Myths about France

[Hoddy]

I know it's not in the same league as the exalted courses you're used to Miki, but I thought Dom D'Orgeval looked very impressive on Saturday at Uttoxeter. He might be worth watching.

Finding the courage would be my problem, not making the weight.

Hoddy

[Miki]

[quote user="Hoddy"]I know it's not in the same league as the exalted

courses you're used to Miki, but I thought Dom D'Orgeval looked very

impressive on Saturday at Uttoxeter. He might be worth watching.

Finding the courage would be my problem, not making the weight.

Hoddy[/quote]

Hi Hoddy,

Believe me, as a jump enthusiast (although as seen Lester, is my all

time favourite jockey) and as an aficianado of the sport, although

loving both forms of horse racing, I would put always the jumps above

the Flat. Thus, I was therefore more likely to be seen at Plumpton,

Towcester and Fontwell etc than at an Epsom or Ascot flat

meeting.........

In the race you mention, I fancied Martin Pipes horse, Nous Voila (third I think) but as you said, the winner run rather well.

I have ridden horses, a hundred years ago now, normally when one of the

kids was learning to ride at a local centre, (it was not expensive, I

hasten to add)  none of us really took to it. I would sometimes

(rarely) have a little ride out whilst on holiday but was amongst the slower riders !! As for jumping and at speed, they must be either brave or bonkers or, both !

[Will]

Jumping on horseback - now that's really for the foolhardy. To think we used to go on holiday to Ireland just to do some of that. Always scared me s***less I'm afraid, never managed more than 3ft 6in and that was on a horse I got on with pretty well, not the maniac we owned, and certainly not the even more brain-damaged Lippizaner that the stables often used to put me on (sadists). And I had to lie about my weight as well. Mind you, Polocrosse in Ireland was something else (lacrosse on horses), not for the faint hearted either. And I thought Goodwood was where you went motor racing, Fontwell was the place where you had Sunday markets and boot sales, and Plumpton was were my first wife should have lived (you can tell where I come from).

Back to the topic - myths about France.

1. The ferry trip over there turns you into an expert builder

2. You can buy a habitable house for £20,000 and a chateau for £50,000

3. If you are British and live in France you don't need to join the French social security system, and neither does the French tax office need to know about your earnings

4. And who needs a French accountant anyway?

I agree with just about all the other shattered myths too. Aren't stereotypes brilliant?

[le bouffon]

So true,but you missed the one about all the brits over here being friendly and will do other brits "favours"for nothing.

[Georgina]

[quote user="le bouffon"]So true,but you missed the one about all the brits over here being friendly and will do other brits "favours"for nothing.[/quote]

Quite, but most of the French are, and you have a job stopping them from doing you favours - and they won't take no for an answer.[:D]

So hopefully some of this rubs off on us.  I find it works a bit like driving, you let someone out of a junction, then that person lets someone out, and so on, and so on, until you are really late for work .[:D][:)]

Georgina

[Catalpa]

[quote user="Georgina"]

So hopefully some of this rubs off on us.  I find it works a bit like driving, you let someone out of a junction, then that person lets someone out, and so on, and so on, until you are really late for work .[:D][:)]

[/quote]

Do you really find the filtering thing happening in France? I never do. In the UK, especially if you make eye contact, some kind person will let you in... I find that once a French person is inside his car, no one else is of relevance. Ever!

 

[Opalienne]

You should try driving in Belgium if you think France is bad!   I used to wonder why so many Belgian cars had dents in their offside wings, but soon found out.   Almost all roads are priority a droite and if you hesitate you lose your priority, so people just shoot straight out from minor into major roads and hit whatever happens to be in their way.

[Georgina]

[quote user="catalpa"][quote user="Georgina"]

So hopefully some of this rubs off on us.  I find it works a bit like driving, you let someone out of a junction, then that person lets someone out, and so on, and so on, until you are really late for work .[:D][:)]

[/quote]

Do you really find the filtering thing happening in France? I never do. In the UK, especially if you make eye contact, some kind person will let you in... I find that once a French person is inside his car, no one else is of relevance. Ever![/quote]

 

Yes although most of the french will do anything for you, I find it is not in their car.  In their car they turn into someone else. Especially the men, sorry men.  I have had them so severally up my rear end (excuse the phrase) that I have come to a complete halt to stop them and I do not drive slowly normally.  I think maybe that is illegal here for me to do that, but hey I'm English.  I was actually recalling the  experience of letting people out at junctions, in England. This is because we believe in fairness in queues but not anywhere else around Europe have I found that. .

