What is great about France?

[Squirrel]

What are the things you like best about France? Here are mine (I don't live in France mind, just visit frequently). Very good healthcare, and cheap compared to USA and UK. Beautiful language. Gorgeous countryside, from fields to mountains to coast. You can be on the beach one hour, skiing the next. They still have forests and wild boar whereas we wiped ours out hundreds of years ago. The cheese, bread and wine are amazing. And cheap. More reasonable property prices. Good public transport particularly the trains. Dogs allowed in shops and restaurants and pets accepted in most hotels. Women aren't afraid to dress like women. In fact both sexes try to look good (of course it's a pain if you feel grotty and just want to pop out for a baguette!)

[Viv]

[quote user="Squirrel"]

What are the things you like best about France? Here are mine (I don't live in France mind, just visit frequently). Women aren't afraid to dress like women. In fact both sexes try to look good (of course it's a pain if you feel grotty and just want to pop out for a baguette!)

[/quote]

That belongs in the French myths section! [:^)]

For me, it's the feeling of space and the fact I can afford a house nearer the sea-side and the beaches are beautiful and don't get over crowded. But most importantly, being in France just makes our family much happier.

[Mark]

Cheap cheese could safely be consigned to the French Myths section too.  What I like most is crossing the Limoges Rubicon, where suddenly everything seems to become southern.  That and Brittany Ferries competitive pricing policy.

[Val_2]

Sorry but we'd have a job to be skiing one hour from the beach here unless it was on water!. So many myths that reality gets forgotten, look at all the unrest today and for the past three weeks here. Nothing is cheap when you have a french income and France is really for those with plenty of money on holiday and good pensions.

[Will]

This has just got to be a wind up, sorry Francophiles, but I think we need a dose of reality here.

Very good healthcare, and cheap compared to USA and UK.
Got to be joking - plenty would dispute the 'good' bit, though many will agree, but cheap???? Let me show you the size of my recent bill for cotisations.

Beautiful language.
What, local patois? And just try singing in French.

Gorgeous countryside, from fields to mountains to coast.
Some areas are, but much of it is defaced by eyesores and nuclear power stations, or is so flat it makes the Netherlands look interesting

You can be on the beach one hour, skiing the next.
Maybe in the Alps, but there's a lot more to France than just that corner. Would anybody really want to?

They still have forests and wild boar whereas we wiped ours out hundreds of years ago.
And they are doing their best to wipe theirs out now.

The cheese, bread and wine are amazing. And cheap.
Another urban myth. Crap wine may be cheap, but there's not much differential between good wines, and decent restaurant wines can be very pricey indeed. I find French bread prices on a par with decent English bread, the difference is that the French have only just heard of variety in bread flour, particularly the healthier options, and that French bread is stale within hours of baking.

More reasonable property prices.
Aah, something that is a popular view of France which is based on truth. Though the telly programmes etc still seem determined to perpetuate the myth that you can but a palace for 20 000€ - well maybe you can, but it will cost 200 000€ and five years before you can live in it.

Good public transport particularly the trains.
What? You never see a bus after school hours, and the station is a 40 minute drive away with five trains a day to Paris. Our second home in England is in a small town, a ten minute walk from the station, where you get four trains an hour, even in off-peak times, to London. Here in France the only convenient public transport option is the local funeral director's taxi that is when it isn't serving as an ambulance.

Dogs allowed in shops and restaurants and pets accepted in most hotels.
Is that a benefit? Children too are allowed in restaurants, but that doesn't make it any better for other diners.

Women aren't afraid to dress like women. In fact both sexes try to look good (of course it's a pain if you feel grotty and just want to pop out for a baguette!)
Words fail me, have you met our neighbours? Or tried visiting a rural market, which is where they buy their clothes. I suppose it's true in so far as a French woman shows off her sex by dressing in a blue nylon pinny with Nora Batty stockings.

[:D]

[Bassman]

.

Gorgeous countryside, from fields to mountains to coast.
Well it is where we are but I have seen some awful bits and some stunning bits just like anywhere else, but I suppose the beautiful outweigh the awful.

You can be on the beach one hour, skiing the next.
Again where we are ....... if you fancy skiing down a grass slope
.

The cheese, bread and wine are amazing. And cheap.
The bread is great especially the next day when you can build walls with it. But I will agree when it is fresh it is lovely.You can get decent cheap wine but not as cheap as it used to be. I suppose it depends on what you are used to

More reasonable property prices.

