15 Things You Didn't Know About France

And yes, it's quite the tiourist attarction.

FrancePhoto byChris KaridisonUnsplash

My wife would love to go to France. She’s not alone. It seems a ton of people want to go there. While I haven’t been able to take her there, I have been able to take her to Paris, TX. They even have a miniature Eiffel Tower there. Complete with a cowboy hat on top.

I was actually working at Campell’s Soup in Paris TX when we got married. It was not romantic. Now, on to some things you didn’t know about France.

1: Celtics settled metropolitan France during the Iron Age.

Celtics went on to settle in Boston, and latter, led by such warriors as Bill Russell and Larry Bird came to be a dominant force in the NBA.

2: These Celtics tribes were known as Gauls.

Perhaps the most famous of these guys was Charles de Gaul. Wait, being told that’s not true and to knock it off.

3: France is the world’s largest tourist destination.

Apparently, the desire to be insulted in a foreign language is very powerful.

4: France actually means “realm of the Franks.”

Originally it was located by “the realm of the beans.” Once again, I’m being told that’s not true and to stop it.

5: Clovis I was the first leader to unite all the Franks.

He was aided by his cousin, Cleetus. What’s that? It seems there is no evidence of that Cleetus thing.

5: French knights made up most of the reinforcements in the Crusades.

Not to pile on about France’s military history, but the Crusades were unsuccessful.

6: In 1848, the abolition of slavery and introduction of male universal suffrage took place.

Anybody else think that the word “suffrage” is equated with voting?

7: As of January 2024, France had a population of 68,373,433 people.

And, unlike some other European countries, France’s population growth has been largely the result of natural population growth. Which, of course means births that resulted from not using birth control. Huh? Being told that’s not right either.

8: French literature dates back to the Middle Ages. Back then France didn’t have a uniform language. Writers used their own spelling and grammar.

Much like on Medium.

9: The French eat 30,000 tons of snails every year.

Why? The fact that snails are so slow makes them easy to catch.

10: French bosses can’t email employees after working hours or on weekends.

In the US workers don’t answer emails during working hours.

11: The longest book in the world is “Remembrance of Things Past (In Search of Lost Time) and is 3000 pages long and is in French.

And I have a copy of it by the commode. If only I could read French

12: Restaurants and grocery stores can’t throw out unsold but usable items. They have to be donated.

I would think that would cut down on dumpster diving.

13: Six French villages have a mayor but no residents.

Man, that’s a tough tax base to work with.

14: The kilt originated in France, not Scotland.

Well, I knew it wasn’t Oklahoma because a guy could get kilt if he wore one around here.

15: France borders eight different countries.

I’m not sure how many walls they have.