This evening, around 9:30 p.m., I crossed Place du Commerce and walked by La Coquille, a very centrally located bar/newsstand. Everybody in Nantes knows it because it is the only place where you can buy cigarettes late at night and on Sundays or during bank holidays. I’m not sure why they stay open when every other bar-tabac is closed. Did they bribe officials? Who cares. As usual, there was a huge lineup of smokers waiting for their fix—Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Camel or Gauloise.
It made me smile. I didn’t need to join the lineup but I’m sure I did queue a few times. French are notoriously bad at planning ahead. We know most shops close at 7 p.m., that supermarkets close at 8 p.m., that few places are open on Sundays and during holidays… yet, we still shop at the last minute.
This is a long weekend in France. Tomorrow, on August 15, Catholics will celebrate the Assumption of Mary, and the rest of us will roam around the city, looking for that one opened bakery to buy a baguette.
And cigarettes, of course.
Thing I take for granted. Even I don’t smoke, many convenient stores open until very late at night at some 24/7/365! even I live in suburb! and oh, I love to try flavored-drink where ever I traveled. I think I bought more than 10 ready-to-drink bottles of flavored beverage when I was in Paris =))
I love the way stores never seem to close in some parts of Asia. Super convenient, for sure! When I was in Malaysia, I got addicted to cold cans of Milo chocolate milk 😉
Enough with the food photos 😉
Looks like you got some nice hot weather as well 🙂 And found a cute summer uniform with shorts and debardeur
Can’t help it, food is so picturesque here…!
It’s cold and hot and hot and cold… typical Brittany weather.
The different shops are one of my favourite intrigues when I go anywhere – such an insight into the way that people live!
I totally agree! Businesses tell so much about a culture.