AubrysInFrance: What David Will Miss About France

The Weather – late summer, early spring, SUN a lot of the time. All driven home by comparing with Kirkland’s weather. We had many sunny days during the winter when it was great to be out and about. Winter temperatures are about the same as Kirkland, with the exception of many sunny days in the 50s, making it easy to be outside. This past spring, we’ve had many sunny days in the seventies, excellent for a leisurely lunch by the river or at a sidewalk café. When one is working for a living, especially inside, it’s a bit easier to ignore the weather; when one is at leisure in terms of one’s daily activities, unless your preferred activity is indoors, poor weather begins to impact one’s quality of life. As I write this, we have gone from a bit muggy 80 degrees to a thunderstorm with downpours. Last night [6/23] was the 30^th annual Fête de Musique, with musical acts both local and international at outdoor venues all over the city - most were rained out by another thunderstorm. My shoes are still wet; Anna’s umbrella is destroyed. Nothing’s perfect.

The people – most are open, friendly, and helpful, even including highway toll-takers. The bar owner down the street, where we have had drinks maybe three times, stopped me the other day and said to be sure to let him know if we need anything or needed help with anything. The folks at the vienoisserie across the street – hard-working, pleasant, fun, friendly – embodying everything you would want in a neighborhood business.

Our French daughter Estelle and family – husband Laurent and two boys, Paul and Victor. We had such fun with them – dinners, family celebrations, barbeques, lunches with Estelle. They welcomed us into their home and busy lives, providing a familiar touchstone around which we experienced the best that France and Lyon had to offer.

The public transportation system – clean, quiet, efficient. By US standards, expensive for short trips, but no zone charges. An interconnecting very frequent system of subways, buses, and tramways make it easy to get around the city, and to go to and from the city and the surrounding towns

French women – it’s not that all are gorgeous; it’s that if 5-10% of American women look good and dress fashionably on an every-day basis, then 15-20% of French women do. You never see French men or women in public in sweats. The French government has had a public education program in place regarding nutrition and balanced diets since about the 1920s. Recently, in response to a thickening of French waistlines, an exercise component has been added to the message. See mangerbouger.fr

French wines – they are not better than American wines, but very often they are better values. No doubt this is partly because of the tax structures. Alcoholic beverages are heavily taxed in the US. French wines typically have been lighter and lower in alcohol than corresponding American wines. This is changing since world tastes in wine appear to be evolving towards the American and Australian models. This is a shame in some ways because lower-alcohol wines allow one to have a bottle at dinner and still be able to navigate. It’s also interesting to note which regions are evolving rapidly towards this international style, and which are still making much of their wines in the old style. Bourgogne [Burgundy] appears to be the slowest to change, especially in the reds. It is more difficult to get an interesting red wine from Bourgogne for a reasonable or even low, price than in the other prominent regions. Bordeaux, the Rhone, and Provence are all producing excellent reds for 5-10 Euros or less. I have paid 25 Euros for an ordinary red from Bourgogne, but we consistently buy really excellent Bordeaux for less than 5 Euros.

The number of people walking, biking, skating, or riding scooters about the city. American cities would kill for this kind of energy and activity on city streets. Why the difference – custom largely, reinforced by the fact most French live in relatively small apartments, gasoline costs about $8 per gallon, and public transportation is easy.

French food – cooking and presentation. We’ve mentioned in many blog posts how amazing meals can be had at small cafes in small towns for reasonable prices.

The vibrant life still present in so many small French towns and villages. They are having the same problems with migration to the cities with the negative impact on the small shops, but not to the extent where small towns have no retail businesses, as in the US.

Typical Weather

What I will not miss –less effort to efface graffiti; more trash on the streets, lack of a yard to work in; lack of a car [occasionally]; family and friends at home; no Rotary meetings.