Bordeaux has transformed from a bustling tourist destination with packed streets into a sleepy summer village, with closed shops and half-filled bistro tables. August in France is time for vacance and a petite pause.
There are signs on my neighborhood boucherie and fromagerie saying fermé until Septembre. The corner bar near my apartment, which usually has patrons spilling out into the street until the late hours, is quiet for the first time this year. Walking through the park yesterday evening, I noticed the lawns are sparse with picnic-goers, the orange umbrellas at the café have plenty of open tables, and all the geese have infiltrated the walkways to say, “this is our park now”.