This is the second of two articles that argues for prioritizing bikes instead of cars. The first gave six reasons biking is better than driving. This article will describe 9 small adoptable policy/community actions we can introduce to upend society’s nasty transportation default.
Overall, French child-raising seems more civilized than the American model that Druckerman describes, that being the “helicopter parent.” I don’t fully recognize it from my childhood. But if that is what mainstream American child raising is nowadays, the French method is way less fatiguing for parents and results in better-behaved, happier children.
We were lucky. The week we chose was one of unseasonal warmth (20 degrees!) and dryness near Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
We set out on daily hikes, easy ones from a guidebook called “Les Sentiers d’Emilie” that we found in our Airbnb. I was generally in charge of choosing the destination. I aimed for those of around 3-4 hours and enough of an elevation gain that we would feel challenged.
…to the south we had a scene of savage magnificence, well becoming Tierra del Fuego. There was a degree of mysterious grandeur in mountain behind mountain, with the deep intervening valleys, all covered by one thick, dusky mass of forest. The atmosphere, likewise, in this climate, where gale succeeds gale, with rain, hail, and sleet, seems blacker than anywhere else. In the Straight of Magellan, looking due southward from Port Famine, the distant channels between the mountains appeared in their gloominess to lead beyond the confines of this world.
I’ve seen that having a car accident abroad, or breaking down in a place where you don’t speak the language, can be very very difficult.
I’ve first-hand knowledge of people getting stuck on the side of the highway for hours. I’ve seen cars stuck in foreign countries for months. And I’ve seen parking fees mount up to 1000€ (to be paid by the car owner, naturally.)
Here’s how you can prepare yourself.
Ithaca, NY is best known for its connection with Cornell University. Aside from that connection, it is a typical small to mid-sized upstate New York city with a large student population (relative to permanent residents.) It also has a reputation for being politically liberal – though as a former resident I wonder if that reputation is really merited.
This is the second of three articles covering some of the differences I’ve noticed after three years living in France.
What I’ve listed below are slightly more profound (and less immediately evident) differences than those mentioned in my first article: Culture Shock! 19 Observations from Living in France
A Carte Resto is a prepaid debit card that can be used to buy food. It is supposed to make it more affordable for employees to buy their lunches while away from home.
I love this workplace perk!
It’s the easiest workplace benefit to appreciate daily.
This is the first of three articles covering some of the differences I’ve noticed after three years living in France. What I’ve listed below are some of the most obvious differences though they are far from the most significant.