Bonjour Reader!

Well, the monthly relaunch turned into a few months later. After a few twists and turns in my employment, I’m back! In this issue, we’ll take a quick look at what’s going on with PGB and that pesky ETIAS thing. Then we’ll ponder driving in France.

What's New?

So far, we have a new France Virtuelle, celebrating the summer tourist season from the comfort of home!

And I received a wonderful email from a fan of the podcast suggesting a topic! You know you are finally getting somewhere when strangers email with you ideas. 🙌🏻 And a good one at that! I was intrigued at just Francois I. 👑

Hopefully I can find enough info to turn it into an episode in the nearish future. And share exactly what Francois I was up to. Ok, we all know what Francois I was up to... ;D

Have a topic you would like me to explore? Please drop me a line!

Paris Travel (Non?) News

There has been a lot of buzz (again) about the ETIAS “Visa” program that is planned for launch in 2024.

For starters, it isn’t a visa. Thankfully, as Americans (and Canadians, Brits, Aussies, etc.), we won’t suddenly need to go through the visa gauntlet to see the Eiffel Tower or anywhere else in the Schengen Zone. Whew!

ETIAS was originally announced as a “visa-waiver” program. But now is being more firmly described as a “travel authorization” program for citizens of countries that don’t require French visas. All 1.4 billion of us (!).

Basically, they want everyone to register to enter the Schengen Zone for security purposes. You’ll have to provide your basic details and your passport info and pay a small fee (currently listed as €7). Your info will then be run against security databases to make sure you aren’t a bad actor.

Assuming all is well, you’ll be given your authorization. It is good for 3 years, unless you get a new passport in that time—everything is tied to your passport number.

Will this actually role out in 2024? I’ve seen some speculation that France especially wants to hold off until after the Olympics next summer. Can't blame them!

FYI: I’ve covered ETIAS before on the website (in 2022!), but won’t be covering it again there until there is some actionable news. In the meantime, NPR has a nice summary.

Hopefully when it does go live, it will be easy and painless!

Driving in France

Driving in a foreign country. One where you don’t speak the language. One where you may have to drive with a transmission you haven't driven since college (or is this just me?). One with baffling traffic signs and an entirely different measurement system. Kilometers? Liters? How fast, how far, and how much?!

Terrifying? Maybe. But completely doable, particularly if you are inclined to visit La France Profonde, the D-Day beaches, or even the Loire Valley chateaux.

I would strongly recommend against renting a car, however, if you plan on staying in or near to the large cities. Unless you have nerves of steel and good insurance!

Rules of the Road

For a quick look at some of the driving rules, check out this recent video from Les Frenchies.

Before watching, note their correction about the yellow right-of-way signs. They goofed: if your road has the yellow diamond sign, you are on the “priority” road, until you see a diamond with slashes through it.

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I especially appreciated their advice about insurance. When dealing with foreign companies, foreign rules, and bureaucracy in a foreign language, going simple is the best bet. Yes, you may have coverage through your own policies or credit cards. But do you want the hassle?

Hitting the Road

Yep. Even in the newsletter, I have to share an ART Vision video. He makes driving in Paris look so easy. But an alarming amount of the time I’m uncertain exactly what lane is which. However, it is really cool to see the city in this way, especially at sunset!

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What are your thoughts on driving in France? Have you done it? How did it go? Reply to this email and let me know!

I personally would love to rent a car and explore the Loire Valley and the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region where some of my ancestors are from. And, of course, check out Guedelon castle while I’m there!

I'll need to practice driving my brother’s stick-shift car first, however…

Traffic In The Past

Because this is PGB, of course we need a quick peek at Parisian Traffic of the Past:

This is from the early 1920s, similar to what Hemingway would have experienced. Watch out for the horses!

For a video collection of 1890’s Parisian traffic, check out one of my earliest blog posts!

Trivia

A little more driving trivia: Rick Steves has an easy way to convert kilometers to miles: Take the kilometers, divide in half, and add back 10% of the original. So 100 kph = 60 mph (50 + 10). It’s not a clean conversion (technically, it’s 62.1371 mph) but for quick math as you’re driving, it’s close enough!

Check out more of his tips for navigating by car to get ready for your trip!

Coming Soon

I’m working hard to finish a few podcasts that have been in progress since my last missive. Expect more installments of the Victorian-era travel guide and a look at the history of the Hôtel Dieu, the oldest hospital in Paris!

À bientôt!

Michelle

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