Driving in France

So I've had the car for almost 2 weeks now, and it's a miracle nobody's died yet. I had been warned about the French and their driving, but nothing could have prepared me for this. I'll break it down by pinpointing the key areas:

1. Their unnecessary speed. I don't know whether it's because I'm driving an old banger and can't really get over 100km/h, but they seem insistant on going as fast as possible and getting as close as possible to my bumper, to remind me I'm not going quick enough. It's a wander their F1 drivers aren't more successful, even after 2 weeks driving here I feel confident for a GP or two.

2. Roundabouts. I have spoken to a few people, french included, about the roundabout etiquette here in France. A definitive answer still evades me. Although there are 'give way' signs, it appears that anything goes at a roundabout. To be safe, I usually stop out of principal before getting onto one, but this also proves problematic as no one behind is expecting to stop. The result is an awkward, kangaroo-jack shuffle onto the roundabout. My advice, have a good look at what's coming up, to allow you to either commit to carrying on, or having enough time to slow down safely.

3. Narrow roads. Perhaps it's just in rural parts of France, but I have noticed that the roads are dangerously narrow. Obviously when they were built, everyone was bombing around in cars no bigger than a Renault Clio, but now that people have started using bigger cars, like the Laguna, Megane, or even the Espace, it's now a very tight fit for two cars to go down some roads. Something which isn't helped by my next point.

4. Lane Usage. Or lack of it. Maybe it's a french way of thinking that they are the only one on the road, that's the only possible explanation I can think of for them driving in the middle of the road. Turn a bend and you will be faced with an oncoming car, at great speed, smack bang in the middle of the road. The only thing you can do is hug the pavement on your side and hope you don't curb it and that the other car pulls over slightly.


All in all, my advice to you if you do find yourself driving in anywhere in France, but the rural south in particular, is stick to your side of the road, anticipate everything, and always expect everyone else to drive terribly.

Apologies to any frenchmen offended by this post.

Thanksgiving

This week, I returned to Agen to celebrate my first Thanksgiving dinner. Having the car meant I didn’t have to go early and sit around in a bar. After just over an hour with some boy racer clung to my rear bumper, I arrived in Agen and took advantage of the minimal parking regulations. My contribution to the meal was “mashed” potato and I say “mashed” because the masher is not a common utensil in France, so a fork had to suffice, so it turned out to be half potato salad have mashed potato. I also managed to track down some parsnips and some crème anglaise, or custard, which turned out to be quite good. Of course a dinner in France would not be complete without a few boxes of rouge. Choosing a wine in a French supermarket is far more complicated than in England, purely because every shop, no matter how small, has an extensive collection of wine. In fact’ any good-sized supermarket actually has a wine “cellar”, meaning someone with my limited knowledge of wine could spend hours choosing. After aimlessly gazing at the bottles, I noticed quite a few people had come and gone with boxes of something or other, so I followed suit. When in Rome etc. Three litres for €11, not bad. Dinner itself was great fun, with my first Pecan Pie, and a few proper french jeunes showing us how it’s done over here. The wine went down well and a good time was had by all. I’m still not entirely sure what Thanksgiving celebrates however. I was told that it’s something to do with the Pilgrims. That’s all I can remember. I blame the rouge, both boxes of it!!

LeClerc's answer to Custard

Explaining the Exodus: Why are so many British players heading to France?

The latest round of Autumn Internationals has re-opened the debate about picking foreign-based players.

Ex-France scrum-half Dmitri Yachvili said in Rugby World that foreign players coming to France is stifling their homegrown talent. It doesn’t seem to have affected the national team however, who went 3 from 3 and played some good rugby, lead superbly by born-again Freddy Michalak, or ‘Michelou’ as he’s known as here.

England left out Steffon Armitage despite his form for Toulon, and his brother Delon, consistently in the Top 14 team of the week, hasn’t even been mentioned. Lee Byrne and Luke Charteris don’t qualify for selection but James Hook does, which is all very confusing. So if moving to France means risking an international career, why do so many players continue to do so? Everyone assumes that the simple answer is money. However, there is so much more to it than that. In Britain, the sports news is dominated by football, the sports coverage favours football, and the football matches get the biggest crowds and the stadiums evenget chosen to host rugby matches over rugby stadiums. In France, it’s completely different. Not only does rugby dominate the sports pages of the daily papers, there are actually entire newspapers devoted to rugby, Midi-Olympique being the biggest, with everything from double page spreads for individual games to local U11 games. Every small village between cities has their own stadium, not a pitch, but a stadium, which will be full every weekend without fail. At the weekends you can watch more rugby on French TV than you can football on Sky Sports. The fact is that in France, the south in particular, “Le rugby est sacré” as some one told me. The players are worshipped like heroes, and even young girls follow the results with some concern. Is this any different to Britain? You can’t question the devotion of rugby fans in the UK, but rugby in France has a little more glamour than back home. Whether it be the cheerleaders and fireworks before kick-off or the prospect of playing in front of 60,000 fans during the regular season, the attractions for home based players to move to France is extensive. Whereas in England or Spain, its not uncommon to see football stars immortalized on giant billboards promoting the latest video game or luxury sports car, in France, the rugby players get the pick of the sponsorship deals. Christophe Dominici, long gone from international rugby, is advertising soft drinks during every half-time break. Serge Blanco has created, and models for a clothing line. It appears that the rugby community in France look after each other, and perhaps the foreign players want to get in on this, perhaps they felt the hostile press at home was unjustly harsh on them and wanted to be appreciated a little more. Well, France is definitely the place to come for that. The reviews and opinions in the press are so comprehensive, you realize that rugby, the game takes priority over everything, and the politics takes a back seat. Something which must be refreshing for British players. Yes, it may mean a lack of talent on the International stage, but it may also mean that the suits in control of rugby back home may finally get there act together and attempt to challenge the French for the pick of the talent. It will be a tough mission though, I saw that Clermont v Toulon match, and besides being a cracking match, the foreign players on display didn’t seem to be bothered by missing out on the Autumn Internationals, and looked as happy as anyone to be playing in such an environment where they can focus on their individual performance, knowing that they will get the praise and publicity that their talents deserve.

