Les Reflets

Conduissent en Europe/Driving in Europe

I was surprised how easily I adapted to driving in Europe, especially with a vehicle much larger than I normally drive.  Once I got used to its size I stopped scaring Bev by driving to too close to the kerb or more commonly parked cars. 

The Italian drivers were remarkably polite for the most part.  Occasionally someone would do something slightly dangerous but generally they were more predictable than New Zealand drivers and seemed less angry.  The major exception was in Turin where horn parping seemed to be mandatory despite the fact that it had nil impact on the flow of the traffic.

The country roads and some around the towns we went into were in a very poor state, perhaps reflecting a country that is broke with no money to spend on the infrastructure.  There were potholes everywhere and broken tarmac.  While the autostrada was better than the French autoroutes, they were not as smooth and seemed to have had little money expended on them.  One thing the Italians do very well is tunnels. It seemed that if there was a hill to go through they would.  I have never been through as many tunnels as we did on the Italian side of the Alps.  In contrast the French seemed to avoid creating a tunnel unless they really had to.  The French roads were in good repair  - even the smallest country roads. 

Les contrastes de richesses/Contrasts in wealth

There was a marked contrast in wealth between the three countries we visited.  In both Switzerland and France there was evidence of public infrastructure expenditure while generally Italy there seemed to be little.  The country roads in Italy for instance were full of potholes or the tarmac was breaking up.    Turin in particular seemed grimy with graffiti everywhere despite the magnificent buildings that I would have thought would be respected and if not the buildings cleaned up.

Switzerland is very wealthy and it is really apparent in terms the quality of the trains, the general pride that the population seems to have in the environment and the great infrastructure.  The railway system seemed to me be superb – frequent and fast. 

Les deux visages de France/The two faces of France

As a visitor to France I have a very positive view of the French people.  They are generally polite and helpful.  For instance, on one occasion when I was reading a map in order to orientate myself , a  man who overheard my discussion with Bev, asked if he could help (in English).  It was much appreciated despite the fact I did not need his assistance. 

So it was interesting to get a view from our Saumur hosts, Colin and Myriam, who live in France but originate from other countries. They told us that despite living there for years they are still treated as outsiders.  Colin is fluent in French having studied there and has his own business.   They told us how difficult it is for any immigrants to be part of the French society.  You not only have to speak French fluently but you also have to have the correct accent to be considered truly French. They said that it was no wonder some of the immigrants feel so angry and alienated from the society general.  They said there does not seem to be a way being both French and keeping your heritage in a meaningful way.  You are either French or you are not.  They were very passionate about the state of affairs. They also talked about the inefficient bureaucracy, the indulgent social security system and the high unemployment amongst the youth with the impending problems that it is going to bring.  Dany (our host in Sancerre), who is French, spoke about immigrants and was clearly intolerant of the cultural differences.  It was not in overtly racist manner rather an inability to comprehend how people might think differently to the French.  It was very odd from my point of view.

Both also talked about a medical system which is very good but with medical personnel who are more impersonal; they don’t discuss what they are going to do or get permission to do things that are potentially intrusive. 

The social security system is very generous.  If you are made redundant or lose your job you receive payment that is equivalent to the salary you had whether you earned the minimum wage or were a big earner – you got what you had been getting when employed.  Retirement benefits are generous.  They said that drivers on the trains retire at 50 despite there being no physical reason as to why. This is based as far as they could tell on an historical precedent when driving trains was very physically demanding and by 50 you were likely to be physically spent. 

Despite this they said there was a way of life that was good. 

Vin et la nourriture/Wine and Food

I hope I speak for Bev, that some of the best things have been the food, the wine and the cycling.   Piemonte was a complete surprise to me.  The food was delicious and the wine so much better than I expected.  It is very different to New Zealand and Australian wine and really made to drink with food.  Andrea said that we would be hard-pressed to find a really bad wine from Piemonte and I have to say whether the wine was five euro or 10 euro it was well made and great to drink.  The more expensive wine was just a bit more complex and interesting to drink. 

In France we tried wines from three different regions; Savoie which was ok but nothing great, Burgundy which are more savoury.  I really got to like the pinot noir from Savigny – a complete surprise, and it was a bit cheaper than the more illustrious wines from the Côtes de Nuits.  We tried quite a few Loire wines – Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre which were so different to the New Zealand model.  Some are fresh and very acid with not much fruit interest but the better ones we had from Henri Bourgois were five and six years old and had a different sort of fruit interest.  Even the Pinot Noir from him was ok, I thought the Clos Henri from NZ at the same price was better.  We tried both Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc from the Anjou which is where Saumur is located.  We really liked it.  I have not drunk a lot of either but each was superb and reasonably priced. 

Bev and I really enjoyed the cheese.  Both the Italian and French cheeses were very tasty.  The highlight on the cheese front for me was an Italian soft blue that we got in Zurich.  Another one I really enjoyed was Beaufort which we got in Saumur.  But overall they were much better than the cheeses we get in New Zealand.  I think New Zealand cheese makers try to make too many different kinds rather than perfecting a regional cheese that reflects what the French would call terroir.  The French and Italian cheese are about half the price we pay in New Zealand for them and even when exchange rates are taken into account even our average cheese is more expensive than there counterparts in France.

Faire du velo/Cycling

I really enjoyed the cycling.  It felt safe to ride on the roads in France.  Drivers were generally patient and courteous which is very different to New Zealand and Australia.  While there are lots of cars around there are also lots of cyclists of all ages riding bikes of all types.  Around the areas we were, we saw lots of commuter bikes.  In Paris cyclists are much better catered for than when I was last there.  Cycleways and cycle lanes are everywhere!  The cycling was quite easy compared to Wellington but if you are inland a bit from the Loire you could expect to do a bit of climbing and descending.  It was not as flat as I expected. 

The question I always ask myself is whether we did we do all that we wanted to do.  I don’t think we could have done much more.  It was both relaxing and exhilarating.  I loved being faced with the day to day problems which arise when in a new country and finding that by and large they could generally be resolved.  There are a few things we would have liked to have squeezed in such as going to the Palais de Versailles and to spending more time at Chateau de Chenonceau. 

Le fin

Finally, it seems more expensive than when we were last there despite the claims of deflation occurring.  In France some things were about the same price on an exchange rate basis and some things were the same price but once converted from Euro to NZ dollars made them about 40% more expensive. Eating out was quite expensive – with mains about 10-20% more expensive.