Ride With Us Through the South of France 🚗 | REAL-LIFE French Conversation to Boost Your Listening🇫🇷

Want to understand this episode better?
Join us on Patreon for the interactive transcript, exercises, grammar help, bonus episodes… and much more!
👉 https://patreon.com/frenchwithpanache

📺 SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@UCOLOgljD87B7YOekqbLEMPw
LISTEN TO US ON SPOTIFY: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/french-with-panache/
WHO ARE WE : https://frenchwithpanache.com/about-us/
OUR WEBSITE : https://frenchwithpanache.com/

———————–
[FR] 🌞 Au printemps, on est partis sur les petites routes du sud de la France. Pendant un après-midi, on roule, on discute, on s’arrête. On parle des villages qu’on traverse, des couleurs, des odeurs, des rencontres… On s’émerveille devant la végétation, on s’interroge sur les limitations de vitesse et on mentionne même Napoléon. Et que serait un épisode avec nous sans parler de gastronomie ? On a donc décidé de faire une pause chez un producteur local. Bref, un vrai bout de voyage ensemble, et en français.

[EN] 🌞 During Spring, we hit the small roads of southern France. One afternoon, we drive, we talk, we stop. We chat about the villages we pass through, the colors, the scents, the people we meet… We marvel at the vegetation, question the speed limits, and even mention Napoleon. And what would an episode with us be without some talk of food? Of course, we had to stop at a local producer. In short — a real slice of travel, together, and all in French.
———————–

Nathan: Can you put the destination? Violaine: Yes. Nathan: Please. So we’re going to take the D 979 there. D 979. Violaine: We’re going right. Nathan: First right? Violaine: First right. Okay, so there, Nathan, we’re, uh, on a, uh, small Provençal road, right in the middle of Provence, we’re leaving the village of Uzès, perhaps, for those who know it. Nathan: Are we in Provence exactly? Violaine: We’re at the beginning of Provence. Nathan: Yeah. Violaine: At the gates of Provence. Nathan: There we are on a small road, when you say a small road, it’s a National Road, a Departmental Road. That’s what we call it, it’s anything that isn’t a motorway, and well, there we see it in front of us. There are a lot of people from April, I think, on these departmental roads. There’s traffic, there are tailbacks. And now, we’re going to leave the village. We have what? 40 minutes of driving. So we’re going to try to take advantage of this, this journey, these 40 minutes to do this episode. We’re going to talk about that, we’re going to see where it takes us. But yeah, for the departmental road, every time, it’s a pleasure. I love it. Violaine: And why? Nathan: And why? Well, there’s already a roundabout, so we’re going to try to get out. There are people, eh! Violaine: It’s straight ahead. Nathan: It’s straight ahead? Hop! I’ll stop. Yes, actually, well for people who know France a little, you know these roads, they’re very narrow, winding too. They turn a lot. There are quite a few bends. There, to drive 40 minutes, I think we’ll pass through two or three villages. And then, uh, the vegetation, (well) just the landscape, in fact, is rather nice. There are, uh, there are very Mediterranean trees. There are olive trees, for example. There, I see olive trees on the left. And then on the right, where we arrive, there are already vineyards, you see. So it’s already a region of, of, of wine, finally wine-growing. Violaine: Exactly. Nathan: There’s a lot of wine in this region and so already it’s, it’s a postcard in fact, eh. It’s a, it’s a painting. Just for that, I find it pleasant. I don’t know what you think, but… Violaine: Yeah, so it’s true that you said it, it’s not at all practical, it’s not the most practical roads in the sense that it still takes longer to cover the same distance than if you took a motorway, even if there we have no choice, there is no motorway between Uzès and Nîmes, but it’s true that these are roads that have a lot of charm, well already for the landscape as you said and especially when you’re in regions as beautiful as the south of France, but I find that it’s more than the landscape, you can see things that you don’t see on the motorway. You see, there, since a while ago, we’ve been passing in front of small shops, small, small resellers, small wine sellers, who sell their own production. Well, that, on the motorway, you can’t see it, you see. Nathan: And without an intermediary, so what’s more, you have some great deals to be had. It’s cheaper. The