Away from the cities yes, Paris can give London a run for it's money. Our place was very cheap compared to it's equivalent in say Cornwall but prices do seem to be rising and the valuing seems to a think of a number game at the mo'

Dogs allowed in shops and restaurants and pets accepted in most hotels.
Mmmm just what I want a dog trying to nick my food or slobbering over the merchandise.

Women aren't afraid to dress like women. In fact both sexes try to look good (of course it's a pain if you feel grotty and just want to pop out for a baguette!)

Where have you been????  A true Urban Myth I'm afraid LOL I have seen one stylish lady in our nearest town and she runs the bar/resto. There were two fashion statements in the hotel restaurant last week and they stood out like sore thumbs..... obviousley not locals cos' theye were missing the crimpeline and tabards.

Will's description could be our neighbour(lovely lady) but she is living and working on a farm so isn't really into Dior, Versace and DG it would probably last about 5mins before it fell apart

[:D]

[Teamedup]

Women aren't afraid to dress like women. In fact both sexes try to look good (of course it's a pain if you feel grotty and just want to pop out for a baguette!)

 

 

I must say that we don't just have the pinny things around here, we are still in 'leggin' land, very nice with the died red hair.

 

I have to admit that one does find some well dressed women in the cities around here, very BCBG.

[Lori]

I don't want to sound rude to the original poster, but I have to agree with everything Will said.

I will admit that it took years of living here to actually know enough

to form an opinion - which is, only my own.  I do respect the fact

that other folks have other likes/dislikes.

We love France and there are many nice things about living here. 

For us, the overall lifestyle is better.  So far, it seems to be

safer for our daughter who is 12 (was 7 when we arrived) and us -

although I am sure that is debatable, depending upon exactly where in

France you live.

I guess if you are of the opinion that everything in France is perfect,

you are better off continuing on with those sentiments.  You might

not want to ask anyone elses opinion as they might surprise you. 

Hopefully not offend you.

[Furry Knickers]

I love the Auburn coloured squirrels

             The little wooden houses

             The lovely friendly bats

              Beautiful Goats

             Very beautiful trees and flowers

              Green birds with red heads

              Extra large cats and Nectarines

               The tranquility I can't afford in England or The Emerald Isle

               I know they sell snake shaped bread in England, but it never tastes as good as the French snake  bread. 

[Tourangelle]

Well lots of those things are great when they are not on strike. [8o|]  I've got to say the public transport is brilliant where I live in Lyon (most of the time) if I compare it to where I lived before (Cardiff).  But dogs allowed in restaurants actually puts me off, and they are not allowed in food shops.  The wine is definitely cheaper than in the UK, I mean there aren't the same taxes and it is made here, so that is kind of unsurprising. 

What I like about France is the way that people say hello to each other in shops and so on, even in the big city. 

Come on people, rather than criticising the list, why don't we all try and add to things we like about France, there must be loads of things, or else we wouldn't be here [:)]

[zeb]

I was going to suggest the weather, but we may as well have been living in Cumbria this year!

[Will]

[quote user="Tourangelle"]Come on people, rather than criticising the list, why don't we all try and add to things we like about France, there must be loads of things, or else we wouldn't be here [:)]
[/quote]

OK then...

There are shops other than estate agents and charity shops in most towns.

Mont St Michel is bigger and more impressive than St Michael's Mount.

There are far fewer Japanese visitors (except in Paris).

Nobody here has yet heard of political correctness.

The French really know how to do a protest march.

Croissants amandes, moules frites (though aren't they Belgian?), tripe and andouilettes.

 

[Squirrel]

