Très bonne année à tous!

Winter Fun

After the hottest year in more than a century, winter arrived in France. 2011 turned out to be even hotter than 2003, known for its summer heat wave that year. 2011 didn’t have a hot summer just a bunch of hotter than normal months that added up to a hot year. Snow was a nice change and welcomed in ski stations.
Just before the snow hit there was storm ‘Joachim’. Joachim brought strong winds and rain. We woke up to our upstairs neighbor’s picnic table in our back yard! Here’s one video of storm Joachim passing through our back yard and then snow the next day.

2012 Presidential Election

The French presidential election is getting into full swing. December saw a number of politicians declare their candidacy. Including 2007 third place finisher François Bayrou and Dominique de Villepin. Villepin is turning into a real thorn in the side of President Nicolas Sarkozy with some scathing attacks on him. Sarkozy and Villepin had met a few times over the previous months and it was possible that Sarkozy had talked Villepin out of running. But that doesn’t seem to have been the case.
If polls are right Villepin doesn’t stand a chance of winning but that might not be his objective. He might be trying to get back at Sarkozy for not supporting Jacques Chirac (Villepin’s mentor) in the 1995 presidential election. Sarkozy supported Édouard Balladur.
Both Sarkozy and Villepin occupy much the same space on the right but just don’t like each other. Villepin might also be trying to build a case for being Prime Minister or getting another post in Sarkozy’s next administration.
France has a two round voting system for president. Meaning that if Villepin were able to get 10% in the first round and then support Sarkozy in the second he could position himself as Sarkozy’s king maker. Villepin problem for now is he’s at about 2-3% in most polls.
Bayrou and Villepin bring the declared candidates to 15. That doesn’t include Sarkozy who hasn’t yet declared his candidacy. Sarkozy probably will declared his candidacy two months before the first round voting held April 22. Of those 15 from 6-10 are expected be able to get the 500 signatures it takes to become an official candidate.
For now all polls show that Sarkozy will have a difficult time getting reelected. Socialist Party candidate François Hollande has been leading Sarkozy over the last few months. Hollande has slipped in recent polls as he has fallen back to earth after the very successful Socialist primary in October. Hollande will possibly fall more as the campaign heats up and Hollande presents his program. No longer being a blank state that voters can project on.

Hugo

Inspired by the movie Hugo about French film pioneer Georges Méliès, I’ve been looking at some old, very old films. Some of the first films ever made. What’s really struck me is how similar those early films are to what you can find on YouTube today.
Take for example the Lumière Brothers. Of the first films they made, none had a story line and are little more than a slice of everyday life, less than a minute long. Similar to much of what is shown on YouTube.
For example the Lumière Brothers first ‘film’ - La Sortie de l'Usine Lumière à Lyon was little more than workers exiting the Lumière’s factory in Lyon. This film could also go down as the first film series in history as three were made.
Another example is the Lumière Brothers Repas de bébé, parents feeding a baby. Ever seen that on YouTube? Another YouTube trait the Lumière Brothers had was making a film and then showing it immediately. Their Débarquement du congrès des photographes à Lyon was filmed one day and shown the next. It was filmed on June 11 1895 and shown on June 12.
Most of the early Lumière Brothers films were made on location. For example the L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat, was made in the South of France. You can watch the ‘remake’ and see if the station has changed in the last 100 years.

Skiing in France

Just a reminder that my good friend, Mike Beaudet, aka Megeve Mike, is ready to help with your skiing needs. Should you be a beginner or advanced, Mike will make skiing even more enjoyable. Mike is based in Megeve very close to the Mont Blanc, for more info see - Ski Pros Megeve.

Mail Box

American Women's Group in Paris: Founded in 1949 as an outgrowth of the pre-war American Women's Club.
After my mention of Thomas Jefferson in Burgundy I had a reader suggest this book about Jefferson's travels in the South of France - Thomas Jefferson's Journey to the South of France.

Soldes d'Hiver 2012

The winter sales (Soldes d'Hiver) in France start in most departments on January 11th and last five weeks depending on the department. For more information see - Winter Sales in France 2012.

Resources for living or traveling in France:

My observations about what’s up in France can be found by following me on Twitter, on the Americans in France facebook page and at Google+.
Check out my app, the Southern Burgundy Explorer and other apps about France.
Citizen services at the American embassy in Paris.
Need an accountant for your taxes? I have a list of accountants that specialize in helping expats.
Looking for the cheapest way to transfer money overseas at the best rate? I work with Currency Online and Smart Currency Exchange so that you can get the most out of your money when it comes to currency exchanges.
If you would like to improve your French, I suggest Fluent French.
Looking to rent a car in France? Try car rental partner AutoEurope.
Need a hotel for your travels? Venere.com.
Looking to stay in a B&B or Château? Then please take a look at B & B's/Rental page.
How about sightseeing tours? Try - Sightseeing Tours France
Wine lover looking for a site to help you find great French wines? Then you should try WineDrive. Americans in France readers save 25% on a one year membership with WineDrive, just enter the word ‘Americans’ (without quotation marks) in the promotional code box.
Thinking of having a wedding or other event in France? Have a look at my Wedding in France page.
Do you need to find health insurance for France? Then I suggest either Global Insurance or Medibroker.
Skiing in France with an English speaking ski instructor Ski Pros Megeve.
The number one travel guide to central and historical Paris: Paris Marais.
If there is something I've missed or you would like more resources, please contact me.

Thanks for reading my newsletter. Help spread the word - forward this email to a friend!