Only at a French petrol pump…
…would you see this offer of buying baguettes. That’s right. Here is a sign offering a free baguette at the supermarket attached to the petrol station I was filling up my car at. Only in France.
Tag: Annecy
Annecy loses 2018 Winter Olympics bid
This is how the green fields of the Paquier area of Annecy could have looked in seven years’ time had they won the 2018 Winter Olympics bid. However, favourite contenders Pyeongchang in South Korea won, leaving the Paquier full of …
Annecy 2018?
With just weeks to go before the decision of who will host the 2018 Winter Olympics is announced, I spotted this graffiti in Annecy. In case you didn’t guess, “NON” in French means “NO” in English, and this sign is right …
Nice Frenchness I take for granted
My mum arrived a few days ago, and I’m enjoying seeing France through her Australian eyes. She’s reminding me of all the great and odd things about France that I’ve become so used to that I barely even notice. The …
Charity work or child labour?
Shopping in Annecy the other day, a child no older than twelve approached me and pushed a clipboard towards me. On the clipboard was a piece of paper to donate to a deafness foundation, complete with the symbol of the …
Nicolas Sarkozy visits La Clusaz
Amongst much fanfare from the schoolkids (the blue flags on the left) and the ski instructors (the red dudes on the right) and the general public (everywhere else), Nicolas Sarkozy visited La Clusaz yesterday. If his entourage had been in …
Driving in France – car signs
For years, I’ve lived in France and been confused about a few signs on cars (and on roads, but we’ll save that for another time). I thought this black and white sign was a graphic version of ‘Baby on Board’ …
France discovers 24/7 shopping
If you run out of bread at lunchtime in my village, you have to wait until 2:30pm when the first bakery reopens after lunch. In fact, retail hours in France are still at the low levels I remember in Australia …
Desperate bid for holiday-makers’ cash?
July and August are the peak months for tourists flocking to Annecy to spend all their tourist money on ice creams, live entertainment, paddle-boats and admission fees. Ponies and bouncy castles will always get the attention of kids whose parents …
Dangle that carrot to shoppers!
I love shopping when the sales are on, and I love that the new stock sits expensively beside the cut-price old stock so that I can prove to myself that I’m getting a bonafide bargain. Sometimes, I stray to the …