 |
 |
|
 Jeff Steiner's Americans in France.Resource for people that would like to live or travel in France. |
||
|
||
NewsletterDecember 2013
Seasons Greetings/Joyeuse Fêtes from Americans in France!
Mont Sainte Odile Yesterday & Today
This image of Mont Sainte Odile is a mix of a postcard from 1921 and a photo from 2013. The photo was taken during my recent visit to Alsace. Where among other things I found the Château de Hell (not to be confused with the Château de Ham) Mont Sainte Odile offers a great view of the Plaine d'Alsace as does the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg.
Les Promenades Photo
If you go to Chamonix, and Chamonix is a must for any traveler to the Alps, you have to go on a walk with Teresa Kaufman. Teresa does photographic walks - with or without a camera, of Chamonix and the surrounding area. You'll see parts of Chamonix that most tourists never have the opportunity to discover. In one walk I'm dying to go on, you'll visit the kitchen of a Michelin starred restaurant, meet the chef and see what he's cooking. Then you'll walk in the center of Chamonix visiting little-known neighborhoods off the beaten-track. You'll then head back to the restaurant and eat what the chef was cooking (walk starts in February). This is just an example of the many types of walks Teresa does.
I'm not the only one who finds Teresa's walks captivating, she was the winner for France in the 2013 Alps Awards. See a video presentation of her walks. If you're interested in going on one of Teresa's walks, say Jeff Steiner sent you and get a 10% discount on the basic photo walk fee (not including meals) of €20.
Legendary Sea Monsters' Bread
I had a request for the Kraken recipe. The bread my local bakery sells that shares the same name as legendary sea monsters. Well the recipe, like the sea monsters is difficult to come by. But I was able to find the ingredients here.
Hanging Out
Last month I had the opportunity to talk with Paul Shawcross about his Nice & Beyond app for iOS and Android. This is Paul's third app and it's every bit as good as his first two about Dordogne and Provence.
I also did a Google Hangout with 'Megeve' Mike Beaudet, an independent ski instructor in Megeve Mike's a great instructor, he taught me as an adult! For more information he can be contacted through his web site.
Black Sunday
In American the debate is how early Black Friday should start or even if it should become Black Thursday. France is having a similar debate about stores being open on Sundays and to a lesser degree how late stores should be able to stay open during the week. Currenly most stores are, by law closed on Sundays and weekday closing times are normally before 9pm. Typical hours of a supermarket are 8:30-7pm, with many in the countryside closing during lunch. Though lunch-hour closing seems to be falling out of favor.
This can be a bit of a culture shock at first for those coming from a country like the US where stores are open seven days a week many into the night, if not open 24 hours a day. It means you need to plan your shopping so you don't run out of anything important on Sunday (like diapers) and that most shopping centers are ghost towns on Sunday. There are exceptions to the no shops open on Sundays, with some supermarkets able to open on Sunday morning. In tourist areas you can find shops open and of course bakeries are open on Sundays and always seem to be jammed with shoppers. There are also areas around Paris and Marseille where stores have an exception to work on Sundays and some even violate the law by remaining open on Sundays.
A 'Do it Yourself' store in the Paris area was ordered not to open on Sundays as it was doing. This after a court case brought by a competitor. You'll also find stores open late on the Champs-Élysées. But one store was recently ordered to close at 9pm and not at midnight as it was doing. This after a court case brought by a union.
Now there is a debate in France as to whether stores should be allowed to open on Sundays and/or open late into the night. The debate centers on the extra income workers earn (pay is generally higher on Sunday) vs. having one day a week where most don't work and can spend time with their family. This issue seems to come up every few years, with no major change. The government is studying the issue, with a commission headed by La Poste ex-president Jean-Paul Bailly. Bailly really shouldn't have much to do as he headed a similar commission in 2007 on the same subject.
|
Sign-up for the FREE Americans in France newsletter! |
|
|
|