bottles of wine were cheaper, obviously, than in the usual shops. Also producers of, of fruits and vegetables, so now, it’s the season for, asparagus. Earlier, it was a woman, an asparagus producer, who was selling them and I noticed that it was a little cheaper than, you know, uh, in the city, which is normal, eh, there’s no intermediary. But I agree, on that, you’re right. Violaine: And also there, well, so there we go to tell you right next to a restaurant and for example if you’re on a, I don’t know, a long trip and you go through national (roads), well you can find restaurants that are already much smaller, you see. Nathan: Yeah. On the other hand, you have to be careful, uh, of something when you drive: the speed limits change all the time. And that, however, compared to the highway, there is a difference. It’s that there, I saw that it was, for example, 70, limited to 70 km/hour. And just after, it goes down to 50 when you arrive in a small village, or even 30. After that, it goes back up to 80. But yeah, there’s quite a bit of charm. The vegetation here, Mediterranean, it’s a lot of olive trees, eh, as I said earlier, but you see, we see there, I think that… rosemary. And, and thyme, so, uh, herbs. Violaine: Aromatic herbs. Nathan: So we closed the window, I’m not going to open it because it’s very windy. We can already smell the scents, you see. We can see, smell all the scents of, rosemary, thyme. Violaine: Well, especially here we pass by a mill, (in) short, a producer of olive oil and soap. So I might as well tell you that if you open the window, you get little scents of lavender, olive oil. (In) short, the postcard kind of thing. Nathan: I’d like to buy some, uh… There’s a product…, actually, there ‘s a juice producer. Someone who makes pressed fruit juices right next door, I think I ‘d say it’s a few kilometers away. I’d like to go buy some fruit juices. I think they’re actually really famous in the region. And I think it’s just a little further there, a few kilometers away. So, uh, there you go. Violaine: I think we’ll drive past. Oh there, look: asparagus, apricots, tomatoes, fruit, seasonal fruit sales. Nathan: And there, on our left, that too, I think is typical of French departmental roads . There’s a whole avenue, let’s say, of, of plane trees, so these trees. When we went to my grandmother’s near Toulouse, in the Toulouse countryside, there are, on each side of the departmental road, in fact, there are these trees, plane trees. Do you know, Violaine, where this tradition, this custom of, of plane trees, there, on the side of the road, on the edge of the roads, comes from? Violaine: Okay… little riddle. Nathan: There you go. Violaine: I have no idea. Is it recent? Nathan: Uh, no, it’s a bit old. Violaine: Okay. Is it because there were a lot of accidents and so they decided to put up plane trees to, I don’t know, prevent people from, from falling into the ravine? Nathan: Well no, because it’s worse, I, I, I find that precisely, well, it’s not me who says it, but plane trees are very, uh, deadly in fact. It’s very dangerous and there are a lot of accidents unfortunately fatal because of plane trees because they are trees that, that are very solid, very hard and so, well, unfortunately if there is a shock, an impact with a car, you see, the car will be destroyed and the tree will not move. So that’s a big problem by the way. And it’s one of the causes of, well, danger in fact of these roads. Violaine: And there we just saw a sign “Strawberries, 50 meters away” since it’s the height of strawberry season. And well we should perhaps have bought them here but we already bought some at the, at the market. Nathan: Yeah. Violaine: But I didn’t answer your riddle, honestly, I have no idea. Nathan: It was Napoleon, uh, 1st, Bonaparte. He’s the one who actually, who created, who built all these departmental roads , eh! He asked for plane trees, those typical trees, well, on the sides of the roads to, precisely to protect themselves from the sun, to protect his armies, whether they were on horseback or on foot, well, from the sun, from the heat and the sun’s rays . But there you go, there are plane trees in the, all over France, you can find plane trees. Violaine: And we go right. Nathan: We go right at the roundabout. Once again, I think what was there? Right now? Violaine: No, no. Nathan: First? Violaine: I don’t know, the first exit. No, well, you’re right, I think it was, no, yeah, it was, it was right there. Nathan: We made a mistake, we made a mistake. So I’m going all the