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Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic EvolutionSM
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Map of France
(Click on map)
France

In October, 2006 we visited Calais, France while touring the United Kingdom and Ireland. 11 Months later I found myself in Chamonix, at the base of Mt. Blanc, about 565 kilometres* (350 miles) southeast of Calais. The small portions of France that I've seen were very enjoyable although it's clear that European socialism and their open borders policy is dragging the continent down...

*The preferred route between Calais and Chamonix is the 900 kilometres (560 miles) of road through Reims, Dijon, and Geneva with a drive time of about 9 hours. All but the last twenty kilometres are on toll motorways. The motorways in France are toll roads called "Autoroutes" where you pay at the "Peage." (My visits were by plane but I hope to bike or dirve between the two someday soon)

 

 

Yellow Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for our trip through England.
Yellow Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for pix of Wales and Scotland.
Yellow Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for our overnighter to Ireland...

(Click on any of this page's "thumbnail" images for a larger view...)

 

Calais:

In the fall of '06 we took a delightful ferry ride over to Calais
from Dover. A little wet that day, in Calais, but well worth the trip!

Ferry to Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Ferry to France
Tami L. Wendell at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Calais
Tami crossing street at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Street crossing
Statue at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Calais, France
Roger J. Wendell at an ATM at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Me at the ATM
Park at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Calais park
American Poster at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Poster
Old townhall belfry at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Old townhall belfry
Old townhall at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Old townhall
Town Centre at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Towne Centre Calais, France
Townahll Memorial at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Memorial
Roundabout at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Roundabout Calais, France
War Memorial at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
War memorial
Casino at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Calais casino
Defense Tower year 1224 at Calais, France - 10-05-2006
Defense Tower circa 1224
Yellow Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for my maritime page and picture of the Calais lighthouse...

 

Chamonix:

In September '07 some climbing friends and I
visited Italy, Germany, France and surrounding
areas for a bit of adventure. One of my other
travel pages has more about the trip but here
are a few photos from our time in France:

Europa - September 2007
Police Municipale
Europa - September 2007
Chamonix
Europa - September 2007
Chamonix
Europa - September 2007
Lost
Europa - September 2007
Chamonix
Europa - September 2007
Chamonix
Europa - September 2007
Mont Blanc (4808 metres)
Europa - September 2007
Hang glider (upper left)
Europa - September 2007
Chamonix
Europa - September 2007
Snow machine

 

France Facts:

France is slightly smaller than Texas and sits between Spain on one side and Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy on the other. At the time of our visit, in 2006, France had a population of 63 million. At 4,807 metres (15,771 ft) Mont Blanc is the highest point in France - nearly 400 metres higher than any place in my home state of Colorado.

After the first and second World Wars France suffered extensive losses to its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, today France is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. France remains a presidential democracy and is made up of 26 administrative divisons (22 metropolitan departments and four overseas regions).

 

Historical Note:

"There is no other way of describing Paris in 1949 than it being the center of the universe. After years of occupation by the Nazis, Paris was finally liberated by the Americans in 1944 and the party never stopped. People were wild, unabashed, liberated both emotionally and artistically."

"The French people embraced Americans with open arms and soon from the ruins and ravages of war came a celebration of life rarely seen in modern times."

- St. John Hunt from his book,
Dorothy (The Murder of E. Howard Hunt's Wife -
Watergate's Darkest Secret) p. 23.

 

Yellow Vest Protests:

French Riots - Fall, 2018 By the second weekend of December, 2018, France had seen four consecutive weekends of demonstrations against fuel tax rises, high living costs and other issues. About 125,000 protesters took to the streets on Saturday, with more than 1,200 taken into custody. Called the "Yellow Vest" protests (due to the personal vehicle safety vests being worn by the demonstrators) French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called the situation "a crisis" for both society and democracy. He stated, "It's a catastrophe for business, it's a catastrophe for our economy." The French capital was particularly badly hit, with windows smashed, cars burned, and shops looted, as 10,000 people took part in demonstrations over the weekend. French President Emmanuel Macron later implemented anti-crisis measures for his country.

 

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List of Recent Terrorist Incidents In France

Sadly, France has been the the target of terrorists in recent years. Hopefully
France, and Europe in general, will start allowing their citizens to arm and
protect themselves against these monsters...

 

 

 

 

 

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Links:

  1. Aconcagua (Argentina)
  2. Africa (Eastern) - Kenya, Tanzania, and my Kilimanjaro climb
  3. Africa (Southern) - Our trip through Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  4. Amazonia
  5. Antarctica
  6. Argentina and Brazil
  7. Australia Main Page
  8. Australia Part Two Page
  9. Bolivia
  10. China
  11. CIA World Factbook on France
  12. Ecuador
  13. Hawai'i
  14. Hiking
  1. India
  2. India Two (overflow)
  3. Ireland
  4. Japan
  5. Mexico
  6. New Zealand
  7. Russia
  8. San Francisco, California
  9. Silk Road
  10. Tibet
  11. Travel
  12. Travel Two
  13. United Kingdom - England
  14. United Kingdom - Wales & Scotland

 

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