Georgina

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Opalienne"]You should try driving in Belgium if you think

France is bad!   I used to wonder why so many Belgian cars

had dents in their offside wings, but soon found out.  

Almost all roads are priority a droite and if you hesitate you lose

your priority, so people just shoot straight out from minor into major

roads and hit whatever happens to be in their way.[/quote]

I'd agree with this. The most agressive, thoughtless driving I have

ever seen in Europe has been in Belgium, particularly around Antwerp,

where about 70% of those behind the wheel should be certified.

[Miki]

[quote user="jond"][quote user="Opalienne"]You should try driving in Belgium if you think

France is bad!   I used to wonder why so many Belgian cars

had dents in their offside wings, but soon found out.  

Almost all roads are priority a droite and if you hesitate you lose

your priority, so people just shoot straight out from minor into major

roads and hit whatever happens to be in their way.[/quote]

I'd agree with this. The most agressive, thoughtless driving I have

ever seen in Europe has been in Belgium, particularly around Antwerp,

where about 70% of those behind the wheel should be certified.

[/quote]

What and put Portugal in to European 2nd place.....no way, they are worthy winners and by a few km's as well !!

[Catalpa]

oups, sorry Miki, forgot I posted here.

Quote Miki:
Hedgehunter has a big lumpo (11st10lb) to carry this year in the National.

I'm a bit ambivalent about the National. I have been several times - but back in Red Rum days in the (late?) 70s – I was only a child [:)] - and the course has been ‘made easier’ since then. It's a spectacle but I can't wholeheartedly enjoy it because the likelihood of horses being seriously or terminally damaged is too high for me.

Quote Miki:  Kempton (once my very local race track) is, I am told, getting on very well with it's all weather track and facilites (saw it at Xmas and it looked very good) good course but Sandown has alway been my favourite, due really to the excellent viewing facilities.  < snip> Don't like Cheltenham and Goodwood from a "being there" point of view anymore...

We regularly used to go to to the King George meeting at Kempton - till Boxing day turned into a "how soon can we leave for the ferryport?" sort of  day. Parking used to be a nightmare and we ended up parking 15 minutes walk outside the course as we couldn't face the scrum if we got parked in the middle of the track.

Quote Miki:   Don't like Cheltenham and Goodwood from a "being there" point of view anymore, too busy and too difficult to have a bet plus  getting a drink can be a nightmare and I am not a picnic punter ! Nor a ladies day, sorry to you ladies who like and understand the nags but too many are there just for the fashion stakes …

I've only been to GGoodwood once and I thought it was boring. I'm just not as interested in flat racing. Hence I’ve not been to Royal Airscut either. I like to get to know my horses over several seasons - and really build a relationship… with the animals I’m going to lose money on. Cheltenham I love – even God Cup day but I agree, it is a scrum now but I partly blame that on the level of corporate entertaining that takes place. Most of the people being hosted couldn’t give a stuff about the sport but are happy to get totally drunk, loud and abusive. The other meetings are civilised though – even Countryside Day which has become incredibly popular. We are picnic punters – if you mean a four-course hot meal out of the back of the car before racing, while going through the racecard and listening to Festival Radio! and one year, when it was particularly cold and there were about a dozen of us, we took a microwave and little generator too. We take our picnics seriously. I think that was The Thinker year – snow.

We were about an hour from Cheltenham - the two other courses I liked which were close to us being Chepstow and Wincanton. Nice courses.

Hoddy / Will-le-C

For sheer equine insanity, eventing cannot be bettered. Event riders make jump jockeys look risk averse. The competitors of 15-ish years ago... simply barking.

[Catalpa]

[quote user="Opalienne"]You should try driving in Belgium if you think France is bad!     [/quote]

The first time I ever drove in mainland Europe was a hire car from Brussels airport to Liege. So not only was it the wrong side of the road, but the gear stick was on the wrong side and it was, as you say, Belgian drivers... [:P] Oh, and as additional stress, I had my boss with me too. I am sure I remember that Neil Kinnock did start a campaign to get the priority right rule abandoned - quite a few years ago - after his wife got side-swiped by a car coming out of a side road. He failed, of course. [:)]

[euro]

How about :-

Communism

Sexism

Racism

never mind all that free and equal brotherhood nonsense !

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Miki"][quote user="jond"][quote user="Opalienne"]You should try driving in Belgium if you think

France is bad!   I used to wonder why so many Belgian cars

had dents in their offside wings, but soon found out.  

