La vie en rose – c`est la France!
The beret on the head, the baguette under the arm and walking along the Seine – this is the idyllic and romantic image that many have of the French and France. But are these clichés true?
La Grande Nation between cliché and truth
It’s no secret that French culture is very much associated with pleasure: culinary arts, art and culture, all these topics are celebrated in France in a big way. This also includes the way the working day is organized. Unlike in Germany, the “pause de midi” is sacred. In France, it lasts an average of 50 minutes, usually much longer. In other cultures, the lunch break is often skipped, but this rarely happens to the French. Meals represent a moment of intense communication. Meals are enjoyed with colleagues and friends and are an integral part of the working day.
At the same time, there are many regional differences in what is put on the table at lunchtime. As in other countries, people in the various dependencies, as the regions of France are called, live diversely and therefore eat differently. But they all have one thing in common: dessert is never left out. The Frenchman/ woman likes to eat sweet at the end. A popular dessert, which by the way we Germans also like very much, is the Tarte Tatin, an apple pie on a very thin base. And somehow “tarte” sounds much less caloric than “cake” – what do you think?
Let’s move away from the table setting to a French sport that perfectly stylizes life in France: Playing boules or pétanque while drinking the obligatory pastis. Often a sport of older men of retirement age, who on hot days in the south of France spend the day playing boule under shady trees in a relaxed atmosphere with their friends. This relaxed atmosphere is infectious!
And what about art and culture in the land of the Tricolore?
The cinema culture is high, people like to watch French movies with profundity, go to the theater or to a nice gallery exhibition. And all of this, of course, with a glass of champagne. The chansons of Juliette Creco or Edith Piaf are unforgotten. But there is also a modern and current song culture, which exists completely self-sufficiently next to the charts of the usual American and British. The French market for rap is currently the second largest in the world in terms of sales!
Gastronomy, culture, scenery – all snapshots of a country’s communication. And how does France understand itself linguistically? Unexpectedly, there are many linguistic differences. An estimated 75 regional languages and probably even more regional dialects make up France’s language.
As a direct neighbor to Germany, we have close ties with France. And so the circle closes – Germans are always drawn to the coasts of Brittany and Normandy. To the sophisticated Côte d`Azur or to the capital Paris. And of course also to the valleys of the Loire or to the Champagne, where one connects his stay directly with a delicious wine or champagne tasting.
For us as an event agency, there have been many points of contact with France in recent years. One of our top clients is based in Paris and so we are very often in the capital. In addition, there were some congresses that we were able to plan in Nice and Cannes. Perfect destinations for meetings and events due to their ideal infrastructure and good connections to numerous international airports.