The French Through My Eye




We have had hundreds of encounters with French people on this trip and in EVERY instance they have been warm, friendly, and engaging. This is not just waiters looking for a tip. Whether it was firemen inviting us in to see their rigs, merchant’s not taking advantage of our unfamiliarity with the currency, or a hundred instances large and small.

It has been interesting to see another political system that is very different from ours. It is socialism lite. The system works very well and there are a lot of advantages that it offers. The most startling observation is that I find myself constantly bombarded at home with ‘free market’ and pro- globalization propaganda, anti union, anti minimum wage, and yada- yada. Well the truth is that all of these things are alive and well here and their country is marching along and the sky is not falling in as I have been told it would.

It is just another political system with strengths and weaknesses. Its like football, there are a lot of ways to play; some people like ball control and others a bombs away approach. Pick your poison.

Civil service seems to be a bit more dynamic and doable here than at home. The government medical system seems like a dream compared to our near bankrupt health care system. The streets are clean, homeless almost non-existent, public transit a real viable network, and I could go on.

Obviously the other side of the ledger has its problems: prices that are very high (Sam Walton where are you?), taxes through the roof (Grover Norquist where are you?), and a financial system far from dynamic and agile (Alan Greenspan where are you?).

The French lifestyle is one of strong family bonds, communal interaction, and an enjoyment of the daily rituals of life they find meaningful. These rituals usually treasure quality over quantity. Own one good suit not four cheap ones, one demitasse of espresso not 3 cups of drip coffee, and one quality mistress not 5 one night stands.

Travel always expands and personalizes, it brings into sharper focus people we think we know but realize we had only known what we had been told by others. In the final analysis travel tells us more about ourselves and how we think and believe than it tells us about others. The voyage of discovery is really a trip within ourselves. But still, those croissants were stunning.