Day 113 (Thursday)

Yet another wonderful hot sunny day with a cloudless sky – a never ending summer – bliss. Huw went into the office again today and on Louise’s advice last night has found a new office space next to the bus stop in Promenade des Arts, where the Villefranche bus 81 terminates, and he loved it. You pay by the hour, it has comfortable chairs and a roof terrace – so he has a new office space. I’ve decided to call Louise the Oracle from now on. Got an email from Audre confirming our drinks in Chris’s bar on Saturday night – it’s so exciting to think about the possibility of making French friends.

Today’s research found this…

A history of French facts and society 

·      France’s official name is the French Republic (République Française). It became a republic in 1792 as a result of the French Revolution against centuries of royal rule. The Revolution started with the storming of the Bastille fortress on 14th July 1789, an event that is celebrated every year all over France known as Bastille Day.

·      Today, France still retains 15 territories overseas, including Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion and Mayotte. Back on the mainland, Metropolitan France (including Corsica) is divided into 13 regions and sub-divided into 96 départements. The country’s colonial past is one reason why there are more than five million people of Arab and African descent living in France.

·      France has one of the largest economies in the Eurozone, after Germany. France is one of the largest exporters of luxury goods in the world, with the top four companies Cartier, Chanel, Hermes and Louis Vuitton alone worth billions. France's main exports include aircraft, food, chemicals, industrial machinery, iron and steel, electronics, motor vehicles and pharmaceuticals.

·      Around three quarters of France's 66.4 million population live in urban areas, and Paris, the capital, has some 2.2 million inhabitants alone, with metropolitan Paris home to around 12.4 million people, according to the national statistic office (INSEE). France has the second largest population in Europe after Germany, making up 13% of the European Union. France had Europe's highest birth rate in 2014 according to the OECD, with the average age for women giving birth at around 30 years.

·      Work-life balance in France ranks 12th out of all OECD countries. French workers retire younger than in other OECD countries; in the 2012 report, the average age was 59.7 years for men and 60 for women, compared to the OECD averages of 64.2 and 63.3. People can claim a state pension at 62, which is one of the lowest retirement ages in the world.

And today’s French market is Paris…

1.     Paris – Porte de Vanves

The weekend flea market near the Porte de Vanves metro stop in Paris is one of the very best in France, in terms of size and the eclectic nature of its wares. On Saturday and Sunday (Saturday is perhaps busier) morning, more than 300 vendors set up here until around 1pm (though a small number stay later). Some display their goods attractively on tables, while others simply pile them on blankets on the ground. You can find just about everything here, from the many regions of France as well as elsewhere – not surprising given the international character of Paris. Expect to see paintings, ceramics, silver, art deco, 60s and 70s items, linens, books, militaria, kitchenware, and vintage clothing – among many other collectables - at prices that run the gamut. Not a very scenic spot, this is a market for people keen to buy rather than sightsee.