See you on Monday!

January 9, 2026

In the south of France, people have a slightly different approach to appointments than we do in Denmark – time is, to put it mildly, a very flexible concept.

If we in Denmark are invited for drinks at 4 PM, we arrive at 4 PM. If, against all odds, we happen to be late, it is usually due to traffic, a broken train, or something else that is certainly not our own fault.

But in the south of France… a very particular kind of sweet panic arises if you show up on time. Because 4 PM is not 4 PM – it is “after 4” and at the earliest 4:30 PM.

We have tried arriving on time at some friends' house. They just weren't there. In fact, they hadn't even come home yet. They showed up 20 minutes later, slightly astonished that we had actually arrived on time. We have laughed a lot about that culture clash since then.

A different rhythm of life

The same applies to tradespeople – though with even more poetic license. They do not work with specific times. It is often called à demain (on paper: tomorrow) or, when they head off for the weekend, the message is à lundi (on Monday). And here the French time experiment truly begins. For which Monday? This coming Monday? The next Monday? Or the Monday they just happen to feel like it?

You quickly learn that à demain rather means “at some point in the near future – maybe”.

However, this is neither about laziness nor disrespect. It is about rhythm. A rhythm of life that is not measured in minutes, but in atmosphere, sun, and conversation. Appointments are not promises – they are intentions. One would very much like to come and pull those wires or drink that aperitif – but it also has to fit into the flow of the day, the weather, and, if we are to be completely honest, the mood.

On the other hand, when you do meet, there is time. Plenty of time. No one looks at their watch or phone. You sit down, enjoy the sun, talk about everything and nothing, and it all suddenly feels very right. Because in the south of France, presence means more than efficiency – and you are allowed to stay a little longer than planned. The aperitif often ends with dinner and conversations late into the evening.

It takes some getting used to when you are accustomed to the Danish mentality of arriving on time and keeping an appointment. So, a piece of good advice: never prepare hot food for a specific time. And never put ice cubes in the drink before the guests have actually arrived – they will have melted long before anyone shows up. And one certainly does not dilute one's aperitif down here. That would almost be a cultural insult.

When shopping, time is definitely not something people worry about either. Everyone accepts that it can take a very long time to get through the checkout. Items must be packed, there must be small talk, perhaps a check written (yes, they still use checkbooks!), and then there must be a bit more talking. No one taps their feet or sighs loudly behind you in the queue – everyone takes it as it comes.