French Road Signs

The French love their road signs, they have over 400 different signs. Most of the signs are designed as variations or simple copies of other European signs and are intended to cut across language barriers. The speed limit sign is a red circle with a number in the center. When the speed limit zone ends the sign is a round white sign with a slash across the number. There are no signs posting the speed limit when you are not in one of the speed limit zones. You're supposed to know the speed limit when it is not posted. On two lane roads the limit is 90 kph except when it is raining, in which case it is 80 kph. On roads with a median it is 110 kph or 100 kph when wet. On highways it is 130 kph or 110 kph when raining. The speed limit is 50 kph in town. In case you forget these rules of the road, there are cameras that will take your picture and send you an expensive reminder in the mail (a ticket).

Some of the signs are pretty cute, like the little train and the car dancing on the slick road.

And then there are signs that really grab your attention, like the two above.

Some of the signs are very quaint, like the watch out for horse drawn wagons. I have never personally seen a horse drawn wagon on the open road, but there must be some out there somewhere, they have their own sign.

There are also temporary signs, to let you know there is an accident ahead. Just like anywhere else in the world, when there is an accident, everything comes to a stop, especially on the narrow roads over here.

The "do not enter" sign has got to be France's most popular sign. They are everywhere, since there are so many one way streets and they are a favorite target of street artists.

The Thief

The Bird

The Bar

Other signs get targeted as well:the Smile

 And just one more road sign to emphasize the importance of keeping your eyes on the road, and always heeding all motorway signs, because you never know when the road might end.

France in a Day

There is a park just outside of Paris and features over one hundred famous landmarks. The park is composed of twelve acres that have been sculptured to represent the shape of France with the landmarks situated in their approximate locations.

We walked through the Alps, across the Loire Valley, from chateau to chateau. Peered down on cathedrals and abbeys, thoroughly enjoying a unique view of France and many of the attractions we had already visited in person. We also began a list of things to see.

The detail in many of the models was incredible. Many of the villages that were depicted had tiny people sitting in cafes or tending their gardens. Miniature trains and cars ran through the park, people water skied, wind surfed, hang glided, and fished, all in miniature to give the park a dynamic feel.
There was also a pic-nick area and a few rides for young and old alike. And of course a restaurant and cafe to help maintain your stamina on your journey across France.

You can watch a video of our day on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=KOCWTTnJkf8

Fly Assassin

  How long can a fly stay airborne? This is not just a random thought, it actually has a source of inspiration and a practical application, at least more so than many of my truly random musings.  I’m chasing a fly around the house with a cute little pink flyswatter that my wife bought. It’s cute, but it doesn’t do the job worth a damn. It’s too flimsy and catches too much air, making it slow to swing and wobbly to aim, but it’s cute. 

  Thus my interest in how long can a fly fly? I know they can’t fly indefinitely; they have to get tired, run out of steam. I chase him from one corner of the room to the next, into the kitchen, into the living room, following the buzz and the glimpses of a small black blur. He’s fast. If I can’t hit him, maybe I can chase him to death, make him keep flying until he crashes out of exhaustion.  I can just picture him losing control, weaving back and forth as he screams towards the floor, then crashing, sliding, tumbling and finally winding up as a twitching black wreck on the rusty tile floor.

I know flies live about two weeks and can survive for three days without food, but I don’t know what their aerial endurance is. This one may be average or he may be the marathon champion among flies. I’ve been chasing him all over the downstairs, always swatting at him as he tries to land and sending him back into the air. I’m hot on his heels. I’ve even launched mid-air attacks on him, always without contact, but it spurs him on. I continue the pursuit.

  Then a horrible, terrifying thought springs forth from my memory. Monarch butterflies travel from the northern USA to Mexico each year. One hell of a flight, granted a nonstop flight it is not, but still they cover miles and miles each day of their migration. I can’t be chasing this fly for mile after mile inside my house. That could take hours. I need a new plan, a better strategy, something devious. I stop chasing him and use my superior intellect, I walk over to the window and with a mischievous grin, I open it. I remember something else about insects, birds love to eat insects, a bird can eat his own weight in insects each day. So I open the window, walk around the room waving my cute little pink fly swatter and sure enough he flies out into the world of vicious insectivores. I smile as I listen to the birds singing in the trees outside, then close the window, another triumph for man, the dominate species of planet Earth. 

Carrouges

Alencon government building. Alice liked the skinny girl statue on the right. 

"I want to be that skinny," was her first comment.

Today we had a lot of errands to do and spent the first part of the day in Alencon, which is the seat of the local government here and that's where we go for any official business. I'm constantly amazed at how friendly and helpful all the government employees have been here. I'd heard no end of horror stories about dealing with the French government, but our experience has been fantastic.

Gatehouse to the Carrouges Chateau

On the way back to Bagnoles we stopped off in Carrouges to check out the 14th century chateau there.

 

Chateau surrounded by moat.

We only had time to walk around the grounds, but we will definitely be back to spend the day and tour the inside of the castle and the gardens.

One of the bronze sculptures on the grounds between the gatehouse and the chateau.

Alice is always making friends.

