lol you do make me laugh Anne-Marie xx
When we first arrived in France, I had 2 young sons and as hubby is french we decided to move over here
I became pregnant with my third child as soon as we arrived, (a mistake, but the most beautiful mistake of my life lol)
As I could not speak french I totally relied on my hubby for the visits etc...... On our last visit le medecin said to my hubby
"Ah te deja 2 gamins?" hubby replied "oui" At this point I learned a new word GAMIN(S) :-)
The doctor then said "voir le 3eme, voir les 2 couilles" At this point I learned a new word COUILLES :-)
1 year later I noticed my youngest had a very large left testicle, I called our local doctor and explained in my now brilliant french LOL (not) LOL "Mon fils a un couille trop large" !!!!!
The doctor arrives at our home, opens the door and shouts "Alor montre moi le grand couille" My husband was horrified !!! Until the doctor explained that I called him using this word :-) It was so funny and fortunatley the doctor had a great sense of humour :-) I then learned a new word "Testicules" LOL
What I love most is the fact that as artisans d' art here we are much better appreciated. I mean this from the point of view that it is easier to get somewhere near the right price for a handmade item. In the Uk if we were to exhibit at craft fairs the equivalent of an artisans expo here we would get no where near as good a price or such an appreciative reaction.
I do know this for a fact as my cousin in law used to exhibit and sell her own crafted items, knitting and hand made lace, in the Uk at the same time as we began here. She had a horrendous time, lots of people expected it to be cheaper because she had made it. She eneded up turning it into a buisness that sold craft findings as most people who visited craft fairs seemled to come to pick up ideas for their own hobbies.
Here I find that the French public have an better expectation of what they will find at an artisans expo , they know they are often buying one-off pieces and or individual designs, it is a much more rewarding experience being an artist/ artisan here.
My family and my husband’s family!! I’d take the Metro over the tube, a kir over a sherry and a croissant over a slice of mighty white. I love and hate in equal measure the fierce loyalty of the french to frenchness which means lovely local seasonal produce in the shops (even monoprix where you can only buy squash in squash season!) and a happier environmental conscience but no baked beans or cheddar at a price even vaguely approahing sensible. I also love and hate their devotion to family over avarice which means less scorn poured on putting family commitments above work or taking long lazy holidays, but no shops or boulangeries open in August! When I go back to the UK I miss so much about France and get frustrated at stuff in England, and when I’m on teh receiving end of French ‘customer service’ I’d give almost anything to be back in the UK!
One thing I forgot to mention is la bise and shaking hands. I find this such a nice custom, it establishes a connection. With a handshake there’s not much variation except in the scale between moist fish and crusher, but for la bise there is a huge range of subtlety involved. It’s one of the things I really missed about France when I was away for 18 months.
The SILENCE, people (even ones you don’t know) saying ‘bonjour’, the fact people have pastimes other than shopping, a culture in which "solidarité"is a word everyone uses all the time and where everyone wants to ‘rendre service’… being a Citizen and not a subject … and … and… I could go on for pages. I have bad dreams in which I have to leave it all and go back to my old life.
Simple - food, wine and sunshine!!!
Liberte egalite fraternite - just about says it all!
agree with you Andrew, we can't compare Apples & Pears...if you look at inner city & compare to rural countryside then you can probably do that in any country & be favourable about the beauty of the countryside.
This post was about the things we Love about France rather than knocking the UK...
Let's keep it on a positive track...(and I don't even want to think about what happened in Beziers...truly shocking and just on my rural doorstep!)
Beziers Airport - love it, Beziers shopping - good, Beziers Hospital - only ever had good experiences (4 so far), Beziers countryside - lovely. Showing there is good & bad everywhere
I used to live in Devon, went sailing or surfing after work, Uni in Exeter, spent a few years in west Cornwall too… some of the most beautiful scenery in Europe or the world for that matter but also some of the wettest…!
Yes Jane - there’s just as much inner city crap and poverty and uglyness in France as in the UK. Almost everybody who has commented is in rural France. I’ve cycled through the quartier nord in Marseille and even though I know how to look after myself I had the same feeling as the time I went through Broadwater farm! My brother in law had so many building materials stolen when they were building their hotel in Carcassonne and that’s with using a security guard… made him want to come back to the Aveyron it got that bad. There are as many kids on drugs in small town france as in the UK - it’s everywhere but the country’s that big you miss a lot of it. In short there’s good and bad in both countries but it’s so much easier to hide from all the bad things in France and live in a bubble… the prof who poured petrol over herself and set fire to herself in the playground of her school in Béziers last week and who has since died. teh man who hacked a police woman to death in the préfecture because they wouldn’t renew his gun licence, the fact that around 400 farmers commit suicide each year in France that’s more than one a day… I could go on and on but won’t because this is such a positive post but as Jane said let’s keep it realistic!
My father's family farmed in north Lancashire near the old Westmorland border and North Yorkshire. The view across Morecambe Bay to the Lakes is absolutely stunning and I could be in Windermere in 30 minutes.
Before we left UK we lived in the Cotswolds, hardly ugly!
