What is great about France?

[ChezShells]

Some strange replies on here.
Why did you move to France, well, the beefburgers you can make are really nice.

My turn.
Whats great about France?

Good place to bring kids up.
Roads, traffic, villages and the friendly attitude of the French.
The best place to have a motorhome as well.

I cannot think of anything else that I wouldn't say about the UK.

Although I'm refering to rural France, so if you put up with boredom its a great place to be.

Lee

 

edited to add - I quite fancy a burger now.

[Miki]

Now try to barbecue a Merguez and then fork it without

endangering your eyes with a big sizzling dollop of fatty swizzling goo

and will either get you, or fly off in to space.

I can tell you now, that regardless of what SB might say, I do hold the

World record for distance with flying goo from a Merguez ! [;)]

[Harley]

Can't beat a good Merguez - I can smell that BBQ now.................sizzle sizzle[6]  Bit spicy though - Nice washed down with a lashings of good wine[H]

[Dick Smith]

My first taste of Merguez was at the 24 heures du Mans some years back. I really shouldn't have eaten 4...

[Renaud]

In the spirit with which Squirel opened this thread:

I like the sense that I am more alive, when in France,

I like to be able to see the Milky Way again,

I like the empty rural roads,

I like the muttered 'm'sieur/damme' when somebody enters a shop where the are other customers,

I like the tiny rural flying club airports where people wave at the plane coming in, and the staff are pleasant despite the fact that you are a Ryanair passenger checking in very late,

I like the hare sitting motionless in my headlights, in the middle of the road, who makes me admit that I am lost (my great grandmother's name was Lelievre)…

I like the little restaurants that are open on a cold February evening and treat you and the other patron in a pleasant slightly off-hand way,

OK, specifically, I like La Rive in Mortagne where the dog who looks like he has been made of carpet off-cuts joins you for the steak course,

I like 86 year old Madamoiselle up the road who thinks that we come from Paris because we have trouble communicating with her,

I like her flock of chickens and geese who hang out in the middle of the road but never seem to be noticeably thinned out,

I like the artisans who are working on our house who come when they say they will and work really hard,

… particularly the tiler who took us round a tile emporium muttering “trop cher” every time we saw anything fancy,

I like the silence at night,

I like the Mairie who complains about the numbers of Brits in his commune but could not be more pleasant in person,

I like the wedding convoys of tooting cars,

… I think that there might be a song about this in The Sound Of Music…

[chris pp]

What's great about France for me is rather simple really. I can own a house in the middle of the countryside with land and wildlife comes out of the walls. We don't have much money, in fact I would put us in the category of "get by" so many of the finer points of France pass us by.

Incidentally Will, wild boar far from being hunted out of existence are in fact increasing in numbers dramatically which is starting to pose a bit of a problem and new means to control them may be required..

There, I've managed to be positive, Chris

 

[Dick Smith]

What I love about France:

• Good restaurants close by at reasonable prices
• Peace and quiet after the hurly-burly of working in a London comp./living on a main road.

• Playing house (no, honest - it works a lot better than our UK house)
• Excellent produce in the supermarkets.
• Friends visiting.
• Softer weather and sitting out in the evenings.
• Wildlife - birds and bats and things that go scrit-scrit in the night.
• Being on our own but together.
• Diablo Menthe.
• Wine and pastis taste better.

What I don't like:

• Rotten internet connection.
•  Not much else, really.

[Logan]

[quote user="Dicksmith"]What I love about France:

• Good restaurants close by at reasonable prices

• Peace and quiet after the hurly-burly of working in a London comp./living on a main road.
  

• Playing house (no, honest - it works a lot better than our UK house)

• Excellent produce in the supermarkets.

• Friends visiting.

• Softer weather and sitting out in the evenings.

• Wildlife - birds and bats and things that go scrit-scrit in the night.

• Being on our own but together.

• Diablo Menthe.

• Wine and pastis taste better.
  

What I don't like:

• Rotten internet connection.

•  Not much else, really.
  

[/quote]

In other words Dick, great place for a holiday. Try living in France, try making a living. Then your views might just change. You could apply all the above to almost anywhere in the world. On holiday, it's different. Your not trying to make the country work as a future.

Its chalk and cheese.

[TWINKLE]

[quote user="Dicksmith"]What I love about France:

• Good restaurants close by at reasonable prices

• Peace and quiet after the hurly-burly of working in a London comp./living on a main road.
  

• Playing house (no, honest - it works a lot better than our UK house)

• Excellent produce in the supermarkets.

• Friends visiting.

• Softer weather and sitting out in the evenings.

• Wildlife - birds and bats and things that go scrit-scrit in the night.

• Being on our own but together.

• Diablo Menthe.

• Wine and pastis taste better.
  

What I don't like:

• Rotten internet connection.

•  Not much else, really.
  

