Day 3242 (Friday) 24th April 2026

This is Saint Tropez.

There was a cruise ship in the bay again this morning and the passengers had a lovely day to visit our glorious little town.

I had a Zoom lesson with Bertran again this morning, I haven’t seen him for over a month so it was good to catch up. After lunch both Huw and I sunbathed for a few hours and it was bliss.

I found this article on random fun facts about France, it’s a little bit long so I’ll post it over two days…

Who’d have known that France runs to so many random fun facts?

Geographically correct fun facts about France 

Let’s start our fun facts in the geography department, where perhaps you didn’t know the following:

France, the hexagon

You might have noticed that France has roughly six sides, so it’ll be no surprise to discover that it’s sometimes called l’Hexagon. And while we’re here, France is the largest country in the European Union and third largest in Europe after Ukraine and European Russia. 

Eight borders 

You might be surprised to discover that this hexagon borders eight countries. Moving clockwise from the north, they are Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain and Andorra.

Bonus European fun fact – they include three of the world’s smallest countries.

D for département 

France is divided into 100 administrative departments, with an average population of 524,144 people. Five of them are in French territories, including the largest in size, French Guiana. The most populated is Nord with around 2.6 million people, and the least, Lozère, with just 77,000. They’re listed alphabetically and assigned two letters, used for postcodes and number plates.

The most time zones in the world 

You might be surprised to discover that France covers 12 different time zones, the most in the world. But just before you write in to tell us that Nantes can’t possibly be 12 hours behind Strasbourg, remember that French territories include Martinique in the Caribbean and French Polynesia.

Most visited tourist destination 

France tops the holiday charts year after year. Its absolute annual record was in 2019 when 90.9 million tourists made a visit. Disneyland Paris is the most popular attraction, with the Louvre and Versailles in second and third place, respectively. So, yes, Paris is easily the most visited city, with some truly iconic sights.

Historically accurate fun facts about France 

Next up, a little history that you might be surprised to discover…

All the way back to Asterisk and Obelisk 

The Gaul tribes founded the first settlements in France and they date back to the Iron Age. These Gaelic speakers were part of Celtic tribes in western Europe. And despite Asterisk and Obelisk’s best efforts, the Romans conquered the lot. Luckily for those of us alive now, they left behind some amazing monuments.

The longer than 100 years 100-year war 

History books don’t always get things right. The so-called 100-year war actually lasted for 116 years when five generations of French and English monarchs fought over the French throne between 1337 and 1453.

Plenty of monarchs but not all long-reigning 

In fact, some French/English monarchs barely warmed the throne. The record for the briefest reign goes to Louis Antoine who ascended the throne in 1830 before abdicating 20 minutes later.

So much more than just Joan of Arc 

Jeanne d’Arc, aka the Maid of Orleans, was not only a plucky fighter. As well as winning a series of battles and dying at the stake for cross-dressing and heresy, Joan of Arc is also a symbol of France and the country’s patron saint.

A quintet of republics

Since the storming of the Bastille in 1789, France has had a bloodied and chequered history. In just under 250 years, there have been three revolutions and five republics. The current one dates from 1958. 

Number plate invention 

Back in 1893, the French decided they needed a way to distinguish one car from another, so they invented number plates. The current form is two letters – three numbers – two letters, and once assigned to a car it cannot be changed. No spending tens of thousands of euros on customised plates in France then.

Foodie fun facts about France 

In a land famed as the world’s top culinary destination, food and drink also come with their fair share of quirky facts.

UNESCO World Heritage status

French food enjoys such prestige that it has held UNESCO World Heritage status since 2010 as intangible cultural heritage. UNESCO highlights the power of French gastronomy to bring people together and strengthen social ties. À table!

So many cheeses 

Even if you tried a different French cheese every single day of the year, you’d still have over 30 left to try by 31 December. France has more than 400 varieties of fromage, 

Don’t put that bread upside down

Or risk serious bad luck since French superstition decrees that a baguette should always be the right way up on the table. According to folklore, bakers in medieval times would leave an upside-down baguette out for executioners to take. Anyone who touched the bread had to mark it with a cross to keep the bad vibe away.

The biggest galaxy of Michelin stars 

France not only invented the accolade but also boasts the most restaurants with the coveted star. In 2023, there were 625 establishments with at least one, well ahead of Japan with ‘just’ 414.

Not quite so gourmet 

Despite that constellation of Michelin stars, France has the highest number of McDonalds in Europe and the fourth highest in the world. That’s roughly one Big Mac outlet for every 47,000 French people.

The rest to come tomorrow.

This was Badger sunbathing this afternoon.