way around the roundabout. We can hear the indicator. That’s the first one, right? Violaine: Yeah, I think so. It’s there. Nathan: We put Waze on. The app for, well, finding our way, GPS. Except it’s taking us down tiny paths. Violaine: And tiny paths with lots of potholes, that’s what they call them. They’re basically holes in the road. Nathan: It’s true that this isn’t even a departmental road or a national road, we’re really on a path. I have the feeling we’ve made a mistake, don’t we? Violaine: Well, I have that feeling too, but go ahead, keep going straight. It’s there, it’ll be there. It’s there. Nathan: Is it there? Oh yeah. Violaine: The farm. Nathan: There’s a little sign. Violaine: Nursery. The wine press! And a dog. Nathan: And a dog welcoming us. Is it open? Violaine: I don’t know. Nathan: We’re going to park. Violaine: Because in fact the shop is really right next to the production site, so right next to the press, where they press the fruit to get juice. Nathan: And I see it’s, uh, yeah, they also make olive oil so we’ll see… Hello! Hello you. How are you? Little dog. Violaine: Oh my angel! You’re so handsome!… Nathan: Hello! Violaine: Hello! Nathan: I’d like to buy some juice from you, is that possible, eh? Violaine: Well, I have, I’m very interested in pomegranate juice. And so you press, (in) fact, olive oil and juice, you do. Producer: I can do everything actually. Violaine: Pomegranate and apricot. Nathan: Yeah. That’s good, so three bottles. Violaine: And I have that too. Producer: So 13.50 euros. Nathan: 13.50 euros. I’ll give you 15. Okay, thanks, eh! Violaine: Goodbye. Nathan: Whoa, it’s blowing! No? Violaine: Oh, well, there it is… Nathan: Wait, hold the bottle. My wallet. It’s true that, they say it’s, what, 15 degrees. I saw the weather forecast earlier, 15 degrees, but it feels like, I think, 5 degrees, right? Violaine: We’re exaggerating a bit, but honestly, with the Mistral, it feels less, you know. Nathan: The Mistral, the southeast wind, eh, from this region. Every time, we get fooled. We see the blue sky, we think it’s fine, it’s going to be nice. It’s going to be hot, then no. Violaine: And then in summer, it’s the same. You think it’s going to be less hot because there’s the wind, and then in fact, it’s very hot, despite the wind. Nathan: Well, there we go, we can go, that guy was really nice, I don’t know what you thought. Violaine: I loved it. Very strong southern accent, but uh, but we love it. Nathan: And actually, I think they’re really nice. Afterwards, he’s a shopkeeper, so obviously he has to sell. He gave us a taste of pomegranate juice, he gave us an apricot juice, so he gave it to us, so we didn’t pay him in the end, even though I insisted, I wanted to pay him but he said, well no, if I offer it to you it means you don’t have to pay. Violaine: And I think that’s what’s really cool about the, the small roads when you’re on a, a journey… it’s the bottles. Nathan: Ah, you can hear the bottles behind, touching, hitting each other. Violaine: Clinking together. The… We broke a bottle. Nathan: I think we broke a bottle in the trunk. Go see. Violaine: Uh, no. Nathan: Maybe you want to put them up front? Violaine: I’ll put them up front, right, with me? Nathan: Yeah. Ah, I had the feeling a bottle broke. Violaine: No. Nathan: No? Violaine: I don’t think so, but… Nathan: Yeah, go ahead, well, come on, we’ll put them up front. And the third one. Ah, I had that feeling, we heard the same noise. Violaine: Me too, but not at all. Nathan: Not at all? Hop! Violaine: I’ll put them there. Nathan: Right in the middle of the road, but anyway, who can we meet? Not many people. Violaine: So, I was saying. Nathan: You were saying. Violaine: No, what I like about small roads, when you, I don’t know, when you do a route, for example, you connect two cities and you go through the small roads, you’re more aware of your route. You know, because when you do, like, I don’t know, Paris-Lyon via the motorway, well, you don’t see anything. So, it’s just the most efficient motorway. And there you go. Whereas when you do, I don’t know, Paris-Lyon by (road) Nationale or (road) Départementale, well you know which village you’re going through, which department you’re going through, and so you’re more aware of your territory. And I think that’s, it’s really, really cool compared to a motorway which, even if it’s more efficient, well it’s, I don’t know, less personal. Nathan: You’re right. I have to be careful because you see, we just, we just crossed a, a cycle path. So, even on the