[sonnyblarney]

I'm a North American who moved to France (not Paris) for a few years where everything is closed on Sundays even most restaurants.

At first, I thought it was ridiculous.

But only after a few months did I come to appreciate it very much. People are with their families, doing 'whatever'.

When 'everyone else is off' there's so much less pressure. It's kind of like being disconnected.

Living in, Germany there are many holidays wherein it felt like this as well - quiet.

After experiencing 'Quiet Sundays' as an adult, think the economic case for 'Sunday Shopping' is overstated, and I actually wish we'd roll that one back.

It's a difficult argument to make in a 'GDP-driven and culturally secular world' ... but it makes sense in ways that are just a little too nuanced to make a public case for.