Parts of Europe close for much of August, based on old holidays surrounding
the agricultural calendar and due to the extreme heat of the Mediterranean
areas.  In Italy you'd be hard pressed to find much of anything open the
week of Fer'agosto on August 15th.  (Here's a little blurb about it's origin
http://italianfood.about.com/library/weekly/aa081103.htm )  In Sicily we
have a huge communal dinner with 200+ tables out in the streets lit by
strings of lights.  We go down to the beach and watch the fireworks at
midnight, followed by a swim in the sea and cornetti (like a croissant) for
breakfast at 4 AM.  In Austria they switch weeks, so that one side of the
country can go to the other for their holidays (if I remember correctly the
West goes first, then the east.)  Remember all the French senior citizens
who died from the heat a couple of years ago?  Their families had gone on
holiday and left them at home-no AC.

 

Most archives and museums are state run with civil servant employees who are
given that time off as part of their contract.  They tend to approach things
differently from the way Americans do.  Last summer in the National
Archaeological Museum in Naples I couldn't take my daughters into the
treasure room where the silver from Pompeii is kept.  Four guards were
standing around and occasionally shooing away tourists who kept opening the
unlocked door.  When I asked them, in Italian, why the room was closed one
shrugged his shoulders and answered that there weren't enough personnel.
Then they turned and continued their lengthy conversation about soccer and
family illnesses.  It's just the way it is.

 

Also, most restaurants and family run businesses close for two to three
weeks, as well as all the industrial plants, department stores and
everything else you can think of.  The only people you see on the street are
tourists.  We try hard not to get ill or injured in August, and keep the
cell phone number of a family member who is a doctor.  Northern Europe is
not like this as they spread their vacations out throughout the summer like
Americans and Brits do.  BTW, traveling just before and after the 15th needs
to be booked well ahead because of this as well.

 

Elizabeth

 

  _____  

From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of a miller
Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2006 6:40 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: European Archives and Museums in August

 

Someone just told me that Europe "closes" for the entire month of August
every year. While grocery stores remain open, businesses, museums, tourist
attarctions all sort of close up shop.

 

Is this true? If yes, what about archives? and why?

 

I know we have some European archivists on the list and probably some savvy
travelers. Care to enlighten me?

 

Thanks,

 

Althea

  

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