October 10, 2009

Lets see, it is now October 10th. The last time you heard from us was about two weeks ago. Not bad.

Today’s most exciting news is that Bob found a photo club through a 3,000 student university program for adults called UTT, University Tiers Temps, which is affiliated with the University of Montpellier (UMP III) where we took our language classes last year (UMP I is the law and medical school, UMP II is science and UMP III is letters). Being a member of UTT allows one to audit classes at UMP III. At this weekly photo club finally he has a place to share ideas and photos as well as outings with other French folks, a perfect place for a shy reserved talented fellow to practice his French as well as his photography.

For my birthday, September 29th, he organized a two-night outing to the Tarn River Valley. Surrounded by a lush green, plenty of rocks and a narrow gorge.

We hiked up a very steep trail from the gorge floor...see that tiny stream way down there?

on a trail called appropriately The End of the World which

ascended to a small village with a church and two or three homes carved out of rock (for the metric impaired the altitude was from 1345 feet to 3058 feet so was a bit on the steep side).

In the 1960’s an 80-year-old woman lived here alone, with only a small but lovely stream for company.

She signaled the need for a family visit by putting an oil lamp in the window.

We visited the nearly caves of Roquefort where their 160 year old oak shelves were empty. Who was to know that Roquefort cheese is aged between December and June when the milk is not needed for feeding the lambs?

Do you know that Bush put a 300% tariff on Roquefort in revenge for the EU rejecting US beef that was untested for mad cow disease?

We stayed in a well-situated comfortable and inexpensive hotel in Millau, a town that is now famous for having the highest vehicular bridge in the world, taller than the Eiffel Tower.

We drove back from Millau to Montpellier across a limestone plateau called a causse looking in vain for a single lamb to provide a living testament to the source of the thousands of tons of cheese, pairs of gloves and tons of meat that flow from this area to the rest of the world. Not one in sight.

The day before our Millau adventure, Bob went on a 90 km bike ride with a MUC, an endurance bike club affiliated with the University. The French bikers actually rode side by side and talked to each other so Bob has hopes that he will find more conviviality with other bikers here than he did in the US where, for the most part, the bikers training for the Paris-Brest-Paris were the strong silent type. The scenery north of Montpellier is absolutely fabulous. You would never know it because this is pretty much the view he got while riding.

Do you see the peak in the following picture? While Bob was on his bike with MUC, in only five hours I was at the top of that peak with 7 French folks followed by

lunch and time to explore St. Gilhem le Desert, a medieval village over 1,000 years old, one of the Beux Villages of France and UNESCO World Heritage site... so clean and well maintained it looks like a Disney creation. (Not a recommendation, by the way.)

Back in Montpellier the day before, the mayor had welcomed us Nouveaux Montpellierians (3,000 a year, about 50 from the US) for a free guided tour, two meals, and an introduction to her 80 major deputies. Most of the newcomers are from France, only 50 or so from the US. She described her very aggressive building program that includes a whole new quarter of town keystoned by a new town hall, and the first of two new trams which will add 19 km to the 35 km already carrying 70,000 people a day.

Keeping up with this growth, the biggest in France, are the property taxes in Montpellier which are also the highest in France.

Did you know that the one out of four French work for the state and like the Japanese the French love their state and support the: civil service jobs as they have the highest prestige, pay, and benefits. In addition the state pays for a lot of services, like health care, universities and childcare. As a result the French pay 50% of their income in taxes, compared to 31% in the US. Source: American-French Foundation, 1989)

US citizens pay for some of these same services out of pocket because we think we want to avoid too much government. Health care, university educations and child care easily increase the "real bill" in the US to more than the 50% that the French pay so it all works out in the end for those who can afford it. Those who cannot receive substand health care and some die an early death as a result, the university graduates have on average a $21,500 ddebt on graduation, and live with their parents because they cannot afford to do otherwise with the high debt and low wages sometines at our minimum wage. Day care which, on average costs twice the minimum wage, presents an additional problem. It is not easy to open a business in France but on the other hand, it is not easy to overextend yourself buying a house, either.

We benefit from this French investment in their public services because we get to participate at no cost in days like the one above and many other "free" offerings. For example, I twice joined 10,000,000 others who have seen the Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s exhibit “The Earth Viewed from the Sky. ” Netflicks has this to say about the 2009 movie “Home” based on this exhibit:

“Award-winning photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand directs this breathtaking ode to planet Earth, an aerial voyage that captures the interdependence of the world's ecosystems -- and the bruises left behind by human indifference. From the agricultural revolution to our ever-increasing reliance on oil, narrator Glenn Close examines the changes that have wreaked havoc on our home, urging viewers to preserve the Earth's remaining natural treasures.”

If the film even begins to capture the exhibit, I recommend it highly.

Thanks for your interest in these ramblings...