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Well, France is still France


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This week, to the Picasso exhibition at the Louvre, Lens; besides some amazing art works, particularly the ceramics, one other French value was reinforced which is that the French know how to dress so very well, the women to show themselves at their best  in a very understated way whilst their men are used to complement them. Not a tattoo in sight.

Then to Leclerc, Attin, a totally different population segment; no consciousness of others when shopping, move in family packs and much of France is seriously overweight. The national dish is pizza and please could people stop wearing jeans. Tattoos everywhere!

And finally to Anecdote, a rather good restaurant in Montreuil sur Mer; good service is alive and well in France as is good dining. Better a smaller menu to a higher standard than too much not so good choice. One tattoo, high up on the nape of the neck, only visible when the customer lifted and reset her pony tail!

Social distancing? What’s that?

A good couple of days.

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If I could add a plus for the French 2021 Film "Délicieux"  if we are praising France.  Set just before the Revolution, it showcases the fabulous countryside around Cantal and Aveyron.   Heartly enjoyed the food aspects and the almost still life tableaux of some of the shots.  Good story, little sex or violence, a rare gem in my opinion.

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23 hours ago, anotherbanana said:

This week, to the Picasso exhibition at the Louvre, Lens; besides some amazing art works, particularly the ceramics, one other French value was reinforced which is that the French know how to dress so very well, the women to show themselves at their best  in a very understated way whilst their men are used to complement them. Not a tattoo in sight.

Then to Leclerc, Attin, a totally different population segment; no consciousness of others when shopping, move in family packs and much of France is seriously overweight. The national dish is pizza and please could people stop wearing jeans. Tattoos everywhere!

And finally to Anecdote, a rather good restaurant in Montreuil sur Mer; good service is alive and well in France as is good dining. Better a smaller menu to a higher standard than too much not so good choice. One tattoo, high up on the nape of the neck, only visible when the customer lifted and reset her pony tail!

Social distancing? What’s that?

A good couple of days.

Attin: interesting, Woolly.

In our early days, 20 odd years ago, Mrs Gluey and I used to drive along the A 16 coast road in order to visit our friends who then ran a B&B in Campagne Les Hesdin and visit the Leclerc store at Attin.

One day, surreally, she was chatting to a work colleague in her then office in the City and discovered she came from Attin and that her brother ran a large farming co-op outside!

Pas de Calais, of course has changed significantly, from a farming community to an industrialised area, as major farming outfits have mechanised, hoovered up smaller farms and created mass-redundancy. The younger French eat junk food in increasing volumes and have been Balkanised by American media "culture": hence, the increasing levels of obesity, tattoos and rejection of the wonderful French culture. Sad IMHO.

Montreuil: ah, a cultured lovely old walled town, still cobbled in the centre and, of course, the HQ of allied forces in WW1. Some excellent restaurants  and hotels therein but expensive. It is also the centre for administration, including the local Impôt. Hesdin is the same; couth and most interesting historically. Next time you are there, wander out of the main square and visit the church.

https://monumentum.fr/eglise-notre-dame-pa00108309.html

I never forget Montreuil, since it was the place when driving over the cobbles, a centre wheel cap fell off my BMW, in traffic and I could not recover it and had to buy a replacement from my local UK Beema distributor; severe pain in wallet!

Tourists tend to power through the Pas de Calais en route to the South and consider it bland and boring. It isn't, actually.

Wonderful natural sandy beaches running right from Dunkirk through to the Somme and beyond. Some beautiful rural areas, great golf courses and if one looks, excellent food and drink.

St. Omer, for example, is well worth a visit. Some excellent and beautiful old architecture.

I used to drive to Brico Depot in BRUAY LA BUISSIERE; this was and is a poor and deprived area, where loads of coal mining went on, years ago. Strange it has never recovered...

 

 

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8 hours ago, NormanH said:

Back to a time when posters were knowledgeable about French culture (in this case films) and able  to discuss it in a civilized fashion ..

There is a contradiction in what you said there MR Norman.

Anyway, I will bite.

Have you seen the new highly aclaimed film 'Bac Nord'. Norman ? Or is that toooo French culture for you ?

There is no English subtiles BTW....so you might struggle. 

But you can look at the pictures. ? and then realise that your idea of French culture is very different to others. Some of us have to live in some form of reality. 

 

 

 

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Now there is me thinking the OP, Woolly, was writing about reality.

Not movies and fantasy???

Definitions:

"the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.

'20th century popular culture'
synonyms: the arts, the humanities, intellectual achievement(s), intellectual activity, literature, music, painting, philosophy
 
the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.
'Afro-Caribbean culture'
synonyms: civilization, society, way of life, lifestyle, customs, traditions, heritage, habits, ways, mores, values."
 
I steam, when I occasionally glance at a paper and it suggests such as "Rap" is culture...
 
Sub-Culture more like!
 
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I made the mistake of allowing myself to be persuaded by rave reviews to watch the ridiculous Lupin series (Netflix). Utter dross. French mixture of Bond, the A Team, Batman and Die Hard, all done very very badly. Probably appeals to young teenagers or anyone who enjoys silly super-hero cartoons. One or two nice shots of Paris.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 24/01/2022 at 22:05, anotherbanana said:

Yes, the world has changed, folk have left us, moved on or even passed away. Not so many left in France these days. We have lost something.

Oh my, I have just spent a happy half hour revisiting posts there, so many familiar names, Coops, Claire, 5-element, Bugsy, even me (before login problems force me to reinvent myself).

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29 minutes ago, betise said:

Oh my, I have just spent a happy half hour revisiting posts there, so many familiar names, Coops, Claire, 5-element, Bugsy, even me (before login problems force me to reinvent myself).

 

France is a graveyard for Brits.....there is no doubt about that.

Failed dreams and all that.

But I often wonder where they get buried.

UK or France ? ?

 

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4 hours ago, anotherbanana said:

 

How is your kiddy,  by the way?

 

 

He is nearly back to normal....nearly. 

Thanks for asking.

This is about 10-12 days after developing symptoms.

The rest of us was about....7/8 days before feeling normal. But you still feel it in your body. 

He suffered the worse out of all of us. 

There is no doubt about it, Covid is quite awful. 

Covid is NOT a cold, or the flu it is very very different to those types of things. Very difficult to explain.

It affected us all in very different ways. Everyday/hour is different. 

Covid really attacks your body even after 3 jabs. It is like it is trying to find a weakness. 

Stay safe my friends, get jabbed and don't catch it.

I'm telling ya. 

PS...we all still have no taste. 

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18 hours ago, alittlebitfrench said:

 

France is a graveyard for Brits.....there is no doubt about that.

Failed dreams and all that.

But I often wonder where they get buried.

UK or France ? ?

 

Fortunately there are relatively few Brits in this part of the world. I don't know of any. Hope it remains so!! As for failed dreams; not convinced that is true. My impression of so called ex-pats is that very few have decided they will live their lives to the end in France, they might pretend that's the case but many seem to go back when old age beckons and they don't feel secure, usually making the need for contact with grandchildren etc. the excuse! That's probably why you are wondering where they are buried; there aren't any buried in France; they have all gone back to die!!!

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