Departmental roads, that’s what I also wanted to say earlier, I was thinking about it, is that there are a lot of bikes. Uh, you can obviously run into a lot of cyclists, right? It’s really a perfect area, in fact, ideal for cycling lovers. Besides, there’s the Tour de France, I think, this year, which passes Violaine right next to here. So, we’re going to the right? Violaine: I have no idea, I didn’t put the GPS on. Nathan: You don’t know? You didn’t put the GPS on. Violaine: I’ll take care of it. Nathan: But yeah, I agree. We’re more aware of the territory. Violaine: But because me, you see, I go, I rarely went through the Departmental roads and the National roads. Did you want to talk? Nathan: No, no, go ahead, go ahead. Violaine: And actually, for a very long time, I was terrible at French geography, you know. I was, you know, when we play games where we remember the departments, where we say the numbers and we guess the department. I’m still really bad at it and I think that maybe it comes from the fact that when I was traveling in France I took the highway and bye, you see, I wasn’t aware of what was next to me or which corner I was passing through. Nathan: Yeah, it’s true that in France each department has its number, let’s say. Here we are in the Gard department so it’s number 30. Hmm… But I love looking, well there you see the license plate right in front of us. Guessing where the person comes from, eh, that’s been a passion since, uh, since childhood. So, uh, yeah. So that’s cool, you see there we see that the person comes from the 13th, so it’s a department right next to Marseille. But, uh, but yeah, no it’s true. You see that house there, just to the left, that we just passed, all stone, we see it everywhere, uh, on the side of the road, and it’s true that you can there, uh, you can take the time in fact to, to really contemplate, to admire, to observe what’s next to your house, you know. And well clearly, if you take the highway, you’re not going to have such beautiful houses. In fact, there, these roads, it doesn’t make you want to drive fast at all. It doesn’t make you want to rush at all. You just want to take your time. You see, I’m barely looking at my screen there, the dashboard, to know how fast we’re going, you see. I don’t pay attention to that and you, you just want to, to be surprised by what, what you have around you, by the landscape. I don’t know what, if you agree, but… Violaine: Oh, but completely. And what’s so cool when you cross different departments, with a departmental road, well you can actually see all the differences there are between the departments, you see. You can see the architecture that changes, even in a very short drive, I don’t know, like 40 minutes. If you go through two departments, well you can see that the houses are different, that the vegetation is different, you see. And I think it’s cool too when you travel, because it, well, allows you to be more aware and to understand a little more how, I don’t know, how it’s organized, how it works and what this part of France looks like, you see, for example. Nathan: Well, it’s simple, right, if you go, If you continue on this road and you go further north, well you’ll see that the color of the stone is totally different, it’s darker, it’s blacker. Here, we’ll say that we’re getting closer to, so it’s white but, pfff, it’s a bit closer to, to orange or, to gold. It’s a bit ochre. Violaine: It’s ochre. Nathan: Yeah, it’s ochre. And uh, and there, on this house, it says brocante. I think it was an old flea market. On these roads, in fact, before, there were quite a few inns and sorts of guest houses where you could, like that, on the road, stop to spend the night, to have dinner. Often, it was like that. We spent the night, we left the next day. I think that, unfortunately, is disappearing, (there) are fewer and fewer of them. I’d like to do that once. Violaine: I’d love to. Nathan: Sleep, uh. Violaine: That’s really slow travel and everything, uh, like, uh, how I like it. Hmmm, very, very cool. Nathan: Another roundabout. Violaine: And… Nathan: Right. Violaine: Right. Nathan: Another village we’re going through, so just, uh, the signs, there, is it 50? No, it’s 30. Violaine: 30. Nathan: There, it’s 30. So, limited to 30. I’m at 40. Every time, I find it ‘s super difficult to slow down, you know, to 30, when just before you were at 80, you know. Violaine: But this is because we’re going right through the middle of a village and village life, eh. So that’s why we have to drive at 30, otherwise it