The differences between the United States and France

Now that I've been here for more than a year, I am beginning to see some fine differences between the US and France.  I'm not talking about the obvious things (French eat more cheese and drink more wine - Score 1 France), but the more subtle things that really let you know you're not at home.

Buildings here are OLD.  While that means that the house or apartment you are living in is in general noisier, draftier, and has more quirks than in the US (score 1 US) it also means that, on a walk through Paris, you will pass the old homes of queens and kings, see buildings that were designed for use with horses, visit cathedrals built hundreds of years ago that will take your breath away, and be swept away with lasting, amazing architecture.  On a view over Paris the other day, I saw Notre Dame, the Arch de Triomphe, St. Chappelle, the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Couer, Le Magdeline, the Opera, etc etc all in one sweep.  Score 1 France.

At a restaurant, in the US, if you need to use the restroom, you just walk over to it.  In France, you typically have to search it out, then walk down a twisting, steep, dark stairway, to a few open-air urinals and a sink that you operate by stepping on a button on the floor.  Handicapped?  I guess you just have to hold it - I hardly ever see a restaurant in France that had a handicap-accessible bathroom.  Score 1 US

The problem doesn't end there if you are handicapped.  Most metro stations are not friendly for those in wheelchairs... you have to navigate up and down multiple staircases.  If your lugging a suitcase or on crutches, much less in a wheelchair, you are pretty much out of luck.   Score 1 US

Stairwells in France also are typically lit up with a motion-detecting light, or not lit at all, in which case you have to feel along the wall for the exit.  If that happened in the US?  Yeah... someone would get sued.  Score 1 US

But enough of stairs...

How about eating lunch?  In the US, typically I ate lunch in my office, or went out with a few co-workers to a nearby restaurant that served greasy or fatty food.  Maybe, if the weather was nice, I ate outside on a park bench.  In France, there is one option for lunch: the entire lab or office leaves at once to head over to the canteen to eat government subsidized, mostly healthy, dirt-cheap lunch.  Everyone does it.  In fact, there is not even a microwave or oven in my department because they figure - who needs it?  I no longer have to worry about packing lunch, and I get to know my co-workers a lot better!  Score 1 - France

In restaurants in the US, you are spread out over a room the size of a football field, and if you can see the people next to you, it's a big distraction.  In France, thirty people cram into a restaurant the size of a closet, and you are elbow to elbow with complete strangers.  You can always tell the tourists - those are the people who actually try to communicate with the strangers next to them.  I don't necessarily see this as a definite "score" for either country, it's just something to get used to.

And I remember all those evenings when my group of scientist and mathematician friends try their darnedest to compute a 15% tip.  But you don't have to calculate a tip in France!  Score 1 France!

But that means customer service is sometimes lacking.  Sometimes I feel like I have to set off flares to get my waiter's attention.  Sometimes you feel like you won't be served until the Horsemen of the Apocalypse come walking though the door.  And they would have to seat themselves too.  Score 1 US.

Breakfast in the US could be all sorts of things - oatmeal, cereal, eggs, bacon (I miss nice fried bacon!!!) pancakes... in France - it's orange juice, a croissant, and coffee.   This is a tossup who wins this category - I like the variety of the US, but French pastries are really good. 

Hungry while wandering?  In the US, you can stop by a McDonalds for some fries.  In France - stop by a patisserie for an assortment of chocolates, wafers covered in cream, tarts with strawberries, and pastry balls filled with yumminess - score 3 France (this is a huge benefit, as my mom can attest to).

Public transportation is way better in France.  I can get pretty much anywhere, from any neighborhood in Paris to across the country via express train.  I don't have or don't need a car here - I couldn't do that in the US.  Score 1 France.

But then again, that is assuming that a strike isn't going on, in which case, good luck getting anywhere.  Score 1 US.

And driving?  We've only driven a handful of times, but let's just say it's quite an adventure.  Ten lane traffic circles, roads that look more like spaghetti than anything ordered, and road signs that are typically 20 lines or more detailing every possible city you can get to from that point.  Score 1 US (unless you're in LA.  Shiver.)   

How about vacation?  Let's face it, Americans are uptight and work long hours, for maybe 10 days of vacation a year.  The French  have 44.  That's a lot.  With weekends, that's almost 2 months.  Bram and I are using all this glorious vacation to travel, and we'll run out of  money long before we run out of vacation days.  Score 1 France.  (And note: France is still one of the most productive countries in the world, and I'm getting way more research done here than I did in the States.  It just goes to show you that a relaxed mind is a productive mind!)

