Day 1878 (Saturday) 30th July 2022

Oh boy it was hot today, we’ve been here for over five years and we’ve never felt the heat like this, this year. I think it’s because the heatwave started so early in June and we’ve been hot for two months already. As I keep saying I will never complain about the heat but it’s not easy. 

We had a lot of fun in Le Phare last night and Pat and Dee joined us for the first time in weeks. Pat was wearing the strangest outfit of different patterns and Dee and Ronnie thought it looked great – I didn’t!

As promised yesterday here is some information about why the Prom is called the Promenade of the English…

Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France

The Promenade des Anglais, affectionately known as “the Prom”, is one of the most beautiful seaside boulevards to be found and lucky me, I live right by it.  Our new apartment is about a three minute walk to the sea and this lovely promenade says Margo Lestz an expat in Nice, France…

On the wide pedestrian thoroughfare, you can see people walking, jogging, skating, and cycing (there are bike rental stations placed along the way for those with the urge to ride but have no bike). Others just sit and enjoy the view, either of the calming blue waves or of the sunbathers on the pebbly beach below.

You might notice a definite blue theme going on here.  The chairs are blue, many of the parasols on the beach are blue, the rental bikes are blue and even the bins are coordinated with the colour of the sea and sky.

Where does the name Promenade des Anglais come from?

“Promenade des Anglais” means “avenue of the English”.  So what is an English avenue doing in this French city?  Well, to find out, we have to go back to the early 1800s. At this time, many wealthy English tourists were coming to Nice to spend their winters. They settled mainly in the area to the west of the Old Town, where they built villas and hotels as well as establishing their own Anglican Church and cemetery.

Since many of these winter visitors came to the area for health reasons, they wanted to be able to walk or ride in their carriages along the sea and breathe in the health-restoring air. But that was difficult because the seafront was a marshy and rocky place then.

At the same time that these church-going, sun-seeking English visitors were dreaming of walking by the sea, another problem arose. The region was hit by hard times. Two seasons of bad harvests reduced many people in Nice to begging. And where did they go to ask for money? To the rich tourists, of course. But giving charity to those physically able to work was contrary to the early 19th century British mindset. They thought it demoralised the poor and led to dependence on handouts.

Reverend Lewis Way, the local Anglican priest came up with a brilliant plan. He saw the opportunity to remedy the problems of both the English and the Niçois with one project. He took up a collection among the English to build their seaside promenade. Then he hired the poor and unemployed to build it. It was a win-win situation. The English would have their healthy walks by the sea and the poor would find honourable work.

The English promenade

In 1824 the first promenade was completed. The modest unpaved walkway/road was two metres (6 ½ feet) wide. Officially it was called the “strada del littorale”, or “seaside road”, but the people of Nice called it “camin dei Inglés” which in French became the “Promenade des Anglais” (English Promenade) because it was financed by and used by the English community.

In 1835 the city took over the upkeep of “the Prom” and it has been enlarged and improved many times over the years. The result is what we see today – a wide boulevard with lanes for pedestrians, bikes, and automobiles, running along the magnificent azure sea. It is one of the loveliest promenades that you can find anywhere and is a great example of something beautiful being created by people working together to solve their problems.

We have had traffic warnings this weekend because it’s the weekend when the Juilletistes leave and the Aoûtiens arrive.

Juilletistes vs Aoûtiens: Do France’s two summer holiday tribes still exist?

For years France has had two tribes of holidaymakers - juilletistes and aoûtiens. But do these two traditional tribes still exist?

Published: 6 July 2020 11:37 CEST
Updated: 25 July 2022 16:54 CEST

When do you prefer your beach time? Photo: Valery Hache/AFP

Summer holidays are a big deal in France, with cities emptying out in July and August as people head to the coast or the countryside and it’s common for people to take a month off work – but which month?

One of the most iconic forms of rivalry between French holidaymakers is the opposition between the juilletistes and the aoûtiens – those who go on holiday in July versus those who prefer August.

And the final weekend of July is usually one of the busiest weekends of the year on the roads as juilletistes return and aoûtiens set out. It even has a special name – chassé-croisé (crossover.)

The terms date back to the summer of 1969 when a fourth week of paid leave was voted into French law. It was a milestone piece of legislation that laid the basis for one of France’s most important annual traditions, les grandes vacances (the “big” summer holidays).

Suddenly eight out of ten French people were able to take a summer holiday. Some chose July, others preferred August – made possible by the fact schools in France close for pretty much the whole of July and August.

But traditionally, the month you took your holidays reflected more than a simple preference. 

‘Well-to-do’ vs. ‘working class’

Back in the 1960s the August holidaymakers were largely working class as this was the month factories closed across France. July on the other hand was reserved for executives and professionals. The idea of the ‘well-to-do’ July clan was contrasted with the ‘working class’ August clan.

The clichés grew into deep cultural stereotypes. The juilletistes were seen as lazy people who escaped to an exotic place while everyone else was still working hard, only to return to work in August when things are still calm. (Of course a juilletiste would say someone needed to keep the country running while the workers went away on holiday

Does the divide still exist today?

Times have changed and people no longer have the same habits. Over the years, as the service sector expanded and changed, the divide between the two different casts slowly faded away as people began to pick their holiday month based much more on personal preferences and workplace demands.

It’s now safe to say that this rivalry is no longer accurate, although it remains firmly installed in the French psyche.

August still remains the emblematic summer month – even more so than July – with cities virtually emptying and everything seemingly closing down. It’s common for local shops, cafés and pharmacies to be closed for the month, with signs simply reading ‘back in September’ and you should probably forget about getting any administrative task done during August.

But for several years now, there has been a new tribe, the septembristes, who wait for September before packing up their things – probably to avoid the juilletistes and the aoûtiens.

As schools return in September, the septembriste is not a category easily accessible to everyone, but mostly made up by the young, the child-free and the elderly.

Because of the traffic warning we chose to stay in Villefranche today and met Pat, Dee and Suzanne in the Jolly Whale for lunch. As always the food was great as was the service, I had the lamb (as usual) Huw had the loup (fish) and the others had the chicken skewers.

We were all suffering from the heat because we were sitting on plastic chairs but it was a lovely afternoon.

The walk home is lovely along the sea path and the citadel

   

The town was buzzing with tourists even though there was no cruise ship in today.

When we got home we both had a lovely siesta – we are both useless after having a glass of wine at lunchtime.