Does it count as vacation time if you’re not working full-time? Freelancing is weird, man. You’re always working and you’re never working. Anyways, I’m on my way to Marseille, where I plan to spend a week being responsible for absolutely nothing but my own self. If that’s not a vacation, I don’t know what is. I booked a 2 hour catamaran ride to see some sights and swim in the ocean, plus a half day standup paddle board tour. Other than that, I’m going to wander around the Calanques National Park and read on the beach.
Heaven.
I’m taking the TGV down and I spent a whole 8 euros on an upgrade to a first-class ticket.
It’s not like I’ve been miserable. I had a lovely dinner with one of our neighbors. I took a bunch of lyra, pole, and flexibility classes. I met up a couple of times with some friends when they got back from the US. I said hello to the waitstaff at the corner restaurant several times a day when I was out walking the dog. I may have worked my way through my entire podcast backlog, but I haven’t turned into some sort of crazy shut-in.
But, you know what? Just about every french city-dweller takes off for the countryside for the month of August. Who am I to avoid indulging in local traditions? The neighbor is off to see relatives, the corner restaurant is closed for the next month. I don’t have an uncle with a house in the mountains, so I rented an Airbnb.
A lot of people have been asking me a) how I’m holding up in the heatwave and 2) if we’ve been affected by the wildfires. The heatwave requires some careful planning when it comes to opening and closing all of the windows and when to take an energetic husky for her requisite walks. Between that and some judicial use of our air conditioning, it hasn’t been too miserable. I was staying up late to open the windows at midnight when it (finally) cools down, but then I realized I was being a crazy person. Now, I turn the AC on in our room, shut the door, and go to bed when I’m tired. If it’s still cool enough when I wake up, I open the windows then.
Walking a husky in a heatwave is a whole other matter. I love living in an apartment, but I have definitely been missing the ability to open the back door and let her run outside to pee. Now I have to put actual clothes on, lest I scare the neighbors. Generally, I take her on a long walk before it gets hot out, and one long-ish walk before bedtime. It’s manageable, but it also means that I’ve been quite the homebody, reserving most of my “ok, I guess I’ll brave the sunshine” energy for walking the dog. I think that’s what I’m the most excited about this upcoming week! The weather should be a little cooler, and I can go out wandering on my own.
There are wildfires all over France, but the big one is southeast of us. It’s in a town named Lacanau, where I spent my 17th summer. I had a half-baked plan to make my way over there at some point and see if I could find the area where I stayed, but that is obviously on pause. It’s truly frightening how bad the fires there are. They’re predicted to burn for months, and crews of professionals and volunteers are working night and day to mitigate the damage. I just watched a video about local farmers coordinating with the firefighters to battle the little fires and to help refill their tankers. Firefighters from all of France have traveled there to help. Like most heroics, it’s truly inspiring, but also depressing that they have to do this work in the first place..
We’re lucky to be far away from the smoke, and I hope it stays that way. Which brings me to my new favorite video genre: French firefighters (“les pompiers” staring people down to the tune of “I’ll Be Watching You.”
(That song has never been less creepy.)
How’s your summer going? I hope that you’re staying cool! And, if you have an uncle who lives in the French countryside, feel free to send me their contact info.