Tour de France 100

Alice and I went to Laval to see the twelfth stage in the Tour de France. It was a great experience. We parked a few blocks away and followed the crowd of people as they lined up along the street waiting for the cyclists. The riders had left an hour and a half earlier and were still going strong as they whizzed through the town.

The overall leader in the race is in the yellow t-shirt.

Chris Froome of Britain riding for team Sky was in control as he passed by surrounded by his black jersey and blue helmet team mates. He is in the center of the picture above. The German rider, Marcel Kittel, would take the day's win when they arrived in Tours 4hours and 49 minutes after a 135 mile race.
It was cool being there to see the one hundredth Tour de France and following it on French TV. It will wrap up with a final stage of the race that ends in Paris on the 21st of July. And yes there's even an app for that.

Toilet Paper Rolls

Since we've moved to France we have discovered many differences in U.S. products and French made products. One of the funniest and remarkably enough, hardest to rationalize is the disposal of toilet paper rolls.

Now it clearly states on the roll that it can be discarded directly into the toilet, and even has a little picture to illustrate it for you. But this is something that I got in trouble for as a kid in the states, and had it drummed into me time and again, "You don't throw things into the toilet!" Especially after my father had to deal with a clogged toilet due to little green army men or toads. So I first put one in a glass of water to see what would happen (always the scientist).

Dropped into glass of water.

Five seconds after being dropped into water.

Ten seconds after being dropped into water.

It dissolves remarkably fast! Now for the actual drop test into a real toilet.

Drop and flush, no problem. But it still feels wrong. Am I gonna get a spanking for this?

Seafood in St. Malo

We took our daughter, Jayna, to the port of St. Malo this week to enjoy the fresh seafood. We ordered an appetizer of scallops followed by the Royal Deluxe plate for two, but it easily filled all three of us. There was lobster, two crabs, a dozen oysters, a pile of whelks, clams, cockles, snails and two kinds of shrimp. It took us two hours of cracking, digging, dipping and munching to finish this amazing and delicious meal. We loved it!

Shopping in Paris

Our daughter, Jayna, came to visit us in France this week and of course the first thing on her agenda was shopping, followed by shopping. So, we went shopping.

 

Whether it's a day of museums or stores, Paris is always a paradise of photo opportunities. So, while the girls went from shop to shop searching for black pants, cute dresses,  darling accessories, and gifts to take back to the states, I snapped pictures of life in Paris. Oh yeah, and carried the bags.

Louis Vuitton took the award for best window display. 

 

Just waiting for friends outside the Musee D'Orsay.

Making money on dreams. 

These guys offer a 20 minute behind the wheel experience for only 89 euros. You get to choose which dream car to drive.

Whether it is a day of shopping, strolling up the Champs Elysees, or just sitting in a sidewalk cafe watching people go by, Paris is always fun.

 

Piano bar not far from the Opera.

We finished off the day drinking beer at a little cafe and admiring the Eiffel Tower as it glittered with the flash of a thousand strobe lights on the hour and glowed golden the other fifty minutes. Of course we weren't the only ones enjoying a night in Paris.

Bayeux War Museum

Saturday we visited the war museum in Bayeux. We originally went to see a movie in the "Version Original," English, but we had misread the guide. OK, I had misread the guide and we showed up on the wrong day. Movies were shown in English only on Monday, so we drove around the town and stumbled upon the war museum. I couldn't pass it up.

U.S. Tank Destroyer, M-10

The museum had an excellent collection of armored vehicles, small arms, and artillery pieces of both the Allies and the German forces. No photographs were allowed inside the museum, so I took only photos of the tanks outside.

Churchill Crocodile, British flame thrower tank.

How do you tighten the treads on a tank? With a really big wrench.

The fire spitting British Crocodile was a unique piece in the museum's collection and I had never seen one up close. It was interesting from many perspectives. The tank had obviously been designed and built in a hurry, with only production numbers as the goal.

German Jagd-Panzer. A tank hunter.

Curiously, the German tank killer was the only military vehicle in the collection with signs of rust on it. One final stab at the Nazi occupiers of WWII?

Waste not, Want not

It's time to go get groceries again, and if you want a large selection of foods and brands, the grocery stores in la Ferté-Macé, the next little town over,  are the place to go. Our little grocery here in Bagnoles is OK for the basics, but the selection is limited and the meat counter is often out of many popular cuts.
I have decided, from looking at the different packaged meat products, that the French don't waste any part of the animal. They eat everything!

Beef tongue is the plate of the day every Thursday in the restaurant in Flers. But you have to hurry, it sells out in the first hour.

Cervelle de veau, brains of veal, is available for only 3.57 euros. What a deal! Heart, kidney, liver, of both pig and beef is always fresh and easy to find in the meat department.

Pig feet and pig heads are great for that weekend cook out with the neighbors. Of course I find it still a little difficult to deal with my food looking back at me, let alone smiling at me.
But don't expect to find frozen corn, it only comes in a can. Nope, haven't seen any on the cob either. Peanut butter? Nada. Cake mixes or premade pie shells? Heaven forbid! Not in France.

Bon appetite!