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| Eiffel Tower, 1945 |
By Jamie Douglas
No matter how or where you arrive in France, you are bound to be charmed by the architecture, which ranges from 15th century to ultra modern, the people, and not to forget, the food, which is legendary on this planet. And, of course, there is Paris, where you will find all the cultural activities, museums, and concert halls, the nightlife, the strolling along the Seine hand in hand with your favorite person, Versailles, the Eiffel Tower and so much more. I could spend the next 1000 words listing of all the activities available to the nomadic traveler in this marvelous city, but I will refrain. Do some research and find what is right for you. I recommend just about everything, and strongly advise that you visit Paris in spring/summer, to take advantage of all the wonderful outdoor cultural happenings.
France, being one of the largest countries in the EU, has much more to offer beyond Paris. There are two brilliant ways to explore, but my favorite is by automobile, a method that allows for slow travel, with stops wherever you want to enjoy meals in out-of-the-way country restaurants and stays at small inns that you will not find in the mainstream guidebooks.
If you are traveling by automobile, I strongly recommend the slow routes, off the big highways, as those will take you through the pulsating heart of France, where the 21st century has arrived, but 19th century customs still abound. You will see farmers plowing their fields with horses, ancient houses hidden behind walls of flowering shrubs and gardens, and many chateaus, some of them having been converted into country inns and B&B’s, where you will be warmly welcomed. If you rent a car, get something very economical, perhaps one of those tiny, fuel-sipping, diesel-equipped ones, and make sure you get unlimited mileage. In the car rental department, you normally fare much better with online travel services than walking up to the rental counter at the airport or train station.
The other method is city-to-city on the TGV trains that connect all of France’s major cities as well as some of the smaller ones. You can sip your wine and eat great meals in the restaurant cars while zipping through the French countryside at 200 MPH. There are also slower trains that stop much more often, as every small town has its railway station, which eventually will bring anyone to Paris, the hub of this historic republic.
From France’s Atlantic beaches to the Mediterranean Sea resorts, you are sure to find many a place that you will fall in love with, and the best restaurants, in my humble opinion, are located in the countryside at roadside inns, where your entire meal is prepared from scratch, taking a little longer to get to your table, but also giving you ample opportunity to savor every delicious bite.
One thing you will not encounter as a nomadic traveler is that infamous French superiority and dislike of Americans, while as a tourist, you may encounter that projection of French nationalism, because of the vast difference between the two. Travelers who don’t know where they are going, versus tourist who don’t know where they have been, tend to be more interested in talking with people, rather than talking at them, and this attitude makes all the difference.
Unfortunately for all travelers, Europe is not cheap. Since the inception of the European Union, the integration of rules such as the elimination of farm subsidies has driven the cost of ordinary consumer items way up, and sanitation rules have shut down most of the cottage industries that were producing some of those fine artisan cheeses and sausages along with many other products, victims of over-regulation by the new bureaucrats.
And I feel I must bring this recurring theme back up, the Schengen agreement, limiting your stay to 90 days in the combined area covered by this trans-migratory zone. Only the shadow knows what is in store for it. Common sense (plus a bit of suppressed racism in the EU) make this agreement one that is bound to fail, which on the plus side, could make this kind of slow travel much easier. Stay tuned!
see:
Schengen Zone Update
The Schengen Visa
see:
Schengen Zone Update
The Schengen Visa
Starting with this article, to give you an idea of the cost of living, per suggestion of an influential writer and researcher from the World Bank (Thank you!), I will list the prices of some items in the countries or areas that I am expounding upon. So here are the costs of several items from France’s leading discount store, Carrefour, a sort of Wal Mart from Europe, which is competing with the Arkansas based mega retailer all over the world.
All prices in US Dollars:
Chicken, whole 6.05 per lb
Whole Milk 5.06 per gal
Butter 4.04 per lb
Lettuce 6.72 per lb
Oranges 1.54 per lb
Crab 36.60 per lb
White Rum 98 proof 23.68 per liter
Ice Tea 7.00 per liter
Cereal 8.41 per lb
Coffee 16.81 per lb
Sugar 1.01 per lb
Ordinary Ham 14.13 per lb
Premium Ham 27.21 per lb
Peas (Petit Pois) 4.10 per lb
And lastly, Gasoline, which is hitting new highs every day, currently averaging US$ 8.40 per gallon.
Please bear in mind that all of the grocery prices are current as of May 1, 2011, and there are seasonal adjustments for most of them.
Vive la France, Vive la Vie! Au revoir mes amis et bon voyage. Adieu!
Jamie Douglas
Patagonia
I encourage you to write to me, jamie@expatdailynews.com with any questions or suggestions you may have, and if necessary, we can establish a voice communication via Skype. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel related business. My advice is based on my own experiences, and is free of charge. (Donations accepted). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.
See more expat articles by Jamie at
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I have not spent nearly enough time in France, (there's just so much to see) but I also love Strasbourg, the only city in France that's designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the EU Parliament. Also interesting to learn that there are so many festivals in Paris in the summer.
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