I'm sorry I spoke. I realise I'm only a visitor to France and obviously an ignoramus. I do however wonder why if you all think it's so bad you live in France or have homes there. I never said I thought everything was perfect in France, I said what I liked and asked people what they liked about France. I didn't realise this was such an unfriendly place, I assumed people would, while not thinking France was perfect, would on the whole, like it, rather than have joined to slag it off. Seems like you're all having a good laugh at me for my naivity.   Just to clarify; If you think France is expensive try tripling the cost to get what private care costs in the UK, then times by four to get cost in the US. And actually according to the Worlds Health Organisation, France does have one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Doesn't mean it's perfect of course. I like animals so the idea of wild boar (which I love) is great though I really hope they don't hunt them to extinction. Would be strange considering there is a strong movement in support of wolves. And I like seeing dogs in restaurants. None have ever bothered me or slobbered on me. They are very well-behaved indeed. And France does have forests which barely exist in the UK now. Of course I'm sure in the country people don't dress up, but in the larger cities, the ones I've seen do. In Paris and Nice, for example. You should see some of the ladies walking on the Promenade des Anglais on a summer evening. Much better dressed than your average chav. OK, maybe the cheese isn't cheap, but it's nice. We like it anyway. My mum loves the cheap wine, she doesn't care that it's not the best, she's just amazed how cheap it is. I meant Cote d'Azur when I said beach and mountains in close proximity, of course I never meant every beach in France was near ski slopes, I'd have to be stupid to think that. I love the French language. Again, you don't have to, but in my personal opinion it's lovely. There may of course not be brilliant public transport right in the stix, same as most countries. But you have to admit, the trains are cheap. €6 return Nice to Monaco isn't bad.   Maybe someone could start a thread on things they hate about France if that's what you want to discuss. I'd be happy to point out the things I hate (like the lack of picking up after dogs have done their business, the strike mentality etc).

[Christine Animal]

          

 

[Harley]

I hate to say it guys but Squirrel did ask us what we LIKE about France and not the other way around.  Is this an attempt to wind up the Forum - could be - but then it could also be genuine and if we are going to jump on someone everytime they say something nice about France then we really should be asking ourselves why WE are here.  Remember Pink and Fluffy is a much nicer way to go - the sun is shining - Love thy Poster!!!!  Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.  Those into spanking need not reply!!!![:S]

 

We live in the countryside and love the open spaces, empty roads, sense of community, fantastic beaches, Shops closed on Sundays, children being welcome in restaurants and much more.....................

 

There are things we don't like about living in France but, as you say, that if for another discussion![:D]

[Will]

No you're not an ignoramus, just a visitor to Nice and surroundings so I can see exactly where you are coming from. I have worked in the Nice-Cannes area so would agree with you on some of your points though the Normandy countryside is about as diametrically opposed to that part of France as you can possibly get.

I would still take issue on the health service question. The WHO did put the French service top of one of its lists, and although I have no complaints myself there have been plenty of horror stories on the forums of poor treatment and outmoded attitudes in French hospitals, so although good in comparison it's a long way from perfect. What WHO does not point out is that the French health system, along with the pension system and other publicly-funded services, is virtually bankrupt and ridiculously inefficient. Visitors will be shielded from this but residents are only too well aware of the fact. Anybody who pays any taxes in France will be aware that an extra 11% or so is added to taxes to pay for the national debt, most of which results from overspending on the health service.

For employers and the self employed things are worse still. About 40% of the value of an employee's salary goes to the state in the form of employer's cotisations, this is apart from the employee's own contributions and totally separate from income tax. The self employed pay anything between 45% to 60% of their before-tax income in similar cotisations.

I am no stranger to private medical treatment in Britain, though I have no experience of the US system (but do know it is almost entirely private, funded through private insurance, so ought to be relatively efficient compared with a state scheme). What I also know is that, in Britain, my NI contributions, plus private medical charges, plus membership of a pension plan, cost me somewhere between one half and one third of what I pay to the French system for an equivalent range of benefits, and I got far more in return from the UK system.

Cheap? I don't think so.

We have seen far too many people come to France fueled by the myths and what they have seen on holiday. When they get here, the reality of what it really costs to be in France hits them, and hits many very hard indeed. Look at all the calls on French forums for information on the cheapest way to do things. These are not just misers and cheapskates, these are people who really need to save every cent they can.

I think one service forums like this can provide is to prepare people for this reality. Despite everything plenty of people still want to make the move, and all have their own very good reasons, and most enjoy it (if you are retired rather than working it can be much more viable). Of course there are plenty of good things about France, we want to provide a balanced, rather than a biased, view.

As well as lists of good and bad (I though a certain other fluffy forum had the monopoly on list building anyway) I have an idea for another list - things you find incredible about France. I'd head my list with why the French put up with this situation, especially when they are usually so ready to stick up a finger to the government, be it local or national.

[Tresco]

Squirrel

Try not to take these responses personally.

Every single time a similar question is asked, the same range of responses appears. It's not a 'wind-up', really, it's a fairly natural response.

I echo FurryNix in that I have the peace and tranquility I always wanted, and I am surrounded by pleasant scenery, but ....(tresco tapes her hands together with sellotape). 

[Miki]

"...but ....(tresco tapes her hands together with sellotape)."