might be a little over the speed limit. Nathan: Well, it’s true that here, if you want to get to your destination quickly, you don’t take the D-road. Because 30, plus there, look, there’s a speed bump, so that’s also typical, eh, here. These slowdowns, these sort of little bumps, they go up, they go down, just so you stop, so you find yourself at 10 an hour. Obviously, it’s for safety, eh, we know that, when we go through villages, but, uh, but it’s true that, well, we take our time here. I think that, look, 25 kilometers, and how much do we do? In 37 minutes. Violaine: In 37 minutes. Nathan: 25 kilometers in 37 minutes, we’re not going fast. But it’s cool and I think it kind of validates this sentence that says that “the most important thing isn’t the destination, it ‘s kind of the journey.” Violaine: Completely. Nathan: Well, that’s the case. Violaine: But, uh, but as I was saying, I rarely took the national and departmental roads, and in favor of the highway, quite simply. And in fact, I remember once when I was going from Lyon to Saint-Raphaël. Saint-Raphaël is in the south of France. Not very far from Cannes, not very far from Nice. Nathan: On the Côte d’Azur? Violaine: Yeah, to give you an idea. And in fact, there was, well, it was Waze, eh, who managed the route, and in fact, there were a lot of traffic jams because the highway that connects Lyon to, to the south of France, is the A7, right? Nathan: Yeah! Violaine: It’s the highway of the sun, as we call it in France, and so, there are always a lot, a lot of people, especially in July, August, and well, that was the time when I was traveling, and so in fact Waze had suggested an alternative route for us. That’s when you actually go through the national roads instead of taking the highway. And besides, you see the signs at the bottom, (in) fact on the side of the road. For example, if you’re in Nîmes and you want to go to Avignon, it says “alternative, go through the departmental road and follow that.” Nathan: That’s true, that’s true. Violaine: You know, they’re yellow signs. And anyway. And so, in fact, they took us along a sublime road called the, um, the Corniche d’Or. And in fact, it passes through the middle of the Esterel massif, which is a sublime massif of ochre stones near Saint Raphaël. And so, in fact, the road, it winds along the, you see, the massif and so you pass right in the middle of the massif. (In) the end it’s sublime and I say to myself well, luckily there were traffic jams and they made us go through there because otherwise with the highway, well, it would have been much less pretty, you see. And I think that’s one of the only memories I have recently where I took a National (road) or a Departmental (road) road. Nathan: Yeah. Violaine: You were, you are more National and Departmental than me. Nathan: Well when I was younger, it’s true that I often took it. Because I went to, well to the south of France or to the center of France and sometimes the highway doesn’t take you everywhere in fact. And I went to villages, I remember that, of a wedding that I had really in a very small village uh, in the center of France, in a lost corner, totally lost. And uh, well I had to, to do, ah, why is he honking at me? Violaine: Because it’s green and we didn’t go through. Nathan: Because there was a light, that’s it, that’s also the case on the departmental roads, there are traffic lights, well, lights, red lights, green lights. In reality, uh, I, what, there were two or three seconds, but the person behind me was a little, a little angry. Anyway, so there, we’re going over a, a river, a river, so we ‘re on a bridge. And yeah, me, so there, I’ve, I’ve taken these, these roads quite a bit, and I have good memories, it’s true, uh, on them. Afterwards, I have to tell you the truth too, Vio, I learned to love them, let’s say, these departmental roads and these national roads. Because, when I was younger, I didn’t really like it. Can you imagine why? Violaine: Yes, oh well, completely! These roads, let’s face it, have bends, lots of bends. So, you can get carsick, you know. Well, motion sickness. Nathan: It twists. It twists all the time. Violaine: Is that why you don’t like it? Nathan: Yeah, that’s why. Violaine: Well, what didn’t you like? Nathan: That’s why. That’s exactly why . Well, look, there’s another big bend. It twists quite a bit, eh, to the left, to the right. I don’t get motion sickness when I’m driving, I’m driving. But if you put me in the back, in the car, in the back, I might immediately get dizzy, I shouldn’t look