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‘Do the viaduct’: Why 2019 is a great year in France for public holidays

France can look forward to a great year for public holidays in 2019. And you'll find there is ample opportunity to 'do the viaduct'...

Published: 10 January 2019 13:37 CET
'Do the viaduct': Why 2019 is a great year in France for public holidays
Photo: AFP

It's a good year for public holidays in France this year, with just one falling on a weekend.

The French have nine weekday public holidays left in 2019, with four of them falling on Mondays meaning you get that long weekend without even trying.

This year only Ascension (May 30th) and Assumption Day (August 15th) fall on a Thursday (and none fall on a Tuesday) giving you just two chances to use that nifty little system called “doing the bridge” (faire le pont) so don't miss out on taking off Friday August 16th for an extra long break.

However while there isn't much chance to faire le pont in 2019, there is ample opportunity to 'do the viaduct' (faire le viaduc) as some have dubbed it, which although far less common than “doing the bridge”, means taking two days off (either the Monday and the Tuesday or the Thursday and Friday) in order to make the most of the public holiday. 

This year three public holidays fall on a Wednesday so now's the time to get your holiday requests in. 

Four and indeed five-day weekends are a joy not just to workers but to the tourism industry as many in France will go away for a short break. On these weekends Paris could feel like it does in mid-August when most of the locals are at the beach.
 
Workers in the UK often miss out on the chances for these extra long weekends because most public holidays fall on a Monday or a Friday. 
 
The only downside to this year's public holidays is that July 14th – France's National Day or Bastille Day as we call it, falls on a Sunday, so we won't get a day off this year.
 
New Year's Day: Monday January 1st
Easter Monday: Monday April 22nd
Labour Day: Wednesday May 1st
Victory in Europe Day (end of WWII): Wednesday May 8th
Ascension: Thursday May 30th
Pentecost: Monday June 10th
National Day: Sunday July 14th
Assumption Day: Thursday August 15th
All Saints' Day: Friday November 1st
Remembrance Day: Monday November 11th
Christmas Day: Wednesday December 25th
 
And if you're looking for the best way to spend all that free time, why not check out this list of the ten must-visit French villages you've never heard of.
 
 
Or pack a bag and head into the French countryside to one of the ten stunning places to go camping in France.
 
Ten stunning places to go camping in France
 
Alternatively, browse this list of the one place you absolutely have to visit in each department of France for inspiration. 
 
The one place you absolutely have to visit in each department of France
 
And if you're on a tight budget, don't despair. Here's a list of the best free thing to do in each Paris arrondissement.
 
The best FREE thing to do in each Paris arrondissement

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Five signs you’ve settled into life in Switzerland

Getting adjusted to Swiss ways is not always easy for foreign nationals, but with a lot of perseverance it can be done. This is how you know you’ve assimilated.

Published: 30 September 2021 16:50 CEST
Updated: 14 August 2022 07:05 CEST
Five signs you've settled into life in Switzerland
No lint: Following laundry room rules is a sign of integration in Switzerland. Photo by Sara Chai from Pexels

Much has been said about Switzerland’s quirkiness, but when you think about it, this country’s idiosyncrasies are not more or less weird than any other nation’s — except for the fact that they are expressed in at least three languages which, admittedly, can complicate matters a bit.

However, once you master the intricacies and nuances of Swiss life, you will feel like you belong here.

This is when you know you’ve “made it”.

You speak one of the national languages, even if badly

It irritates the Swiss to no end when a foreigner, and particularly an English-speaking foreigner, doesn’t make an effort to learn the language of a region in which he or she lives, insisting instead that everyone communicates to them in their language.

So speaking the local language will go a long way to being accepted and making you feel settled in your new home.

You get a Swiss watch and live by it

Punctuality is a virtue here, while tardiness is a definite no-no.

If you want to ingratiate yourself to the Swiss, be on time. Being even a minute late  may cause you to miss your bus, but also fail in the cultural integration.

‘The pleasure of punctuality’: Why are the Swiss so obsessed with being on time?

Using an excuse like “my train was late” may be valid in other countries, but not in Switzerland.

The only exception to this rule is if a herd of cows or goats blocks your path, causing you to be late.

A close-up of a Rolex watch in Switzerland.

Owning a Rolex is a sure sign you’re rich enough to live in Switzerland. Photo by Adam Bignell on Unsplash

You sort and recycle your trash

The Swiss are meticulous when it comes to waste disposal and, not surprisingly, they have strict regulations on how to throw away trash in an environmentally correct manner.

Throwing away all your waste in a trash bag without separating it first — for instance, mixing PET bottles with tin cans or paper — is an offence in Switzerland which can result in heavy fines, the amount of which is determined by each individual commune.

In fact, the more assiduous residents separate every possible waste item — not just paper, cardboard, batteries and bottles (sorted by colour), but also coffee capsules, yogurt containers, scrap iron and steel, organic waste, carpets, and electronics.

In fact, with their well-organised communal dumpsters or recycling bins in neighbourhoods, the Swiss have taken the mundane act of throwing out one’s garbage to a whole new level of efficiency.

So one of the best ways to fit in is to be as trash-oriented as the Swiss.

READ MORE: Eight ways you might be annoying your neighbours (and not realising it) in Switzerland

You trim your hedges with a ruler

How your garden looks says a lot about you.

If it’s unkempt and overgrown with weeds, you are clearly a foreigner (though likely not German or Austrian).

But if your grass is cut neatly and your hedges trimmed with military-like precision (except on Sundays), and some of your bushes and shrubs are shaped like poodles,  you will definitely fit in.

You follow the laundry room rules

If you live in an apartment building, chances are there is a communal laundry room in the basement that is shared by all the residents.

As everything else in Switzerland, these facilities are regulated by a …laundry list of “dos” and “don’ts” that you’d well to commit to memory and adhere to meticulously.

These rules relate to everything from adhering to the assigned time slot to removing lint from the dryer.

Following each rule to the letter, and not trying to wash your laundry in someone else’s time slot, is a sign of successful integration.

Voilà, the five signs you are “at home” in Switzerland.

READ MORE: French-speaking Switzerland: Seven life hacks that will make you feel like a local

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