For those of you that may not know, there was recently a strike of air traffic controllers going on across Europe for some time between January 27th to January 31st. There was an interesting trend in when various countries were going on strike:
Slovakia: On strike for two hours on January 30th.
Hungary: On strike for two hours on January 29th.
Germany: On strike for one hour on January 29th as a show of support only, low impact projected.
Portugal - On strike off and on on January 29th, for a cumulative time of four hours, moderate disruption of travel.
Italy - On strike on January 29th, and briefly again on January 30th. Some delays expected.
France: On strike for the entire duration of January 27th to January 31st. It will cause major travel disruptions across the entire country.
Ah... France.
Showing posts with label la Grève. Show all posts
Showing posts with label la Grève. Show all posts
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Friday, September 30, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Happy Strike Season!
Once again, the strike season has started in France. Sure, other countries have baseball, soccer, or cricket. France has the strike.
In France, striking is about getting the government or an employer to back down on an issue, sure, but there is also the thrill too. Everyone enjoys stopping work and walking like a hoard of zombies through the subway tunnels (because, of course, the metro isn't running) carrying assorted torches and squid.
(I've actually never seen torches, but it wouldn't surprise me. I have seen strikers carrying squid and tossing it around merrily like a hot potato. Not quite sure on the significance of that.)
I'm fairly fortunate - I live close enough to work I can still walk if none of the trains are running. But I've heard horror stories how in Paris, hoards of people try to cram into the 1 train out of 20 that is running that day, and end up falling or getting pushed into the gap between the train and the platform.
Last year though, I was very un-fortunate. There was a three week long strike that was really messing with the French economy. Of course, the trains weren't running. I had to get 1. to Paris 2. across Paris and 3. on my plane to London. I left my house 8 hours ahead of time. I waited for one out of four trains that went to Paris, which stopped at the southernmost station within the city limits. Then I fought the angry mob walking through the tunnels to get out of the metro (since 4 times as many people were on the train, and the train stopped and made everyone get out at the same station, it led to some close encounters with fellow commuters). I ended up taking a privately run bus to the airport. But the streets were packed with people who would have taken the metro if it wasn't shut down. It took me 4 hours to get across Paris. By the time we got to the airport, several people had missed their flight. But I, who expected the worse, got their on time! (I was very lucky the air traffic controllers weren't on strike!!!)
On the way back, though, I had to sit in the rain for four hours in the middle of the night waiting for a train, because, lucky me, the strike was still going on.
Another time, the tram I was on stopped midday and told everyone to get off, leaving me in a part of the city I've never been before. Took a while to get un-lost.
So if you're lucky enough to witness this truly French spectacle, don't let it get to you too much. Just kick back and watch the world as it crumbles around you.
In France, striking is about getting the government or an employer to back down on an issue, sure, but there is also the thrill too. Everyone enjoys stopping work and walking like a hoard of zombies through the subway tunnels (because, of course, the metro isn't running) carrying assorted torches and squid.
(I've actually never seen torches, but it wouldn't surprise me. I have seen strikers carrying squid and tossing it around merrily like a hot potato. Not quite sure on the significance of that.)
Last year though, I was very un-fortunate. There was a three week long strike that was really messing with the French economy. Of course, the trains weren't running. I had to get 1. to Paris 2. across Paris and 3. on my plane to London. I left my house 8 hours ahead of time. I waited for one out of four trains that went to Paris, which stopped at the southernmost station within the city limits. Then I fought the angry mob walking through the tunnels to get out of the metro (since 4 times as many people were on the train, and the train stopped and made everyone get out at the same station, it led to some close encounters with fellow commuters). I ended up taking a privately run bus to the airport. But the streets were packed with people who would have taken the metro if it wasn't shut down. It took me 4 hours to get across Paris. By the time we got to the airport, several people had missed their flight. But I, who expected the worse, got their on time! (I was very lucky the air traffic controllers weren't on strike!!!)
On the way back, though, I had to sit in the rain for four hours in the middle of the night waiting for a train, because, lucky me, the strike was still going on.
Another time, the tram I was on stopped midday and told everyone to get off, leaving me in a part of the city I've never been before. Took a while to get un-lost.
So if you're lucky enough to witness this truly French spectacle, don't let it get to you too much. Just kick back and watch the world as it crumbles around you.
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