at my phone, I really have to look into the distance, at the horizon. And when I was little it was even worse, so I really got car sickness, and obviously I was in the back, I wasn’t driving. My father was driving and uh… And it’s true that I think that at the time, I preferred the motorways, you know. And above all, they were faster, we went faster. Violaine: But it’s true that I too, maybe I learned to like them a little. And in fact, I tell you that I don’t have too many memories. But still, you know, when you go to Brittany, you have to, after a while, finish the road on national or departmental roads to get to our destination, so in the village where my grandparents lived. And one of my grandparents’ favorite restaurants is actually located on a, it’s a Departmental road, right? Or a National road. And it’s always a, a process when you go there, because you park in front of the restaurant. There’s the Departmental road which, uh, uh, separates the parking lot from the restaurant. And so you know, it’s always super dangerous to, uh, cross because there has to be no one passing, so that you’re sure to arrive, uh, alive on the other side. Nathan: That’s true, you’re right. Here we’re crossing, uh, another village, there are schools and they often put that on you in villages in France. They put that: “Slow down, schools, children can go and cross.” That’s kind of the black spot of these national and departmental roads in France, is that, I don’t know if you know, but there are a lot of accidents. A third of fatal accidents happen, occur on these roads and not on the motorways, you see. Violaine: Well, I didn’t want to bring us down , but just now, we passed, uh, on the road, there, and there was a cross, uh, with written, uh, Lulu. And a little tear, and a date, you see, of accident, I think, therefore, and of death, consequently. So, yeah, no but it’s super dangerous. And me, my phobia would be driving on a national or a departmental road at night. Nathan: Because in fact, there are, there are only two lanes, in fact, it’s… Violaine: The wrong way. Nathan: The wrong way, that’s it. So for me, there, I only have one lane, and in the other direction, I see a car coming the other way, you see. So obviously, uh… You have to be careful, there’s no protection between the two whereas on the motorway, well often, we have 2 lanes/2 lanes with obviously a safety barrier as they say in the middle. So, the disadvantage of the motorway is that it’s also toll-free, it’s expensive in France, we know it, it’s quite expensive. And that’s why a lot of people say now, in France, today, well, I’d rather lose another hour, but not pay for the motorway and save maybe 20 or 30 euros. Afterwards, as they say, it’s the safety side, you see, when you come across there, you see, motorbikes, bicycles, you also have to go around them a little. Well, when you have a car coming the other way, you have to be a little careful. Violaine: But in reality, I think that in every village, there is, uh, a dramatic story… Nathan: Unfortunately. Violaine: About a group of young people who went out for a night in the next village, to a nightclub, who came home and had a fatal accident. Nathan: Classic. Violaine: It’s true that it’s very common. Nathan: Classic. And you see, look there, the vegetation. We just crossed a village, we just left, when I got honked at by, uh, by the person behind. And there, uh, I find that the vegetation has changed again. Earlier we had vineyards and fields, a few sunflowers, we had olive trees. And now, well, we only have olive trees, I would say, only olive trees. Violaine: There’s a bit of mimosa, these trees with, with yellow flowers, yeah. Nathan: Yeah, it’s all yellow. Here we really call it garrigue, this Mediterranean vegetation. Little shrubs, eh, it’s not very tall. But it feels like, you know, it reminds me, I don’t know if you agree, but we did an episode on it, it reminds me a bit of Ibiza, in Spain. Uh, well, that’s normal, it’s pretty much the same climate. And the restaurant, look to the left there, there’s a restaurant on the side of the road. I haven’t really tried this kind of restaurant, do you think it’s worth it, is it worth it, is it good? Violaine: Honestly, I think there are some that are worth it, but you know, I’m not even sure it’s open. You see, like you were saying, it’s both a restaurant and a room, and, like you were saying, there’s maybe less success than before for this kind of establishment, like a hostel and everything. You saw, it was closed, eh! Afterwards, maybe