Why is France such a good place to live?

Bretagne Dear Parler Paris Reader, The question is: Why is France such a great place to live? It's the question that must be answered between now and noon today. We have the task of writing a short script for a two-to-three minute video that will be recorded this afternoon at one of Paris' prettiest spots – the Place des Vosges. The script is to tell about life in France, how many years I've lived here and why it's so loveable. It's an interesting exercise to reflect on that question and express it in a way to which you can relate. It was 1979 when I first arrived in France, traveling by car from Brussels while touring Europe with my boyfriend (not-yet-husband). Driving into Paris was an adventure in itself, but not disorderly or complicated as we later discovered driving in Rome. On a street near the Louvre our little Volkswagen had a flat tire that a dog (or maybe even a human) pissed on, making it lots of 'fun' to change. We stayed in an old hotel in the Latin Quarter that had a large bathroom with a bidet that provided lots of jokes. It was August, but it was so cold and rainy that I had to buy a coat. Lots of restaurants were closed for the vacation period and the streets were flooded with tourists. That was our introduction to Paris and France. Still, we wanted to go no further, even though we had many more weeks of traveling Europe in the plans. I can vividly recall picking up an International Herald Tribune and perusing the ads for apartments for rent. The Latin Quarter became home for eight days and Paris stole our hearts. I never wanted to leave. So, what was it that got so quickly under our skins? Maybe it was the sheer beauty of the architecture. Or the soft sexy French language. The stylish fashions in the shop windows and on the wispy little chic “Parisiennes” turned our eyes. The little bistrots smelled yummy when you entered and the food was rich and hearty. Doggy poop littered the sidewalks, but the little perpetrators walked their masters and we found ourselves dining next to one as if he belonged at the table just like us people. The charm oozed out of the pores not only from the city, but from the lush landscape of the countryside we whizzed past in our little excuse for a car. It was France. There just wasn't anything quite like it. England was pure and natural (boiled beef), Holland flat as a pancake, Belgium dull but tasty (mussels in Brussels), Italy wild and anarchistic, Switzerland too pristine for words, Greece bright and blue, but France...France was elegant in every sense of the word. The milk cows grazing on dark green grass in Normandy...the gray stone cottages in the Auvergne...the lavender fields in Provence...the deep blue of the Mediterranean coast...and the opulent villas of the Riviera...it was all France. There was nothing not to love. So, this still doesn't answer the question: Why is France such a great place to live? At the time, it wasn't a life – just a visit to a place with an inexplicable attraction. We wanted to know if it was skin deep or a more profound sentiment, so there was only solution after years of being the perpetual tourists: we had to live in France to find out for ourselves and so we moved here. That was 16.5 years ago and while we had one year in our minds, one year just wasn't enough. Nor was two, nor ten. The exploration is never-ending as it takes a lifetime to get to know La France Profonde and all I have is a half a lifetime in which to do it. Of course, there are many challenges along the way. Life in France isn't 'easy' -- but it's rich and rewarding. The French don't simplify things -- they complicate them. What you see is not what you get -- it's what must be read between the lines that tells the true story. Speaking French is a tongue-twisting exercise for an old dog like me and dealing with the bureaucracy not part of my American heritage. If you're looking for a bargain, France isn't the place where you will find cheap labor (willing servants), but the quality of life is high for every citizen making it a fair trade-off. Monday I'm heading down to the Riviera for sun and surf, the Nice Carnivale and to look at apartments for a new home-away-from-home that will ultimately provide a kind of retirement spot on the Côte d'Azur. It's the antidote to Gray Paree during the long winter season with a more relaxed lifestyle. And yes, it's still very much France. Would I consider leaving France? I can't imagine it. It will take a crowbar to get me out of this place...but I still haven't answered the question, right? Why is France such a great place to live? What's your answer? A la prochaine... Adrian Leeds Editor, Parler Paris Share this article with a friend... Respond to Adrian P.S. The video will be used to add an interactive element to International Living's France Owner's Manual. The Manual is a written guide to living in France published for many years that over the course of the past several years, staff member Schuyler Hoffman and I have edited and to which we have both contributed. To purchase the France Owner's Manual, click here.