Hi Peta, My wife and I took slightly early retirement here (very rural Cantal) 5 years ago and I love the following:
Golf: I don't have to wear a shirt with a collar or knee length socks with shorts; I can stop and chat to friends across another fairway without some prat complaining about slow play; there are no stupid restrictions on ladies/gents tee-times - its first come first served; competitions are all-inclusive ie I can be playing with a lady, a junior and another senior; membership is very cheap; every competition is an excuse for a party afterwards in the clubhouse. I can even take my dog on the course with me.
Traffic: There isn't any ! except during high summer holiday when the autoroutes can be busy. I wish they had a highway code though, road courtesy is lacking.
Village Life: Our little village has a baker, butcher, pub, spar shop, post office, tennis court, primary school, doctor, nurse, yet in a similar size village in UK all the above would have been long gone. Best of all it has Le Marie with village street cleaner and general handyman + it has a decent annual budget to spend on the village infrastructure - you'd never get that in UK. On the down side there is no local bus in our rural area.
Health: I can go to the doctor without an appointment every weekday morning; the village nurse will call whenever we need minor assistance eg change a dressing or remove a stitch. Getting specialist attention/surgery can take days rather than months in UK. Top-up health insurance is not too expensive and is worthwhile. Pharmacies are very helpful - although you tend to come out with an overload of medicines.
General Quality of Life: There's no rush or stress to get things done, although this can sometimes lead to frustration particularly with the one big down side of French life ie bureaucracy. People, even complete strangers, say "good morning - how are you" to each other - this friendly approach extends also to children who tend to be ignored in UK and would not normally shake hands/kiss cheeks etc but here they are treated as equals and consequently are far more respectful of their elders. I can leave my front door open/unlocked without fear. The teenage school kids in our nearby town walk together in crocodile to and from school, not lounging about on street corners. I am not aware of any crime. Family spirit is important in life here; family meals together, helping each other (and their English neighbours!) is the norm. You can expect great hospitality, conviviality and true friendships if you make the effort to speak French yourself even if it is "O level failed".
Trains: Excellent SNCF train service; providing you book early its far cheaper than UK. We go up to Paris occasionally (4 hour train journey for 45 euros return!)
Property: We have a detached farmhouse with bags of character and all mod-cons with large garden set in beautiful countryside which we would never have been able to afford in UK. The quality of work of the local artisans (stone masons etc) is superb; and they all came in on budget/estimate. The annual property taxes are less than in UK.
Hope there's something in there to help you - good luck with the book - Amicalement Nick et Carol
The Pennines, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, the South Downs, the Cornish & Devonshire Coastlines to name but a few beautiful places in the UK…people should come to the UK on holiday a bit more rather than staying in cities/towns.
I think that saying that UK is mostly ugly (except for Wales) is very mean-minded of you Jeanette and grossly untrue.
or give blood…
yes it is attached to Tax Hab and is called the Redevance Individuelle and you have to pay no matter where your telly comes from!
French are good at lots of things. At putting the most important things first. Preserving their heritage. Staying French. If someone comes here, they be French or they can lump it. None of this ridiculous political correctness - newsreaders banned from wearing Crucifixes - more rights for foreigners than Brits. The family unit has broken down irreparably in the UK, the streets are full of drunks, we have the highest pregnancy rates of young girls in Europe. In France, there are ways of doing things that you have to respect. Enfin!
What do I like about France? Beautifull sunny bright days, even in winter…even though a bit too hot sometimes(we’re in South), our lovely quiet, calm village, lovely neighbours and friends, the food, the wine, having a café créme by myself and feeling totally safe in our little town of Uzès, wandering with the dog in the vineyards and the woods and being safe…except for when the hunters are out, laughing at the neighbours trying to understand my husbands awfull French bless him…he still works in England and travels back and forth, watching his happy face as on a Sat morning when he’s enjoying oysters and chardonnay at a local café in Uzes, listening to my 3(now grownup)kids talking French as fluently as the French and with French accents…they now only speak French between them, listening to my 2 little French grandaughters saying little English words with their French accents and then in French saying “Mamie je t’aime”…I like all these simple things.Not wanting to put a dampner on this nice post, I notice I think it was John who said he watches English TV without a license, em unless I’m wrong, any TV in France has to have a license and it usually comes attached to your Tax d’habitation, whether you’re watching English or French…sorry John 
just in case you get into trouble…
I love the blue skies all year round (mostly), the feeling of peace, security & serenity when you close the shutters at night or in winter, the friendliness of my neighbours, the community spirit, knowing my Doctor & always being able to see the same one who knows my family and our history, our local cafe, boulangerie & epicerie where we are valued customers not just a customer number, the localness of our village school, the cheese, the bread, mountains of seasonal fresh fruit & vegetables that taste superb, in fact french food in general & the way so much care is taken in providing a decent meal for your family/friends, sharing great bottles of wine (not necessarily expensive ones!), the way people say Bonjour to everyone & fait la bises, the way people love our children & how open & friendly they are to accept us into their community…I could go on but that’s basically what I love about France.