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NewsletterAugust 2003

Heat Wave

France is in the middle of a record heat wave. The last time it was this hot for this long was just after World War II. Where I live in Alsace most days it is over 90 degrees sometimes over more. This mixed in with the drought that France has been experiencing has not made it a very good year for some farmers. Those located in central France are really suffering. Some have had to use their winter stock of hay because their pastures have no grass.

Where have all the tourist gone?

2003 is not shaping up to be a very good year for the French tourism industry. The reasons are many, war in Iraq, Prestige oil spill, overall world economy, other less expensive locations, strikes (see below) etc… The number of tourist visiting France this year will actually decline compared to last year.
The latest blow has been the heat/drought that has caused a number of forest fires in high visited areas, most notably the Var department.

Paris-Plage

Back by popular demand in the heart of Paris is Paris-Plage (Paris Beach). Using over 3000 tons of sand, 300 deckchairs, 240 umbrellas and running along the Seine for 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) the city of lights created its own "beach". There are even beach volleyball courts. This year Paris-Plage runs from July 20th to August 17th.
Last year over 2.3 million people used Paris-Plage, making it such a success that other cities followed Paris's lead in creating city beaches.
Toulouse this summer has Côté Plage running along the Garonne. Somewhat smaller than its Paris counterpart: 2000 tons of sand and 200 meters (1/8 mile) long. The idea is the same and maybe even a little better. Beach volleyball, Ping-Pong and Beach soccer tournaments are planned. Toulouse Côté Plage runs from July 12th to August 24th.

Summer TV

France seems to have two television schedules one for the summer and another for the rest of the year. Most regular programming takes the summer off, as do the French. This summer a few of my favorite shows are Fort Boyard and La carte aux Trésors (Treasure Map), both are game shows that make you think.
Fort Boyard, a real island fort built during the time of Napoleon off the coast of Normandy, is a semi-game show. A team of contestants goes through a set of challenges to find the keys to a lion's den while trying to solve a riddle. This is all done against the clock. The solving of the riddle removes the lions from their den and lets money fall into a cage. The team then tries to take out the money as fast as they can. All done in fun, as the money won goes to a charity the team is playing for. La carte aux Trésors is s similar: it pits two contestants against each other, always a man against a woman. The location changes with each episode. The contestants try to solve a series of enigmas; most times it means trying to find a local artisan or place. What I like most about this show is the aerial views of the French countryside; the contestants at times ride in a helicopter.

Strikes

Event workers took to the streets and either disrupted or totally close down many festivals in France. Their grievance is the agreement some unions signed in relation to their unemployment insurance. The system is different; some would say the best in France as event workers get better benefits. The strike is on auto drive right now with very few strike actions taking place. That of course could change.
The following festivals were never held because of the strike - Avignon, La Rochelle, Radio France-Montpellier, Chalon-sur-Saône Arts Festival and Aix-en-Provence. The cancellation of the festival in Avignon cost the local economy millions of euros. Some hotels and restaurants may close due to the loss of festival income, a large source of revenue. The strike came after the spring protests by workers. Workers were angered by the government's plan to increase the workers years of employment. Now workers must work 40 years in order to secure full retirement benefits.

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