Bushtrekker
Guest
With only 7 days before we leave for France I've been bringing myself up to speed on French driving laws. Although I've driven in France before without incident I'd forgotten things such as prioritie a droit, which allows people on side roads right of way, meaning you have to be on the look out for people shooting out of side roads. I also can't remember having to take the log book last time, which I don't carry in this country as it proves ownership and could be difficult if it and the vehicle are stolen at the same time. Reading all the posts on various forums about English drivers being stopped and checked on the roads out of Calais are enough to put people off going, especially the on the spot fines for doing practically anything. I find driving stressful enough these days, but on the plus side France is a joy to drive in, as long as you avoid the cities, so it's not all bad and there is the benefit of sun and scenery.
There are linguistic problems of course and a language in which one word means cider and another, similar sounding word means gonorrhea, can present problems:shag: Then there is the male and female bit, how can an inanimate object be male or female? I tend to replace Un and Une with a sort of genderless grunt which a fluent French speaking friend who spends half the year there tells me the French hate. She also told me that French officials are told to pretend not to understand or speak English when they are actually fluent, in all official dealing with us.
This may make me sound like a Francophobe which I'm not, but I do think the French have selective memory, forgetting our contribution to saving their country from German domination and still being pissed off with us for Agincourt, Crecy and for beating Napoleon Bonaparte.
If the jetstream hadn't moved I wouldn't be having all these problems, as I would be staying in this Country, so blame my ramblings on the weather, not the French...better not mention Trafalgar
There are linguistic problems of course and a language in which one word means cider and another, similar sounding word means gonorrhea, can present problems:shag: Then there is the male and female bit, how can an inanimate object be male or female? I tend to replace Un and Une with a sort of genderless grunt which a fluent French speaking friend who spends half the year there tells me the French hate. She also told me that French officials are told to pretend not to understand or speak English when they are actually fluent, in all official dealing with us.
This may make me sound like a Francophobe which I'm not, but I do think the French have selective memory, forgetting our contribution to saving their country from German domination and still being pissed off with us for Agincourt, Crecy and for beating Napoleon Bonaparte.
If the jetstream hadn't moved I wouldn't be having all these problems, as I would be staying in this Country, so blame my ramblings on the weather, not the French...better not mention Trafalgar