it was just about the schedules and I’m talking nonsense but… Nathan: Well, it seems like it was bordering on abandonment. Ah… So there, look, I’m right to look at the… Violaine: Oh yeah, control zone. Nathan: Control zone, and I do n’t even know what the limit is. Violaine: It’s 80. Nathan: 80? Violaine: But, um, you know that normally it’s illegal to have that? Because we have Waze that warns us about speed cameras. Nathan: Oh really? Violaine: And it’s completely illegal. Nathan: Really? Violaine: Yeah, really. It’s forbidden to have Waze basically in your car. Nathan: But no? Violaine: I swear. Nathan: But forbidden, uh… Violaine: Well, because in fact, Waze, we, we’re not allowed, It’s, well, it’s normal at the same time, it’s, there are speed cameras, it’s so that people are always at the right speed, you know. Nathan: But is there really a law that prohibits it? Violaine: Oh yes yes! Well, because I’m revising the highway code, and, well, there you go. Nathan: But let’s say that it’s totally, uh, tolerated. Violaine: Oh well, everyone has Waze. Ah, there’s a mini-golf course! Nathan: And all these little olive trees there, there are really mini-olive trees that we’ve planted everywhere, left and right. That also reminds me of, so the south of Spain, Andalusia. When you go through, uh, there are fields like that of olive trees as far as the eye can see. Violaine: No, but the, the region there is a, a big producer of, of olive oil, eh. And I think it’s a special variety of olives, eh. It’s not, uh… I don’t know if it’s the same olives as in Spain, you know, for example. Nathan: Yeah. Do people drive well in France? People are quite careful and… on these roads which are still considered a little dangerous, what do you think? Violaine: Having traveled elsewhere, yes. Honestly, having traveled to Romania in particular, where driving was a little more sporty, I think it’s okay. I think people respect the speed limits quite well. The speed limits, for example, are 80 km/hour. (I)nally, it depends, but… Nathan: Oh yeah, but that’s funny, it’s funny to say because I have a memory. We were in another department a few years ago, and actually, well, it’s at the local level that we decide. That is to say, each department can say whether, for example, on its road, if we drive at 80 or 90, I think they have the choice. Violaine: Ah, I thought it was 80 nationally now and that we had lowered it by 10 km/hour everywhere. Nathan: No, no, actually that’s what’s funny, is that I have an anecdote about that, I was in a small, totally lost department called Aveyron and actually when I went from one department to another, Aveyron to, to Lot, it was funny, once you left the department, they would say to you, well, “thank you for coming to our department.” And then you entered the other department, they would say to you, “well, welcome to this new department.” Once they welcomed you , they would say, well, “here now you can drive faster than in the other department.” That is to say, in the other department it was 80 and now it’s 90. So there ‘s a bit of a political squabble. Basically, uh… There are some who went to 80, from 90 to 80 for road safety, to make people safer. And then there are others who stayed at 90. And there it’s a bit political basically, uh, the freedom to be able to drive, to be able to drive a little faster, etc. So, uh, in fact, you have to each time, and that’s the big difficulty I think. Well, now there are apps like Waze, but you always have to adapt, always look. Oh, can we drive faster here? Because , I’m telling you, you can get checked by the police and get fined just for going 5 or 10 km/hour over the speed limit. Violaine: So yeah, but having driven in other countries, I find it pretty safe, at least here, I don’t feel in danger. But on the other hand, uh, my big shock is the highway. Since we lived for a long time, quite a long time in Spain where the speed limit was 120… 110? Nathan: 120. Violaine: 120 km/hour and in France it’s 130 km/hour but everyone is at 130 km/hour, I think, so it’s really fast on the highway and when I get my license, honestly I think I’ll stay in the right lane and I’ll be at 110 you see. Nathan: Well, that’s what they say, but then we adapt, we get up to speed. Violaine: So yeah, it’s more on the highway. where I find it impressive at 130 km/hour. After, uh, after here for the moment, compared to other countries, it’s okay. And in town, it’s also pretty good. Nathan: I find that people drive pretty well. But there, on these, on these roads that