It is something that concerns me, as knowing all this, I don’t see much stopping more players coming here, and with the Home Nations performances over the last few weeks being as they were, the Southern Hemisphere may be dominating the international stage for a while.

Ultimas noticias

Tengo que pedir perdona por no haber escrito tanto en español desde hace unos semanas. Las cosas han mejorado mucho porque he comprado un coche. No esta mucho, pero me lleva de A a B. El proceso de comprar un coche aquí en Francia es muy complicado, mucho mas por un extranjero como yo. Había un montón de papeles a firmar pero eso es lo normal en Francia. Pero por fin, tengo un coche, un Clio, el pinacle del automovilismo francés. Con el coche, muchas posibilidades están disponible a mi, como por ejemplo el golf. El 9 de Bouysett esta cerrado por el invierno entonces tenia que volver a Villeneuve-sur-Lot Golf Club. Desafortunadamente, el club estaba lleno de gente, los británicos en particular. No he visto tantos británicos en el mismo lugar desde el inicio de mi tiempo en Francia y me sorprendió un poco. Mientras que vuelvo a casa, conduciendo en el sol de Noviembre, me di cuenta de que la región tiene mucho que atrae la gente del extranjero y que puedo acostumbrarme a la vida aquí.  

Strawberry Milkshake

Le Fish

"Le Fish" chez Le Burger à 6 Pâtes. €7. 7/10

Freedom at last

With the new car, a whole world of opportunities opened up before my eyes. Mainly, I was happy to dust off my golf clubs and take advantage of the November sunshine. After researching all the nearest golf courses, I discovered a 9-hole pitch and putt complex about ten minutes from Fumel, Le 9 du Bouysset. Unfortunately for me, the range was closed, and I didn’t feel like shelling out €20 for a pitch and putt. So I headed back to trusty old Villeneuve-sur-Lot Golf Club, where, I was shocked to discover that I’d have to wait 2 hours for a tee time on a Friday afternoon in late November. So I hit the range in the glorious sunshine, no jumper needed.  As I packed up my things in the car park, which was packed to the rafters, I noticed quite a few British number plates, and even more English conversations taking place. I knew that the area was a popular retirement destination for Brits, but I was amazed to hear more English than French, in a relatively rural and unheralded part of France. Perhaps I’ll befriend them as my golfing buddies and we can moan about the French whilst we whizz round in the buggies (seeing as they’re all north of 60, everyone uses a buggy).

On my way back to Fumel, windows down and sun on my face, I realised why the area is so popular, not only for Brits, but for high-flying city folk also, the countryside is truly stunning. I stopped in a lay-by that doubles up as a viewpoint over the area to soak it all in. 16^th November and as far as eye could see, the land was bathed in sunshine. I could get used to this. 

November sunshine

Dernières Nouvelles

Vous devez me pardonner. Je n’ai pas écrit en français depuis assez longtemps et je me rends compte que je dois essayer d’écrire plus en français et en espagnol aussi. Les choses ont beaucoup amélioré pendant les dernières semaines car j’ai acheté une voiture.  Le procès d’acheter une voiture en France est assez compliqué, plus pour un étranger comme moi. Apres avoir organisé l’assurance, je suis allé au garage pour récupérer ma ‘nouvelle’ voiture. En fait, il a 18 ans, mais c’est un Clio, le pinacle d’automobilisme français. Donc je n’ai aucun soucis.  Avec la voiture, plein d’opportunités sont disponible, le golf, en particulier. J’ai trouvé un petit parcours près de Fumel, Le 9 de Bouysset, mais il est fermé pour l’hiver. Donc, je suis revenu à Villeneuve-sur-Lot Golf Club ou je dois seulement faire du practice car les heures sont toutes réservées. Il y a trop des anglais retraités ici et il paraît que tous jouent au golf ici. J’ai remarqué plus de conversations en anglais qu’en français.  Cependant, en roulant dans le soleil de novembre par la campagne, je me suis rendu compte au raisons pour lesquels assez de monde vient ici pour faire de la retraite, même pendant l’hiver, la région est vraiment belle.