Ferme! WHAT???

As I have recounted numerous times, one of the great things about living in France is the bread and pastries. Luckily we have a fantastic patisserie/boulangerie about 100 yards from our front door. We go there at least once a day and almost always eat the entire baguette before we even make it to dinner. It has become a routine. Until this week.
We woke up on Monday morning and, as usual, found the Patisserie closed. It is always closed on Monday, so we went to the market and got a baguette instead, like we always do. Pas de problem. BUT. Then we woke up Tuesday morning and the patisserie was still closed. Heartbreak. Confusion. Disappointment. Torment. On my way to class I walk by the Patisserie, so of course I stopped to find out what was going on. The sign said that it will be closed for the entire week. I was aghast. This just doesn't happen in America. Places don't close for a WEEK unless they've been ordered to shut down by the FDA or something. How is this possible? Then I reminded myself that I now reside temporarily in France, and that anything is possible, and likely probable. My guess? The people that own the place are on vacation. I just had a week off of school for an unknown reason, sure the Patisserie owners can take a week off as well. In the states? We find someone else to run the place while we're gone. Here? Take a week off. Whatev. In the meantime, I'm buying baguettes at the market. By no means a travesty, as they are still baked fresh every few hours, but the choices go out the window. Here's hoping next Tuesday comes quickly.