les vacances

It's the end of the school year here in France and the summer vacation has just begun. Students who took their baccalauréat (also known as bac and is equivalent to the A-levels) have recently gotten their results and can now enjoy (or not) their year-end vacation to the fullest. French students are on vacation 5 times per year - 2 months break in summer, 2 weeks on the three other seasons and a week during Christmas/New Year. For the winter and spring breaks, the country is divided into three zones (A, B, and C) and each zone's vacation dates are shifted by one or two weeks to prevent families from crowding up in popular destinations such as ski and seashore resorts.. and also to help reduce highway congestion.

Summer is the period when most French take their long vacation.. anything from a week to a month at a stretch. Most major businesses are closed during this period.. otherwise, it's slow moving at the office.

Well we've already made some plans on the places to go this summer.. it's time to chill out!