Discoveries!

     There is no end to discoveries here.  As you all know, I have visited France dozens upon dozens of times and have come to believe that no matter how many times I've been here, there's always something else to discover or rediscover.  And living here lends itself to many more observations of those things that are different from what I'm used to in the US.  And that makes me happy!  I often think of a quote from Peter Mayles' "A Year in Provence" when they are experiencing the Mistral for the first time.  The Mistral is a nasty bitter wind that blows through the Provence region and is so strong that it "blows the ears off donkeys"!  Anyway, after they wake up one morning to frozen pipes, his wife asks him if this is normal.  His response is "I've no idea.  Isn't it wonderful?"  She gives him a look of unbelief and says, "What's wonderful?"  "That we've no idea what's normal anymore!" he proclaims.  And that, my friends, is exactly how I feel.
     So now I shall share with you (not in any particular order) some things that I have discovered about living in France these past three weeks:
     *There are no screens in France - no screen windows or doors so when you open said windows and doors you are living with nature - literally!  CoCo stays on a long leash when the door is open so that she can go in and out as she pleases.  I was a little slow getting her leash attached yesterday morning and she took off after one of the cats.  Took us all by surprise!
     *Any time and anywhere you shop you must bring your own bags.  If you forget or need more bags for your purchases, you will have to buy a shopping bag.  I now keep a large mesh bag in my purse and and extra one in my car.  But what a great idea!  Really cuts down on those awful plastic bags that end up everywhere and are not recyclable (except in France!)
     *There are parking spaces in the center of every town and village that are marked with blue lines.  That means you must have a permit to park there.  (The ones with white lines are free).  But the fun thing is that for one euro, you can buy a permanent permit that comes with a little clock feature.  When you park you leave your "clock", marked with the time, on your dashboard.  That's all there is to it!  I must say that I have not seen many French people placing those permits when they park.  But as my landlady said, I would probably be the one ticketed if I didn't do it.
    * Last week I mentioned that all shops are closed between 12:30 and 2:30 (or even 3) everyday.  But I forgot to mention that everything is closed all day on Sundays - except bars and restaurants.  There are 24 hour gas stations as long as you have a credit card that they will accept (see last week's blog post!)
     *I have discovered amazon.fr!  Need I say more??!! :-)
     *I have discovered Groupon France!  (I'm on a roll!)
     *I do miss pepperoni on pizzas (they don't have them in Italy either), but I've surprised my self that I don't actually miss Dr Pepper!
     *The cheap wine in grocery stores is better than most expensive wine in liquor stores in the US
     *Coca Cola tastes better here.  I think because it's made with real cane sugar.
     *The ready made ham and cheese crepes that I buy at Carrefour are cheaper and better than any I could make!
     *Navigating French and British TV has been a source of amusement.  The only American programs are at least five years old and some of them much older.  I am enjoying "MASH", "Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman", "Happy Days", and "Columbo" - again.
     *Getting a bank account in another country has its challenges!  I was so appreciative of Hélène going with me to meet with her banking representative.  She was extremely helpful in interpreting vocabulary that I was unfamiliar with and being a good moral support for both me and the bank lady as she tried to figure out what the computer wanted from me.  She said that since the terrorist attacks which began last year, the banks were asking for nationalities of anyone opening  bank account and verification of where their funds were coming from.  She seemed as surprised as I was about some of the things being asked.  But finally, she was able to fill in all the answers to the satisfaction of the "powers that be" and I now have a French bank account - or will have officially once I get my bankcard.  
     *There are a variety of critters around here.  Hawks, sparrows, swallows, magpies, doves and other birds I have not identified yet.  Moles and coipus (yeah, I didn't know what that was either - they're also known as river rats!).  I have yet to see any deer or wild boar although I know they are in this region.  The three cats are learning to keep their distance from CoCo - except that kitten who seems to have no fear!  She makes me laugh and confuses CoCo who doesn't understand why little kitty doesn't run away from her.
     *Speaking of critters, I finally visited a local zoo.  It's about a 90 minute drive from me.  I'm glad that I went to the Zoo African Safari near Toulouse, but I probably won't return.  It was a sad place.  Obviously an older zoo without any financial resources to help it along.  The drive through was good, but the walking visit just made me sad to see the small enclosures and lack of enrichment and stimulating activities for the animals.  I'm sure they do the best they can given their limited funds.
    

The rhinos seemed to like their area

The zebras shared an area with the wildebeasts

The hippos were enjoying a swim

I wasn't sure he was going to let me through the gate!

I love the black panther

And the Arctic Wolves - I saw four in this enclosure

A baby tapir and his momma

The petting farm was fun with miniature goats, sheep and ponies

The seal pool was the best part of the zoo.  I missed the show but they were still really active

     And now it's time for me to watch the Broncos with my nfl gamepass!  Until next week . . . and we'll see what the next bend has in store for me.  Merci!