we take, as there’s only one lane, uh, in fact, well, sometimes, you come across a small tractor too. So there you go… Violaine: And, and me, what I like about the, the departmental and national roads, the small roads, is that, you can see life, like, in the villages. I love that. I’m always looking at the houses, if there are people, (in) fact I spy on people actually. But no, I look at life and I think it’s cool to see what life is like in a village, what shops there are, are they closed, are they open, and… Nathan: Ah, there you go, a biker who… So I love that too, the bikes when they overtake you and you move aside a bit, you move to the side, you see. The biker there, he just, he raised his, his leg a little, well, he raised, I don’t even know how you say it, he makes a sign with his, his leg, with his foot and in fact, he stretches his leg to, well, to thank you for moving aside because, well, in front of you, there’s another car coming and then, obviously, he’s in more danger if there’s a small accident than, than us, you know, in the car… But you’re right, in fact, just to pick up on, uh, what you were saying, when you go through a village, you can almost do a sociological analysis… Violaine: Completely! Nathan: Of the state of, even of France, or of the people who live there. Violaine: And often, uh, the villages, but I, I’m not making this up when I say that, they’re still pretty deserted. There’s quite, uh, little life, uh, unless you pass, obviously, through a village that is, uh, hyper-touristy, that lives with tourism and is very dynamic, but honestly, that’s not the majority of, of villages. (In) well, honestly, we know it now, the French live, uh, in urban areas, so, uh, I find that you do your sociological analysis when you pass through the village, but still, you realize that there are many, or at least quite a few, that are abandoned. Nathan: Yeah. In the villages we just passed through, there was life. But now, if you take me to the villages a little further north in France, villages, again, that I’ve been to, that I’ve known, you passed through, you had the bakery closed, the bar, the only bar in the village that was closed. And it was sad, I admit. There, this road… Besides, we’re arriving in the city of Nîmes, so we’re definitely going to stop recording there soon, yeah. But just, I think we have to, we have to recommend these roads because, (there) is an incredible life there. And I think it’s the best way to discover… I almost missed the turn. Violaine: I was inspired by what you were saying, I forgot to warn you. Nathan: But it’s the best way, I think, to really discover the country. So, either come by car, or rent a car and drive a few kilometers on these departmental roads. And there you go, in a few kilometers, you can, you can see everything. You can discover everything. And it’s really worth it, you know. Violaine: No, but completely. And then, well, if you have the time, obviously, do it, (well) really. Uh, I know there are people who don’t always have the time, but if you have the time and you’re there for a long time, give yourself that pleasure and that chance, you know. But also, I find that, beyond that, in…well, you also support all the producers, all the merchants that you’ll meet on the road. And we know that they have to fight, these people, to survive or at least to have, I don’t know, to sell, for example. It creates contact, it’s cool, you know! Nathan: Yeah, you have to get lost in fact, you have to take one and try to get lost. There isn’t necessarily a road, I think, better than the others. Well, the roads there in the south, I think, but I don’t know it, there’s a really nice road, the Wine Route in Alsace. I’ve heard about this road, so why not discover it and then we can give you some feedback on it, eh? Violaine: Then the Corniche d’Or, near Saint-Raphaël, if you’re passing through, which goes through the Esterel. Nathan: Yeah, there are some everywhere too, in the Basque Country, etc. Really, it doesn’t matter, in truth, there’s no better place. Treat yourself. There you go, listen, here we are arriving in the city. It’s less pretty right away, eh, we’ll, we’ll describe it to you. We see a lot more, and that’s normal, tower blocks. More housing, that’s it. Violaine: More shopping malls, so there you go. Nathan: And less vegetation means less green, but that’s how it is, that’s life, and that’s the city! Violaine: We hope you enjoyed this format. Of course, tell us all about it in the comments, and then we’ll see you in two weeks. Ciao!