was an 8 year old "Brownie" and got to decorate my very own cardboard box, and spent my night in that box with a sleeping bag, which was all in a big school gym. Camping is just er, very NOT appealing, not to mention the bugs, insects, lack of toilet, shower...
Posted by: Harrods Girl | 21 June 2005 at 09:43 PM
Chester, HA! Perhaps something could be fashioned from wine bottles...I will have to look into this.
Jean, I couldn't agree with you more. I still can't picture Jean-Pierre, though...
Harrods Girl, you are so funny.
Posted by: Coquette | 22 June 2005 at 12:31 AM
Wow. How do you make a culture known for not beeing so keen to the shower smell WORSE? Put them in la mobyeull chateau sans l'eau and see what comes a stinkin'. Perhaps it would be best if the Frenchies left the rootin' tootin' campin to us 'merican folks.
Posted by: Africankelli | 22 June 2005 at 12:37 AM
That is so funny 'coz I've never been attracted to camping, either in the US where I've declined all the invitations or in France where camping is perceived as a "beauf" (means a kind of redneck) activity.
My only camping experience was to spend a night into a friend's tent in his garden. Awful ! At night, you get cold, as Harrods said bugs, insects. Sometimes you get up frighten by some weird noises.
And come on, showering with other people into public convenience. Too unglamourous for me... And don't forget this unique public toilets odor... You call that vacation ? I call that torture.
(btw, by talking of torture, friday is the sale opening in Paris ! who's gonna camp in front of Galeries Lafayettes ? :p)
Posted by: nathan | 22 June 2005 at 10:35 AM
Christine's super generous and so, so kind (and an enthusiastic student). Should have said all that in the post. The situation was just kind of funny and reminded me of my own parents. (Up for adventure at that age.)
I love camping as long as it's not hot. Camped in Wisconsin two summers ago with my sisters. Ah, wilderness...
Nathan, the first day of the sales IS torture at the big department stores! In the past, I've found it best to stick to smaller boutiques on the first day :)
Posted by: Coquette | 22 June 2005 at 11:34 AM
Coquette is a connoiseur...
Posted by: nathan | 22 June 2005 at 11:49 AM
Your privates sound like more fun than mine :)
Posted by: Le Serpent | 22 June 2005 at 05:48 PM
Woohoo! Wisconsin! All those people from Illinois come up here and take over the place on the weekends.
Biarritz is a blast. The new Riviera, baby.
Posted by: DDJ | 22 June 2005 at 09:21 PM
god, i'm gonna sound like such a geek in asking this...but does that five weeks include the weekends? So is it 35 days of vacation a year? Or is it considered 5 work weeks of vacation (25 days)?
i promise to lay off the bloody marys next time before i post * hic * here.
Posted by: brando | 23 June 2005 at 03:51 AM
25 days !
Posted by: nathan | 23 June 2005 at 11:09 AM
Brando, it's 25 like Nathan said. But the blow of only 25 days of vacation a year is softened by a 35 hour work week. :)
Posted by: Coquette | 23 June 2005 at 04:21 PM
My parents went camping together for their 20th wedding anniversary. It was on a beach too. They loved it.
Posted by: juliana | 23 June 2005 at 04:51 PM
A fun fact about french big companies : As a white collar manager I have 8 weeks of holidays... How absurd is that ?
Posted by: schuey | 23 June 2005 at 04:54 PM
Interesting... I work for Belgian company (in the US) and we get a measly 10 days of vacation. My Belgian counterparts get at least 4 weeks (that I know of). I so need to move to Europe!
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Posted by: Brian | 06 June 2006 at 09:01 PM