Almost all roads are priority a droite and if you hesitate you lose

your priority, so people just shoot straight out from minor into major

roads and hit whatever happens to be in their way.[/quote]

I'd agree with this. The most agressive, thoughtless driving I have

ever seen in Europe has been in Belgium, particularly around Antwerp,

where about 70% of those behind the wheel should be certified.

[/quote]

What and put Portugal in to European 2nd place.....no way, they are worthy winners and by a few km's as well !!

[/quote]

Ah, now I would not disagree that the Portuguese are doughty slayers of

their fellow countrymen on the open road (I think they score highest in

Europe, do they not, in road-kill per head of population?), but they

have a happy-go-lucky attitude to the carnage that is a stark contrast

to the cold-blooded ruthlessness of the Belgians. I realise that I am

making some sweeping generalisations here ([6]), but, what the hell,

it's the overall idea that is important, and it is clear from these

observations that the myth about the French being the "worst" drivers

in Europe is just that - a myth.

[Opalienne]

I drive from Northern France to Brussels each week and am now used to the driving 'manners'.  I am quite a confident driver, but the first few times I really thought that I wouldn't be able to continue to do this.   Only a few`weeks ago on the autoroute near Antwerp someone cut across me from the outside lane at practically 90 degrees in order to save a few seconds before turning into an exit road.  In Brussels recently someone hit the back of my car really hard and then proceeded to tell me that it was minor and there was no damage.  The garage quoted €850 for repairs........

[Teamedup]

Isn't this being a bit unfair to the belgians. I can't say I have noticed particularly that the driving is any worse there, than I have ever found it, say in France.

Now the urban myth in our bit of France at one time was that belgians didn't have to pass a driving test. I have wondered that about some people here too, but there you go.

[Opalienne]

It's not an urban myth - they didn't have to pass a test until fairly recently (in the 1970s, I think).   So at risk of being accused of ageism,  I am always extra careful when I see a grey-haired one driving.   And I don't think it's being unfair at all - I drive there a lot and they really are terrible.

[Teamedup]

I am always extra careful when I see a grey-haired one driving.   And I don't think it's being unfair at all - I drive there a lot and they really are terrible.

 

 

[:)] LOL, so am I, careful about grey haired ones driving and that is just about everywhere.

 

 

 

 We drive in Belgium a couple of times a year usually. Not a place I dread driving at all though. There are places I dread, just not there. The routes we use are variable too, but often around the ring roads in Brussels or via Liege, where we try and avoid going through the centre but often do never the less.  In fact all in all we are both rather fond of Belgium. We had very good belgian neighbours when we first moved to this village.

[Dick Smith]

I've seen some driving in Belgium that would turn your hair grey.

Until the 70s it was perfectly legal to turn up at a car dealership withut ever having driven a mile in your life, buy a high-powered car and drive it away on minimal insurance, and it still shows...

[edit] - but I do like Belgium beer - is that also something to do with driving standards?

[Will]

I've always felt quite at home on the Antwerp ring road (when the traffic is moving, that is). But perhaps that says more about my driving standards than the Belgians'.

As we are on to matters wheeled, I have another myth about France.

English people do not need road tax, valid insurance, MoT etc for their British-resistered vehicles, that they are of course permitted to use indefinitely on French roads.

[powerdesal]

I have just been speaking to a Belgian friend, apparently Belgians

think the French are appalling drivers. He didn't comment on what they

think of Brit drivers !!!!!!!!

[Cat]

[quote user="jond"][quote user="Miki"][quote user="jond"][quote user="Opalienne"]You should try driving in Belgium if you think France is bad!   I used to wonder why so many Belgian cars had dents in their offside wings, but soon found out.   Almost all roads are priority a droite and if you hesitate you lose your priority, so people just shoot straight out from minor into major roads and hit whatever happens to be in their way.[/quote]

I'd agree with this. The most agressive, thoughtless driving I have ever seen in Europe has been in Belgium, particularly around Antwerp, where about 70% of those behind the wheel should be certified.
[/quote]

What and put Portugal in to European 2nd place.....no way, they are worthy winners and by a few km's as well !!


