AP is a proud British national. If you come to England, he will gladly show you around this tiny isle and he’s well versed in factoids of history and geography so that he could easily compete with any tour guide.
He loves the English countryside and village life. He is very proud of Wimbledon, the BBC and the NHS. And he loves the character of the British people: Reserved, self effacing, creative, and upbeat in the face of disaster.
And so you will understand AP’s shock and dare-I-say pain when he heard me tell my cousin that the best thing about living in England was that it is close to France.
“WHA?! Wha?!” he stammered. “I cannot Be-lieve you said that!”
It’s not that I don’t appreciate England. One time I got teary when I saw the rocky coast of Devon.
But France is all like:
Plus they speak French. And cook with butter.
And in parts of the country they close up their shops at mid-day and go home to have a long lunch and a nap.
I am very happy there.
And guess where I’m going tomorrow?
Dragonlane Artisan Jewellery 
Oh, redrokit knows just what you mean, living here in Michigan with exciting neighboring places to visit. Like Ohio. Indiana. Oh…never mind. Have a wonderful trip Rockyann.
Very funny. I hear Sandusky is lovely in the spring. But really…you DO have Lake Superior and that fantastic Michigan coastline. It’s Go-geous.
Yay rockyann!!! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
Thanks Joyce. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. My friend and I planned this trip way back in February when it was horrible and grey.
Hello, from a new commenter here. This is just so funny and one of the nicest reasons I’ve been following your posts. I love it: “And cook with butter.” Priceless. It’s also funny to hear my home state of OH discussed. My husband couldn’t stop laughing when he heard about the pumpkin chuckin’ contests in Chillicothe, OH.
Thanks for your comment and I’m glad you introduced yourself. A fellow Midwesterner!
I’ve never been to England, so I can’t compare. I have been to Paris though. Pretty nice except for the Parisians. I assume the rest of France has nicer folks in it.
Yes. I think people tend to be rude in big cities and friendlier in less populated areas. I actually only had one bad experience in Paris though.
I hear you! I’ve never been to France, although I do live on the border of Quebec and speak enough French to get by. I’ve been to England many, many times and while I love it, I am always at risk of BOLTING at Heathrow for the RyanAir desk (or simply take the chunnel, right). My British husband would be equally aghast if I said I thought being close to France was one of the UK’s assets!
I hope to go one day! (to France. Shhhh)
Ooh! You’re going tomorrow?! Is it lavender season? SIGH. Bon Voyage!
Ah tres Bon! Hope that you are having a lovely time. We are in Italy, flying back on Tuesday. Great post by the way! Xx