I am glad you are back to doing a little blogging. I have checked in on you from time to time.

Maybe the reason the French have a better transportation system is due in part to the fact that most of the population lives in the metro areas. Of the roughly 65 million French, only 3 to 4 million live in the hinterlands. A public transportation system is cost effective when you have a concentration of people like that. It isn't cost effective in places that are spread out and sparsely populated like regions of the Midwest here in the U.S. Nebraska for instance has a population density of 23 per square mile compared to France's 297 per square mile.

Paris with its 17 public universities has the largest concentration of university students in Europe. So it does not surprise me to learn that the city has a lot of bookstores with many books devoted to philosophy and art. It is a lovely city. We were there many years ago ourselves. The people tend to be snooty and disrespectful though especially the cab drivers.

In case you did not know this, the French spend much more time than Americans sleeping and eating. I suppose this could mean that the French are lazy gluttons who like philosophy and art.
SusieQ | 05.28.09 - 10:16 am | #