[/quote]

Ah, now I would not disagree that the Portuguese are doughty slayers of their fellow countrymen on the open road (I think they score highest in Europe, do they not, in road-kill per head of population?), but they have a happy-go-lucky attitude to the carnage that is a stark contrast to the cold-blooded ruthlessness of the Belgians. I realise that I am making some sweeping generalisations here ([6]), but, what the hell, it's the overall idea that is important, and it is clear from these observations that the myth about the French being the "worst" drivers in Europe is just that - a myth.
[/quote]

These are the latest available figures for road fatalities in Europe, taken from the Europa European Commission for Transport's CARE database.  It looks like Latvia and Lithuania are to be avoided!

http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/care/statistics/series/fatal1991_rate/index_en.htm

RATE BY MILLION POPULATION

Rate by million population   1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Belgium 188 167 165 168 143 134 134 147 137 144 145 131 - - Czech Republic 128 152 148 158 154 151 155 132 141 145 130 139 141 135 Denmark 118 112 108 105 112 98 93 94 97 93 81 86 80 69 Germany 142 132 123 121 116 107 104 95 95 91 85 83 80 71 Estonia 312 184 210 242 223 144 192 195 160 149 146 163 120 124 Greece 207 210 209 216 231 206 201 208 201 193 178 151 147 153 Spain 227 201 163 143 146 139 142 150 144 143 135 129 128 113 France 184 173 172 157 154 147 145 153 145 138 138 129 102 93 Ireland 126 117 121 113 121 125 130 124 111 111 108 97 87 89 Italy 143 142 126 124 123 116 117 110 115 115 116 117 104 97 Cyprus 150 189 161 184 162 174 155 149 150 147 129 129 128 154 Latvia 346 274 257 279 242 220 212 255 248 247 219 221 210 220 Lithuania 314 223 256 205 181 180 196 224 202 173 203 201 204 216 Luxembourg 216 177 197 162 172 172 143 135 135 174 159 140 119 110 Hungary 204 203 162 151 154 133 135 133 127 117 121 140 130 127 Malta 45 31 39 16 38 51 48 45 11 39 41 41 41 33 Netherlands 85 83 81 85 86 76 75 68 69 68 62 61 64 50 Austria 200 178 161 167 151 128 137 119 133 120 118 117 114 108 Poland 207 181 165 175 179 165 189 183 174 163 143 151 146 148 Portugal 326 310 271 251 271 272 250 210 200 184 163 160 150 125 Slovenia 231 247 247 254 209 195 180 156 169 157 140 135 121 137 Slovakia 116 128 110 119 123 115 146 152 120 116 114 116 120 113 Finland 126 120 96 95 86 79 85 78 84 77 84 80 73 72 Sweden 87 88 73 67 65 61 61 60 66 67 66 63 59 54 United Kingdom 82 76 68 65 64 64 64 61 60 60 60 60 62 56 AVERAGE 162 150 138 134 132 124 126 123 120 116 111 109 103 95 Fatalities are all persons killed within 30 days from the day of the accident. For Member States not using this definition corrective factors were applied Figures in green come from the national statistical publications Figures in red are estimations - Data not available

 

[andyh4]

Myth -

how about you need a 10% contingency for any renovation work you plan.

 

More like 150%

 

 

[fcr]

I was very worried about what to wear for a very posh wedding in August last year. It was 40 degrees and the women were sweating it out in Chiffon.Who on earth wears chiffon these days.

I looked rather chic in my cool cotton traders pants and crisp cotton blouse and I didnt have rivulets of sweat pouring off me .The men had full 3 piece suits on with wet backed shirts when they eventually shed the jackets and waistcoats  ugh.

I am at a loss as to why France is so set on polyester and why it is obligitory for older women to wear blue knee length floral frocks at 35 euro a go-not cheap. I hope they dont discover crimplene or maybe they alredy have

Fi

 

[Deby]

[quote user="Opalienne"]Aren't you shocked by the rampant sexism of French males, though?   Maybe it's because we live in the country, but I am still amazed by the way they talk about women as though they are farm animals.  I used to protest all the time, but have now decided it's not worth the bother....... And their wives just giggle![/quote]

Tell me about it.  I recently sat in a french mtg with architects, project managers (I am one too), directors etc and all my questions and statements were completely ignored.  The only other female present (another architect) was treated the same way.  Similar mtg took place with a french bank - I was perceived as the brainless bird.  This has happened several times and not at all isolated.  My boss was completely amazed, he doesnt speak french either and doesnt understand french culture at all.  I complained alot to my husband and could you believe it - he gave me the gallic shrug (he is not french btw) and said yes it is true, women are given a rough deal and not taken seriously at Cadre levels, if the fairer sex does attain Cadre then it is generally perceived she has shagged someone somewhere!!  Battle away he said or just accept it! It really does annoy me as I have done my trailblazing, so come on french fillies burn your bra for goodness sake!!  Now I will get off my soapbox!

Deby