When comparing our lives here in the south of France to our lives in San Francisco & New York, it's no surprise that there are many major differences, but sometimes it's the little differences that we notice.
Maybe it's just the town where we live (Pézenas, in the Hérault, Languedoc-Rousillon), but it's very common to hear people whistling as they walk down the street. I can't remember the last time I heard anyone in the U.S. whistle. Maybe it's just easier to hear when there isn't constant noise from traffic, & I'm sure the sound bounces off the old stone buildings, but I don't think that's the reason. I think it's just that whistling is a forgotten art in the U.S. (& likely elsewhere as well). Hearing someone whistling a tune as they go about their daily activities brings a smile to my face.
French kids seem to have a different approach to playing -- they actually interact with one another, run, kick a soccer ball, laugh, etc. American kids seem glued to their TV/computer/video games/electronic devices or are reliant on organized activities & have lost the art of pure play. It's quite common to see very young (3 or 4 years old) children riding a 2-wheel bike without training wheels. I can't imagine an American parent even thinking of allowing that. In fact, I'm sure they don't even make 2-wheel bikes that small in the States. It's pretty rare to see anyone -- adult or child -- wearing a helmet while riding a bike, & there are definitely no laws requiring them.
Speaking of youngsters, most American parents wean their tykes off the pacifiers (dummy or soother to you Brits) at a fairly young age -- not here. Seeing a child of around 5 or 6 with a Nuk in his mouth would be considered strange in the US, but not in France. I wonder what it does to the way their front teeth come in.
......and then there's the dog poo. Sigh...... I cannot fathom why people who are otherwise clean, sometimes fastidious, allow their pooches to leave little "gifts" whenever & wherever they please. Hasn't anyone heard of picking up after their dog? The worst was when I was leaving the house one day, & just as I was about to put my foot down I noticed (just in time!) that some pooch had left a gift for us, smack-dab at the bottom of our front step. Ugh!! If you're not going to clean up, please do not allow Fifi or Fido to poop right in someone's doorway. People around here probably think I'm rude or highly introverted because when I walk I generally look down hoping to spot every pile of poop before my foot finds it. A friend sent me this image & it's so true!
Vive la différence?
What little differences have you noticed?
We know that when we think of the south of France we think of palm trees, warm weather & outdoor cafés. Well, not at the moment. There are still palm trees here, but the cold weather that is hitting the rest of Europe has hit us here as well. Temperatures have dropped very low for the past week, sometimes nearly hitting the teens -- not counting wind chill. It's 9:30 pm, & according to weather.com the temperature in Pézenas is 24°F, but feels like 10°, & no doubt it will continue to drop as the night progresses...& this isn't even the coldest day this week. The mistral winds are blowing fiercely, adding to the discomfort. This wouldn't be quite so bad if we were living in a house that was well insulated & had central heat. The reality is that the house is stone & was built in the 1640s (think of the 3 Musketeers), has tile floors & windows that don't completely seal. Life these days means wearing multiple layers all the time, & we're beginning to resemble the Michelin Man. We can't wait for this weather to end!!
Speaking of cafés, now that smoking is banned in all indoor public areas, people who smoke continue to sit outdoors at cafés so they can smoke. They must either be made of strong stuff or they are truly addicted. We watch them to make sure they still move & haven't turned into human popsicles.
Having lived in the SF Bay Area for 30 years, we've become a climate wimp, even having grown up in NYC. Even the shores of Lake Ontario, where Holly went to college & which gets upward of 300 inches of snow each year, is without snow this year. Go figure. Weather is strange all over the world.
For the first time in living memory, Lake Geneva is frozen solid, & the Black Sea (it's salt water) is 2/3 frozen for the first time anyone can document. Rome had the worst snowstorm in more than 20 years & the Pope has opened part of the Vatican for the homeless. The Vistula River in Warsaw is nearly completely frozen, & the homeless & poor all over Europe are dying like flies.
Of course, living in the largest wine-producing region in France -- if not all of Europe -- we worry about the effect this weather will have on the grapes. We haven't heard anything mentioned around here about adverse effects of frost, but time will tell.
