As the days go by we have observations and experiences on a variety of topics that really don't relate to daily activities and so I have decided to devote a SPECIAL PAGE to these thoughts as they happen.
THE FRENCH PEOPLE
4/17/23
Have been overwhelmingly friendly and helpful! Not even the conductor that refused to hold up the TGV for Deidre in Lyon was not officious or grumpy. Generally we make an honest attempt to speak a bit of French and we usually get a bit of a laugh in exchange, and then an immediate switch to English.
The French people are amazingly slim. It really is quite amazing, especially when you observe their food and drinking habits. And as a result there is an amazing supply of good looking ladies. Not sure about the men (they do seem to have long noses) but I will ask Deidre.
They are also quiet in public, compared to the USA. In the train and in the restaurants they seem to talk in whispers. Such a pleasant change from eating and traveling at home. (Especially for Deidre the school teacher, who hates unnecessary noise.) Also, they do not sniff in public.
In general, the French seem to dress with some class. No baggy torn-up un-hemmed jeans with dirty sneakers. So nice.
Public bathrooms are a bit interesting. At CDG one needed a Euro coin to enter. Often the main door is wide open. When we were waiting for the train at Gare de Lyon, Kylie and I grabbed a beer at the posh hotel next door. Before leaving for the train I took a preventative pee in the hotel men's. The general door was wide open but I paid no attention and concentrated on the task at hand (Its necessary these days). As I got the flow going I noticed that there was a cleaning lady mopping the floor. Apparently I was in her way so I moved to one side while she mopped under that side, and at her direction moved the other side as needed. All the time being careful not to splash. That was a first.
4/20/23: One thing Deidre notices is that 75% of French female clothing is black. Which is good because I can easily find Deidre in a crowd.
5/5/23: The French do not stand in lines. They are polite but mill about. I find it frustrating.
EATING OUT
4/17/23
Has been a bit disappointing so far, but that will probably change. There are hundreds of eating and drinking outside bars and cafes that are highly attended. They offer some food, but that is probably the equivalent to Australian "pub food". Now I think we have discovered that REAL restaurants are different - the locations are less obvious and they eat inside. The night before Kylie left I really wanted to arrange a real French dinner. I walked around UZES searching unsuccessfully for a real French restaurant.
The crepes have been fun, but we cannot exist on just crepes!
But now I have discovered two "hidden" restaurants on our little street that only open for dinner. We have friends arriving today, so we will probably try one out this week.
5/5/23: We have now tried a couple of expensive restaurants and we are still disappointed. Part of the problem is that we cannot read the menus very well. We have now discovered that we can translate the complete menu using a Google Ap, so we will try again in Paris.
THE COUNTRYSIDE
4/17/23
Uzes was a lucky choice. It is a little rural town surrounded by charming country side. I am not at all "poetic" but I really enjoy just driving around this area.
I suppose its early Spring. (Today is in the low 60's but we have been as high as the low 70's. Its a bit windy - presumably "la Mistral" in effect.)
The surrounding farmland is mostly devoted to growing grapes, but with some "rape"( its bright yellow, and that's what they call it in England) plus some "grass" type crop that is currently bright-bright green, plus a smattering of olives, fruit trees, strawberries, asparagus and other market garden items. When we arrived the vineyards basically looked dead but over the last 10 days we have seen them start to come alive. Most of the roads and towns are lined with trees, especially elms (according to Deidre) and they are also starting to come alive. There is also a large common bush that is bright purple.
The end result is a cacophony of different greens, indisposed with bright yellow and purple. Everything seems to be well cared for and clean. Not a sign of roadside trash, and just no large advertising billboards like in the USA. Not at all run-down looking like Spain.
5/5/23: I need to correct the name of the most common trees. They are not elms - but could be sycamores or plane trees. (Depends upon who you ask!)
ROADS and DRIVING (and parking)
4/17/23
French drivers seem quite relaxed and courteous. I have only been "tooted" a couple of times and Deidre deserved it. The only crazy people seem to be the motorcycle crowd. There is no sight of police on the road. (But in Paris they roamed around in groups of 4 to 6 carrying machine guns and looking very serious.) Last week when there was a demonstration downtown, two really nice gendarmes helped us navigate away.
Navigation is simple but complicated. In any direction there is a round-about every 500 to 2,000 meters. The poor Google lady must get sick of telling me to take the second exit. Car tires must wear out fast here. Don't expect to get 20 miles in 20 minutes, its just not possible. The good thing is that you can just drive around the roundabout again if you miss the exit. I know.
The way that the Google lady pronounces the French names is hilarious - not that we know much better.
4/22/23: A few days ago I received a notice via email and in French. After a bit of work I discovered to be a parking ticket, relating to our second visit to Avignon. I had parked on undeveloped public property, adjacent to a parking lot that a) was full and b) where it was obvious that payment was expected. Back in the USA it would be worth a protest........
5/5/23: I have driven on the highways a bit more lately. Drivers are frustrated if you do not drive at least at the speed limit. If they decide you are too slow they follow right up behind you. When they are able to overtake they show their displeasure by moving back into the lane and almost cutting you off.
OUR HOUSE
The house is a blast. Its only about 12' wide, about 40' deep and has 4 floors. The bottom floor is only used for storage. The house is built from large stones. The front door opens directly onto the street. How the stair case defeats gravity is a mystery to me. Our house on the IOP is a bit the same layout, except that this place only has one toilet, which is 2 levels up from the "living area" and we have to climb two levels to go to bed.
After some effort we have now conquered all the appliances except the dishwasher. The toaster is 100% weird and would not be allowed in the USA.
The water supply has volume but not pressure. So if you turn on the tap in the kitchen the shower just stops flowing. The hot water is wickedly hot.
We have only popped the breakers once. I eventually isolated one circuit that solved the problem, but have still not identified what it served.
The toilet is electrical, just like on TideHiker, but not as effective. The lav has no window and tends to get a bit stinky so we keep doors and windows open on that level.
Our street is narrow (about 12') but wider than most. We are about 50 yards from the main road. There is a hydraulicly operated post that keeps most cars out (including ours). There is a senior school 100 yards up the street so we get a lot of fun kid traffic morning and afternoon. There is a cheese shop on our corner.
There is miscellaneous street parking about 400 yards away, but its "first in best dressed", plus we have to remember where we parked. We have been lucky so far.
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