Fun French Facts

-France is roughly the same size as Texas.

 -Only trailing Russia and the Ukraine, France is the 3rd largest European country in terms of land.

 -It is customary to put your hazards on when traffic slows down on the highway to alert those behind you (wish I could of invented something for that purpose, ummmm...brake lights).

-There are reports of between 500-1,000 types of cheese in France ( and sometimes I still have to go to two different stores to find Cheddar for tacos).

-Besides tourist restaurants and fast food joints, most kitchens are closed from 3-7, serving only drinks.

-You bag your own groceries at the grocery store (and while some try to hurry to keep the line moving, others seem oblivious to that notion).

-In order to get a cart for the grocery store, you have to unlock one (outside) from another by inserting either a euro in the slot or using a free 'jeton' from the store (cuts back on the random grocery carts miles away from the store).

-McDonald's, referred to as MacDo, is very popular. True story, a few years ago one of Shaun's teammates closed a nightclub down with some others and when he asked where they were off to next, the overwhelming response was 'MacDo'. Not knowing what that was, he followed everyone to what he thought was another club but instead found himself in the land of fluorescent lighting, Big Macs and Mc Flurrys.  

-Incoming phone calls and texts on cell phones do not count as minutes used, only outgoing calls and texts do (yeah, you heard that right Sprint and AT&T).

-With 75 million tourists yearly, France is the most visited country in the world.

-The oldest bridge in Paris is called Pont Neuf.  Pont Neuf means 'new bridge' (it makes a cameo in The Bourne Identity for all you who have never seen it in person).

-There are 17 verb tenses in French. There are 12 in English (I am trying to justify my 'not so perfect' French).

-French and English are the only languages taught in every country in the world.

-The French language has more than 1,000,000 words and every year, 20,000 more are added (still trying to justify).

-There is a 5 year term for presidency in France with only a 2 term maximum....and from what I've read, it seems like Sarkozy and his 2-inch heel lifts are in for a battle if he chooses to run.

-French toast is not french but that doesn't stop us from making it almost every weekend (use brioche, it is much better than regular bread).

-Baguettes here do not have preservatives in them, which makes them unbelievably good and also a weapon if not eaten with 6 hours of purchasing.

-Rumor has it, the 'croissant' did not originate in France, but in Austria.

-And lastly, if you refer to July 14th as Bastille day, the French will have no idea what you are talking about. They only know it as Fete Nationale and ...our wedding anniversary :)

Now, I am pretty confident in all these facts above so I will state my sources: my friends, our own eyeballs, old men at bars, old drunk men at bars, eavesdropped conversations, the Internet, our neighbor, Shaun's coach, the bum on the corner......