Then there are a host of little things... you can't by designed stationary here in France - only paper and envelopes in every color conceivable - score 1 US.  There are few places to rent movies (no Netflix either!)  Score 1 US  You have to bring your own bag to the grocery store or buy them there. For the environment - score 1 France.  But you also have to bag your own groceries in France as the cashier does her nails.  Score 1 US. 

And everything is more expensive in France.  How I miss the ease of visiting a Target.   Score 1 US

So that's 11 US, 10 France.  Oh wait, I forgot, I can visit the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame whenever I want... score 1 France.

So which is better?  Perhaps we can, in the words of my grandfather, agree to disagree agreeably.

Loire Valley Part 3: Villandry and Usse

Our next castle we visited was Villandry.

Inside was very impressive and well manicured.  Inside the salon, a piano still sits, covered with pictures of the family that now owns the castle.

The dining room.

I've never seen so much silverware and glassware lined up for use.

 And the kitchen.  Again, how cool would it be to have your own rustic castle kitchen?

And the all - too - flowery bedroom.

What's this?  Mom is lying on the ground taking a picture.  Notice the random guy in the background taking a picture of mom.

This is what she was taking a picture of: the owners of the castle collected art, and this is one of their pieces.  It's a ceiling from a palace in Spain. 

Villandry, however, is probably best known for its gardens.  This is looking down from the castle on the Garden of Love.

Even the vegetable gardens have geometric patterns.  Better than boring ol' rows.

Designer cabbage

Mom and dad from the castle roof.

Overlooking the gardens.

Walking through the Water Garden.

Which is a fine time for it to decide to rain.

Overhead grapes.

Low hanging fruit

 In the rain, we were able to play on the playground!  What fun was that!

The next and last castle we visited was Usse.  Pretty impressive from the outside.

A main hall, with tapestries from Belgium.

The grand staircase.

Looking royal

One thing unique about Usse is that the castle had mannequins in a lot of the rooms, dressed up in period clothing.  I'm not sure how I felt about the mannequins.  Some of them were interesting to see, for it was neat to see what type of clothing was worn in the days of the castle. 

 

But some of them were downright creepy.  Like the ones in the caves (where wine was stored).  They looked like they had been drinking all day.

Nothing scarier than drunk mannequins.

Escaping the drunk mannequins, we made our way out into the gardens.

The chapel on the castle grounds.

The stables.

And you could even get a ride on one, led by a drunk mannequin!

 Looking back one last time at the castle.

Loire Valley Part 2: Rivau and Brézé

Our next stop was the castle of Rivau, which is much more like a typical castle of the Middle Ages.  It was built in the 13th century, and looked like a true castle...

... complete with a drawbridge!

The doorway beckoned us into the castle and up the spiral stone staircase.

Inside, we found several hunting trophies, including one of a dragon!

So they did exist!  And were hunted by knights!

Another beautiful rustic castle dining room.

Another room was filled with musical instruments from around the world!  We had fun going from instrument to instrument to try to make some nice sounding music.

Of course, my favorite was the gong.

And my husband quite enjoyed the drum.

Outside, the garden was filled with several items straight out of a fairy tale.

Shrinking juice

Bram saves Mom from the mouth of the dragon.

Make this picture larger to see Mom yelling for help!

Another labyrinth!  I truly did get turned around in this one!

From the lookout tower over the labyrinth.

The next castle we visited was Brézé. 

The moat was extraordinarily deep! 

The scary little bridge we crossed to get to the castle.

The neatest thing about the castle was an extensive underground tunnel system, used for protection and defense.  When the castle was attacked, people could hide in the tunnels, and place boards in a criss cross pattern through the tunnels, significantly slowing down their attackers.

The only problem was the roof began to fall as soon as we entered the tunnels!

Push!

Narrow passageways.

The largest underground bakery in France.  I guess there's a record for everything.

The underground wine storage.

NOT the largest in France.

The bridge again.  See how tall it is by noting the people standing near the bottom.

The pigeonry.  A pigeon for every hole, and a pigeon for every location messages were delivered to.  Reminds me of the owlery of Harry Potter.

 

While I was there, I was named queen.  I have very loyal subjects.