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The most recent entries are at the top of this page. Earlier entries follow in reverse chronological order.





Upcoming Events

On July 4 we will join Democrats Abroad for an Independence Day pot luck at an Angelican church near our home. It's a lovely church. We've passed by it many times. We recently learned that one of the primary DA organizers lives in the vicarage of that church. I'm sure John will have interesting questions for him.

On July 14 we'll celebrate Bastille Day. Bastille Day is an Anglicized term for la Fête nationale and commonly and legally le 14 juillet (Quatorze juillet). This year there will be a full day of memorial events to commemorate the attack on the Prom at the end of the Bastille Day fireworks last year. You can find more information and map here.

Because of the truck attack last year there are new security measures in place this year. I read in some blogs that Americans from Chicago, New York, Boston, DC and several other cities were coming to Nice on Bastille Day as a show of solidarity. The fireworks will be on the 15th this year. Normally the display is at 10 pm on the 14th.

These are the plans for 14 July in Nice, according to the local paper Nice Matin and the Best of Nice blog.

Friday 14 July 2017, 9 am to 10:45 pm
JOURNÉE DE COMMÉMORATION DE LA VILLE DE NICE
PLACE MASSÉNA - PROMENADE DU PAILLON - QUAI DES ÉTATS-UNIS

9 am to 6 pm: 12,000 blue, white and red "plaques" will be distributed to the public along the Quai des Etats-Unis (the Promenade des Anglais changes its name near the Cours Saleya, the large market in Old Town). Individuals are invited to deposit plaques of blue, white or red. These plaques will form a 170 meter message along the sidewalk that can only be read from the sky. The message will be filmed by a drone and unveiled around 8pm on screens.

Starting at 10 AM at the Villa Massena in front of the memorial there will be a day of moving ceremonies for the families and victims of the 2016 attack.

4.30 pm to 6.30 pm: There will be a July 14 military parade in Place Masséna, which includes presentation of arms and troop review, presentation of medals and a parade on avenues Jean-Jaurès and Verdun.

Four Alphajets from Cazaux air base (near the Pyrenees) and the Patrouille de France will take part in an aerial tribute to the victims, the security forces, the medico-social staff and all those who demonstrated "courage, fraternity and solidarity" a year ago.

The public will be able to attend this tribute from areas installed along avenues Félix-Faure and Verdun, as well as from the Promenade du Paillon where two giant screens will be installed.

After the parade there will be a municipal tribute comprising: songs (Nissa la Bella, Marseillaise); testimonials from other cities in support of Nice; a minute's silence; and finally speeches by a representative of the "Promenade des Anglais" association, the Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi and the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron.

At 6pm at Place Massena will be a ceremony honoring the police, fire fighters, The Red Cross, and other civil servants that intervened that fateful night.

The Promenade des Anglais, which will open to the public from 8 pm. The program there includes: the film "Himalaya", and reading of texts in homage to Nice by Michel Boujenah, Michèle Laroque, Zabou Breitman, François Berléand, Pierre Arditi, Michet Legrand, Patrick Chesnais and Patrick Timsit.

At 9:30 pm in Promenade du Paillon gardens starts tribute concert by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Nice and the Choir de l'Opéra (84 musicians and 88 choristers), interpretation of the song "Les Feux d'artifice "by Calogero, releasing balloons and, finally, 86 beams of light will be illuminated.

The concert will end with the Marseillaise and another chorus of Nissa la Bella. The public will disperse to the sound of Pachelbel's Canon at 10:45 pm.

At 10:55 pm the families of the victims will gather at the beach where they will release 86 floating lamps into the sky.





30.6.2017

I spent as much time in the sun yesterday as did John but today he looked like a lobster. He hadn't put on enough sunscreen but I really think even SPF 5000 wouldn't have saved his white, Oregon skin. John took off his shirt to soak up the rays but he soaked up the wrong kind. Poor baby. We learned a lot about home remedies for sunburn but John was happy with the antihistamine anti-itch properties.





29.6.2017

John and I went to the beach today. The sun was bright but only warm, not hot. The water was bright and beautiful with multiple shades of blue. Gorgeous. Breath-taking. Truly.