Behave, we really don't want to know about all that stuff, have you posted on the right forum  !

[Bassman]

Hey don't get me wrong I love France for the largest part, I wouldn't have bought there otherwise [;)] but like anywhere it's not perfect I suppose , It's just that there were a few seemingly common misconceptions there  esp the way women dress thing [;)]

 

I love some of the food not all but I would be strange if I did we all have likes and dislikes, the quiet roads, the coffee, the empty beaches in some parts...hmmmm it's difficult you see it's a big place and what I like in one place someone can say "well it's not like that here" like comparing Northumbria to London I suppose [8-)] it makes it difficult to generalize about a whole country i.e. what I like about France. I can say what I like about where we are and other places I've been to but that isn't France as a whole.

 

An example :- we were in the Auvergne? a couple of years ago and we came across an area where everything was red , the ground, the stone houses etc. now some folk love it but we thought it was hideous and one of the few places I didn't like. We once took some friends to the Dordogne and the male half of the couple thought it was "very middle England" [8-)] and criticised Rocamadour for being "touristy" well of course it is and we were the tourists LOL

As a very good friend of mine (French) said when we bought our house in Brittany...... "It's not France you know" [:D] At the time I thought he was being a bit derogatory but then a while late I found out he is originally from Brittany LOLOL He lives in Normandy now and has just bought a maison secondaire in.... the Vendee LOL

 

I suppose what I like about France is the space and it's France [;)]

[Squirrel]

Lol the US system efficient? I am married to an American. Believe me, it's anything but. Try the fact that they charge around 10 x the true cost of treatment/drugs etc purely because they think that as the insurance is paying for it, people won't care, nevermind that it makes premiums huge. They say a huge chunk of the annual health budget is spent on billing and insurance claims processing. The insurance companies have a stranglehold and they know it. Well, I guess nowhere is perfect. I did think the €160 I was charged for a doctor call-out on a Saturday was expensive, but I got €110 of it back on insurance (would have got the whole lot if I'd remembered my E111, d'oh)! Believe me, I do not think France is perfect. Nothing will ever be as good as the NHS in terms of lack of form-filling. Btw They say US social security is going bankrupt and the same has been said of the NHS!

[quote user="Will "]

I am no stranger to private medical treatment in Britain, though I have no experience of the US system (but do know it is almost entirely private, funded through private insurance, so ought to be relatively efficient compared with a state scheme). [/quote]

[Renaud]

I like France and I like people who like France. I even like the French.

[Gluestick]

Et moi aussi !

Oh no! I've done it again! I agreed with Gus! I shall be giving the poor guy a complex.[:$][:$]

Seriously, I do like France: like the French and love France. No rose coloured glasses here, I assure you.[;)]

There are good parts and bad parts: same with everywhere, like the Parson's Egg.

What does really confuse me, however, is the number of members who find so very much not to like.

Surely, you did your homework before you came? Were there really so many things which you did not realise, or have circumstances changed that much since you have been there?

France is fiscally bankrupt, sure. So is the USA, only in reality more so! So is the UK. Anyone looked at the UK National Debt figures since 1979? Despite popular myth, they have never ever increased so rapidly: in fact, in the past few years the increase is exponential!

For me, with all its problems, France does retain a sense of nationalism and pride.

 

[JohnM]

I chose the location for my hideaway because I like big mountains. The fact that it was France was secondary. After saying that I do like almost everything about it, but may be that's becuase it symbolises being on holiday (even when I'm doing DIY - something that I never seem to have time for in the UK).

 

[SaligoBay]

[quote user="Miki"]"...but ....(tresco tapes her hands together with sellotape)."

Behave, we really don't want to know about all that stuff, have you posted on the right forum  !


[/quote]

Au contraire, I DO want to know about it!  Tresco, how do you manage to tape both your own hands together with sellotape?

Today is not the day for me to be talking about France.  As recounted on TF, I am mega-stressed after dealing with the outskirts of a suicide (hey, here's a chance to mention YET AGAIN that there are twice as many suicides in France as in Britain, for the same size population). 

Great fluffy bisous to you all nonetheless.  [;)]

[Harley]

Another reason why I love France - Just cooked a beefburger that didn't hurl fat everywhere while cooking and then insult me further by shrinking to the size of a walnut!  Tasted good too.  Nice and crisp around the edges, tender but well cooked in the middle, lashings of HP sauce and a soft sesame seed bun.