[/quote]

10 out of 10 Sir [*]

[Dick Smith]

Well, Logan, pardon me for breathing and having an opinion!

I don't live in France BY CHOICE but I choose to have a house their FOR MY ENJOYMENT.

If you are struggling, don't blame me...

[TWINKLE]

Some of my favourite things of being in France.

 

 Looking out for the first coquelicot (field poppy) to appear on the side of the road.  The next thing you know the corn fields are a fantastic blur of gold and red!

Lilac, white & pink lillies.

The smell of the accacia trees.

 Millions of glorious sunflowers whizzing by as you drive down endless country roads with the windows rolled down.

Superb entertainment from professional artists and musiciens that costs a fraction of what we would pay in Britain.

Beautiful clear skies at night without a single street lamp to spoil it all.

Ice cold muscat on a summer evening.

My seven year old daughter really is seven (not 7 going on 17!)

I could go on and on - I haven't even got to Autumn & Winter yet!

I love France!!

[TWINKLE]

[quote user="Dicksmith"]Well, Logan, pardon me for breathing and having an opinion!
I don't live in France BY CHOICE but I choose to have a house their FOR MY ENJOYMENT.
If you are struggling, don't blame me...
[/quote]

Do I detect a spelling mistake Mr. Smith[;)]

[TWINKLE]

"Try living in France, try making a living. Then your views might just change."

I have and have done for the last 17 years, you can do it and I am surrounded by lots of Brits, Dutch and Americans who have too.  However I'd never have been able to earn a living performing in Britain.

[Tresco]

I loved Renaults list.

"Do I detect a spelling mistake Mr. Smith"

Careful Twinkle, he'll set his dog on you.

I don't think Twinkle has seen Dicks Dog.... (don't bother with the obvious line Twinkle, I fed it to someone else the other day).

 

[Dick Smith]

Yes you do. Do you want a doll or a goldfish in a bag? (joke)

See how cross I was? I've never done that before, honest!

[Tresco]

LOL get the dawg out Dick!

[TWINKLE]

Sorry, but i'm not afraid of Dick anymore now  i've seen his fluffy bobtail[:$]

[Russethouse]

My list would be very similar to Dicks, in fact much as I wish my French was better, my lack of knowledge helps me relax - I don't know about world events, so they don't bother me. However I fully appreciate Logans point, France for holiday home owners and holiday makers is very different to the France a full timer earning a living, tackles.

[PossumGirl]

I love village life after living in a major city where no one had time to visit or do much of anything except work and drive (or rather sit in their cars on the freeway NOT driving).

I love feeling that I'm part of a community.

I love driving to do anything and seeing amazing countryside with crystal clear air.  At night, I love looking at the stars that aren't blocked out by light pollution and air pollution.

After living in a country where people don't protest much of anything, I appreciate the fact that people in France are passionate enough to protest, even if it's not always pretty or convenient.  I wish America would remember that we used to do that kind of thing too.

I don't wear rose-coloured glasses, and see that there are faults as well, but fault for fault, I'll take the ones in France any day of the week.

PG

[Opalienne]

I like:

walking down the street and saying hello to everyone and vice versa

people taking a real interest in what you do (though some might think this is just nosiness, it has been absolutely wonderful when my husband has been ill and I haven't been there, for example)

having conversations with people without their raising what they think your/their house is worth or what kind of car you/they drive in the first five minutes

being able to eat really well at any number of small and reasonably priced restaurants in the vicinity, even though we live in a very poor area

having friends from all walks of life who don't make a big thing about being different from each other (with a very few`exceptions)

 

 

[Teamedup]

France is a great place for a holiday. We have had some wonderful holidays in France.

 

[Harley]

[quote user="Dicksmith"]My first taste of Merguez was at the 24 heures du Mans some years back. I really shouldn't have eaten 4...
[/quote]

Strange how your dog looks like a Merguez........with teeth!!![&]

[SaligoBay]

Well, I've gone off Merguez since my dog arrived on the scene.    Those of you who have dogs will know why.

[Logan]

France is a great place for a holiday. We have had some wonderful holidays in France.

That was the point I was trying to make to Dick. France as a holiday destination is probably one of best places to be. However like everywhere else the country is an uphill struggle when it comes to working and living here.

So many people are influenced by the pleasure of holiday into make life changing decisions about moving. Often they cannot separate the two experiences. In my opinion it's not valid to list all what you love about France without making it clear your enjoyment and experience is limited only to holidays.

 

[Miki]

[quote user="SaligoBay"]Well, I've gone off Merguez since my dog

arrived on the scene.    Those of you who have dogs will

know why.[/quote]

Won't stop my new attempt this summer to beat me  world record for flying sozzie fat though.

Don't think you'd get much joy by stabbing the alternative doggy doo doo do you [*-)]