I was in France for a few days last week so my reflections are very French and contain rather too much food!
- French bread eaten in France needs no butter to be delicious!
- Nationalities are different but we all have ‘job’s worths’. We got to the Shuttle early and we’re given the choice of catching an earlier train. This we took only to find that because of the hold-ups at passport control which seemed to consist of several groups of gendarmes checking over one car, we had missed the train. When we inquired to a yellow-jacketed lady that we had been given the choice and that there were still 10 minutes before the train was due to leave, she just shrugged her shoulders! Oh for one of those Olympic Games Makers!
- Eclairs in France taste completely different to those in England!
- Traffic lights are strange beasts. The roads in the French countryside are very long and straight, often with little traffic on them. We happened across a set of lights that were protecting a small junction. We waited and waited. We commented that ‘these lights are a long time’. Hubby noticed that the traffic coming in the opposite direction did not seem to be regulated in the same way. Suddenly, a Frenchman appeared at my window and gesticulated amid a flurry of french that we had to move to the line in order for the lights to be activated! That would explain the queue behind us then!
- I’m happy to eat a croissant walking down the road in France but would not dream of doing it in England!
- The river Seine is deeper than you think. We crossed the river at a narrow point using one of those old fashioned ferries that feels as though there are ropes and a couple of men either side of the river. Imagine our surprise when a few minutes into the crossing we stopped for a HUGE oil tanker to pass by! It made my day to see what they mean when they talk of a ‘working river’.
- Watching the world go by is one of the best ways to relax!
- Sunshine really adds something to a holiday!
For many, it may well have been a ‘return to work’ week. Was yours one of those or a holiday week like mine?
Julia's Place 
I love to see vessels moving on water, especially barges bludgeoning their way down European rivers. However, a huge oil tanker passing close by must have been a fantastic sight. I am envious. I hope you got a photo of it. Best wishes.
Hi John! It waas huge and yes we did get a photo. will pop it up somewhere when we get the various cameras sorted!
Thanks. I’m looking forward to seeing it.
interesting post…I liked all your little observations. Please keep them coming as you come across more.
Some of our local traffic lights are action activated….We know when a non local is at the head of the line♫♪
If one were eating some French bread and inadvertently wandered across the border in to Belgium, would the bread suddenly require butter, do you think? Or is it’s French origin a licence in perpetuity to go unbuttered? Maybe this is one for Mythbusters!
Your interesting observations are feeding my desire to return …