My Very French Vacation

the countryside around Bédoin                                                                   KW

So here are a few observations from my recent visit to France:
    1. The Jack Russell terrier is, without a doubt, the most popular dog there, both in the country and in Paris. They were everywhere!
    2. In case anyone is interested, in Paris, it's all about red lipstick. Interestingly, it can look sophisticated or punk, depending on who's wearing it.
        2a. Gray hair can be chic and beautiful.
    3. Freeway noise barriers are at a slight angle, like this: \—/. For the most part, when the freeway goes over a river or other picturesque area, the barriers are transparent. I did a little research to try to find out why the angle, whether, for example, that had an effect on the barrier's efficacy, but all I could find was one reference to it as a way of mitigating a high barrier's visual effect. For an interesting summary of barrier research, see http://www.dot.ca.gov/newtech/researchreports/reports/2010/ucprc-rp-2010-04.pdf
    4. Roundabouts are a great way to slow traffic down, add interest (via vegetation
and/or artwork on the center island), and allow drivers to easily correct a mistake (if you miss your exit, you can just go around again).
    5. In most of the agricultural fields we saw from the train, borders between them are low hedges, as opposed to barbed-wire fences. Much more picturesque!
    6. There's a lovely little wine, used mostly (from what I could gather) as an aperitif, called Vin Doux Naturel, or Pineau des Charentes. It's light, a bit sweet but not cloyingly so, and very refreshing: http://www.discover-poitou-charentes.com/food-drink/pineau.htm
    7. The last time I was in Paris, in the late '70s, I came away with a not-very-flattering opinion of Parisians in general, which colored my memories of the city. That was changed with this visit. Shopkeepers were friendly and seemed more open and easygoing, as did people on the street. Apparently, there was a campaign in the intervening years, and it seems to have worked. The city is cleaner, too. People are getting better about cleaning up after their Jack Russells, though one still has to look where one's stepping. Smoking is not allowed in the metro and in restaurants and most hotels ~ yay! But, like here, that means that most outdoor restaurant areas are filled with smokers. (A friend and I had to move inside one place because the smoke at our sidewalk table was so bad.)
    8. Strikes are still a frequent reality. Some people look on them with a kind of humorous tolerance (or resignation), while others are obviously frustrated. A taxi driver we asked about the train strike that took place one day in southern France (day and schedule announced ahead of time!) was quite vociferous in his condemnation of the entire situation, meaning the strikes and the reasons for them: "La France maintenant, c'est beeg sheet!" (Those last two words are in English ~ you figure it out!)
    9. The TGV (high-speed train) is fantastic. The food's good, too ~ as is, btw, Air France's (and it came with the ticket).
    10. Vegetarians can manage, but it's not easy!
    11. There was something very freeing for me, as an American tourist, about the beaches. Many women were topless and no one cared. Men and women walked around in swimsuits whether they had perfect bodies or not, whether they were young or not. And no one cared. It was beautiful.