Observations on Regional France

As our trip in our ‘home on wheels’ winds down, I thought I would put down random thoughts. Some of this will be repeat that already written, some things I forgot. It will be totally random and definitely not chronological.

Like Australia, the country is hurting. They await rain, the country is dry. They await funds. They are the bread, legumes and fruite basket of France.
Again like Australia (and New Zealand), there seem to be a lot of properties for sale in rural towns. The young don’t want to farm and the cities are more enticing.
Paddocks are generally not fenced.
Farming occurs wherever there is a piece of land. If there is a forest and a small piece of land near the road, then it is planted.
Same in any wine district- we have seen three rows of vines 50m long and then alongside a large field, all looking like it belongs together.
Inundation is used in some areas (like Mendoza in Argentina)
Unlike Australia, there is a refreshing patriotism. As a country they support their sporting teams and revel in their victories. Flags abound, not huge ones necessarily. One today atop a hay stack. Remember the painted cow.
The winemakers (in Pauillac anyway) welcome late rain.
roundabouts: Rond de Point: there’s not too many places where these aren’t happening sooner than later. They appear on 110km

roads as a means of allowing people on and off, ie 110 for 3 km, Rond de Point, another 3 or more km - this can be in what we might think is the middle of absolutely nowhere. Often they occur as an ingress into commercial/industrial areas.
Rond de PointS are often themed locally, showing what the town has to offer, and some are grand.
the road numbering system has me bewildered and I’m yet to investigate. N or D roads can be numbered low to high but I haven’t had the feel that a D975 might be a lesser road necessarily than N75.
Wind turbines- these seem to multiply: I thought there were a lot the last time we travelled ... puts us to shame. And fields of solar panels. Farmers with panels on their roofs of barns.
Campgrounds have been terrific: good services, clean, great staff. Somewhere between 16 - 40 Euro per night. Seasonal and location. Showers are excellent, plenty of hot water, timed so you have to keep pressing, but the hot water doesn’t run cold. Look after Càmping cars with disposal. Always a washing machine and dryer, tokens or coins. Vary from 2.5E each.
Aires are good, without toilets and showers though. Generally power for each van, water and disposal point.
Oleanders - we hadn’t noticed previously. Also hydrangeas.
Many Japanese style gardens, more in the south.
Bonsai treatment of trees seems popular. We’ve seen several olive trees done this way.
Every small village has a ‘coiffure’ and often a funerelier, no matter how small. There may be no other shops.
Very few Boulangerie have coffee.
Some villages might have a Boulangerie, coiffure and no other shops.
LeClerc and Intermarche appear most places, Carrefour and Auchan more in the north and east, Lidl appears randomly as does Aldi, and there are some others, including Super U (no doubt owned by one of

them). And these appear in ‘the middle of nowhere’ and are in some cases (most) huge, selling everything you can think of - a couple we saw even washing machines. Some have a limited selection of fresh milk, and it seems people are happy with UHT.
Supermarkets often have a Gas Station and sell gas bottles. Some also have car washes, both automatic, semi auto and do it yourself.
A lot of travelling-camping French, German and English couples - more families before holidays, now it is the oldies. Dutch and Belgium people but not so many.
Churches, at least one, in every village - and not small. Icons/crosses in the middle of paddocks, on road intersections.
We are paying about 1.40/l for diesel.
Grand Frais is our favourite store. Fresh food, only some biscuits, oats, muesli, grains. Meat, all kinds, fish, shellfish etc. fresh fruit and veg in great quantities and all varieties and many locations. Cheese, every kind, fresh. All the milk products.
Most towns have lots of flowers in pots, hanging or along the roadside. Very colourful and making the most of the summer.
Belgium couple we met said they had had less snow over the past few years.
At the entrance to many towns a sign will say how many pedestrian crossings there are.
80km is the new limit on two lane roads, unless marked to 70.
Roman roads - long straight roads built by clever engineers.
Hotel de Ville (not a ‘hotel’) - the Department headquarters are quite often grand. Mairie- the local government- are the poor relation: how strange.
Book exchanges are found all over, in strange places: at the beach, at a bus stop, in a disused phone booth.
Beautiful clips of a woman’s head for shutters
French People have been exceptionally lovely. They are polite, helpful even when they might not understand what we want.

Convoye Agricole - on the road
Having amazing conversations with French people: they try, I try, we get there. I love it. I would like to speak and understand more.
Rural people hate Mr Macron - and Paris.
Vegetable gardens abound. Often see storage houses for winter - store in sawdust.
France is clean, and people appear proud of their places. We have seen rubbish about twice, in larger places. It surprised.
In villages and cities there is no garbage collection. People take responsibility and have to take their rubbish and recycling to central places - rubbish, glass, plastic, paper/cardboard. There are occasional metal frames with a plastic ‘insert’ for street rubbish but not home rubbish.
Contrails - clear and maybe cooler atmosphere- skies means the contrails are clear. Sometimes a dozen. And they dissolve into what looks like clouds.
Graffiti seems more in the south, we saw none in the north.
No burka or chador - banned in 2014. Not even many headscarves.
Going through villages, or walking around them - you could be thinking they are deserted, however it is that they internalise more. And sometimes the houses, and therefore the windows, are right on the street - they are probably open at the back. I pogo adjust your thinking to a different way of life.
In industrial complexes there is often a restaurant - we lucked on one (so far). 3-4 courses for 13.50 E: at the table there is a bottle of wine, a bottle of still and a bottle of sparkling water, and if you don’t want the wine that is there you can have something else (ie you don’t want red there is Rose or white). take your entre plate and ... a selection of pates, terrines, salads, quarter avocado, pickles etc. then the waitress comes for your main course order (blackboard) - tripe, steak, hamburger, a cottage pie type meal ..., and would you like salad. Not small meals. Then ... cheese? An entre size plate comes with a selection of Camembert, chèvre, Gouda/ementhal and you can take what you want. Forgot to say the basket of bread is there too. And then she comes back and offers you dessert - mousse, ice cream, a caramel cake (yum). And if you want coffee you have that in the bar where you pay. This is lunch, and they have 2 hours. I’m not sure I could do it - mainly men.