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How To Retire Without Money
By Bob Belmont
CHAPTER 10
FRANCE
Page 2 of 16
Most of us, particularly those on a budget, will settle for
something between these two extremes. There are scores of
liners and
hundreds of passenger carrying freighters crossing the
Atlantic nowadays. Tourist class passage on these starts at
about $475. At that rate, accommodations can be on the grim
side, and you'll find yourself packed into a dormitory type
cabin with a flock of other people, some of whom snore, and
some of whom love garlic. For better quarters your bill goes
up to $1,000 or so.
Actually, with the new thrift class rates, it isn't more
expensive to fly the Atlantic. The initial cost might be an
extra twenty or twenty-five dollars, but you'll spend that
without any difficulty at all on tips, drinks, deck chairs and
such aboard the ship. But for that matter you can beat even
this thrift rate by flying with Icelandic Airlines the only
airline in the business that doesn't belong to the
International Air Transport Association and consequently
doesn't subscribe to their regulations which result in all
other airlines charging the same prices for their services.
Transportation within France you'll find as good as anywhere
in the world. Her roads are excellent and well supplied with
service stations, garages and other motorist needs. Bus
services are fine and France's trains are some of the best
anywhere. In case you didn't know it, it's France that holds
the speed record for trains— 205 miles per hour achieved with
an electric locomotive pulling three cars. Compared to
American prices, train rates are low, although not as low as
other European ones. Berths however, are high and if you're
watching your budget the best deal is to travel during the day
and to stop at a hotel comes evening.
§
THE FRENCH. There are two ways of melting the French.
If you're a tourist, dashing through the country, you'll
probably wind up hating this people. The only ones you'll meet
are hotel and restaurant employees, shop keepers and taxi cab
drivers and these, of course, make their living by milking the
tourist. You'll be no exception. Everywhere you go you'll meet
the outstretched hand, no country is more tip hungry than
France. And everywhere you go you'll probably feel you're
being gypped and part of the time you'll be right. And even
though you are a gregarious type person, interested in people
and the way of life of others, you'll
find the French home closed to you. You won't even meet any of
the French, with the exception of those who wait on you.
But if you settle down in France, take a house or apartment,
learn the language, then you will find another people. The
Frenchman who has had the tourist pouring over the boundaries
of his country for centuries has built up a barrier to them.
He suffers them, because he must since France's largest single
industry is tourism. But he keeps them at a distance so far as
his personal life is concerned. He is another man when you
settle more permanently.
>>> CHAPTER 10
FRANCE Page 3
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