Though I've lived in the United States for almost two decades, I still think like a European when it comes to vacations. It's not just the yearning for Alpine and Mediterranean destinations but the fact that in Europe, for the most part, four weeks of paid vacation a year is mandatory and six weeks customary. European friends report on their minor and major breaks which allow them to retreat with a stack of books to France, trek across Dartmoor on horseback and still get away to ski the Vald'Isere. One London sports-writer repairs regularly to his house near the Pyrenees to eat saucissons and win local golf tournaments. Seven weeks' respite allows him to return to work brimming with energy. In the United States, by contrast, employers seldom give more than 10 days' paid vacation.
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