What I learned in France

Scott and I spent a week in glorious France, starting our trip in Paris, driving through Provence and finishing along the Riviera. It was a wonderful week and it was fun to see other areas of France besides just Paris.

This is what I learned while I was there:

French women don't eat. This is actually a hypothesis I've had for some time and I test it out each time I visit France. So far, I haven't found one instance that refutes this statement and I chalk it up to caffeine and cigarettes. Both of these are appetite suppressants and both of these are the only things close to eating I've seen French women do. This, I believe, is their secret. I've seen plenty of women in France eat; they just aren't French.

55% of Philip Morris sales must come from France. Everyone in France smokes and they all smoke Marlboros. We saw a few 14 year olds smoking, too. This supports my argument above.

You can spot an American a mile away. It doesn't matter how they are dressed, you just know they are American. I can't figure it out...someone can look French on the outside -wearing the right clothes and shoes - and even be speaking French. But you just know they are American (confirmed when they switch to English). I don't know if it's in the way we talk or in the way we walk, but Americans are easy to spot.

France has a roadway hierarchy: Mopeds, people, cars. With mopeds being on top. They can squeeze between traffic, cut you off, run over a person. It doesn't matter. They are the supreme being.

France is beautiful in the fall. The weather was gorgeous. The vineyards were blazing. The wine was tasty. I can't imagine a better time to visit an already beautiful country.