The waves were much larger than usual because the wind speed was 24 mph. Usually the wind speed is very low (5 mph) and the sea has no waves. Today there were several windsurfers. Two of our friends, Doc and Marion, live on Promenade des Anglais across the Prom from the beach. Marion had mentioned their watching the waves but at that time we had only seen the water flat so I couldn't relate. The sea with decent waves is energizing even just watching from the beach or chairs on the beach side of the Prom. We both commented that it made us feel invigorated so we'll pay more attention to the winds and head to the beach when the winds pick up.

The water temp was 74° today (it was 77 a few days ago). 74° F does not feel much warmer than 63° F which was the temp of the water when my sister came to visit. The warmest the water gets here is 78° F. I lived in San Diego, California, for 27 years. I just checked San Diego's water temp and it's warmest temp (68° F) is in August. I didn't swim much in San Diego but I thought it was warmer than that.

There are always workers keeping the buildings of Nice in good repair. High tide. We'd never seen such beautiful blues before coming to Nice.
We stopped for crêpes and gelato
on the way home.		 Our balcony onions are doing fine.





26.6.2017

Before the election Macron had formed a coalition with the MoDem party as a guarantee that En Marché would have a majority in Parliament. En Marché won a majority in its own right and didn't need a coalition with any other party. The pre-election coalition party, the Democratic Movement (MoDem), is a centrist political party in France, which is characterized by a strong pro-European stance. Recently there was an embezzlement scandal with that party but Macron reshuffled his cabinet, brought on more leftists and one more woman. He seems to be handling adversity well.





24.6.2017

Our mosquito blight went away. Maybe they'll be back but they disappeared more than 2 weeks ago. I don't think that happened last year but I could be mis-remembering.





21.6.2017

Keeping an eye on 2 U.S. Congressional Districts. Georgia CD 6 and South Carolina CD 5 are red districts but there was a good possibility of an upset.

Georgia 6 Called for the Republican
Karen Handel(R) 118,373 52.6%
Jon Ossoff (D) 106,733 47.4%
83% of precincts reporting

South Carolina 5 Called for the Republican
Ralph Norman (R) 44,889 51.1%
Archie Parnell (D) 42,053 47.9%
100% of precincts reporting

So far the Democrats have come close in 3 Special Congressional elections. The party made spending decisions that haven't helped and some candidates didn't address crucial issues relevant to the opposition candidate, for example, their future vote backing the Republicans American Health Care Act (aka "Trump Care" or "Ryan Care") which will increase the number of uninsured by 24 million and cost much more for those with coverage. It will also reintroduce bans on pre-existing conditions and lifetime limits and allow insurers to not cover maternity, birth control or abortion. Premiums will also increase about 20% in 2018 and 5% in 2019. More details can be found here. The Senate bill (released 22 June) imposes deeper long-term cuts to Medicaid than the House version.





20.6.2017

It's dark a whole 7 hours a day now that the summer solstice is here. They still roll up the sidewalks at 8 PM (except for bars and restaurants and very small, very expensive grocery stores). The sun sets at about 10 and rises at about 5.





19.6.2017

The Republican won in the district that we currently live in. (1st). The Le March won in the Liberation district, (3rd) where we might move to. Election results.





11.6.2017

John found a great website for apartment purchases in Nice. It's a bit like Zillow.com in the states.

Today is round one of the French Parliamentary elections. Macron has a great start. He will clearly have a majority in Parliament.

The Senate Elections will be held in September this year. French senators are elected by indirect universal suffrage, by a panel of "electors". Half of the Senate seats are up for election every three years; the term of office is six years. Half of the seats in the Senate in France will be up for election in September 2017. This wikipedia page about the French Senate system provides details about its processes and history.





10.6.2017

About 2 months ago Theresa May had called for a "snap election" for the British Parliament in order to build her support for processing Brexit. Instead the election cost her about 1/3 of her support in Parliament. A lot of Torries were voted out and they are calling for her to step down. The far right UKIP party lost all its seats. Labour picked up 32 seats to bring their total to 262 seats. If the Torries (the party with the most members of Parliament, but fewer than a majority) can't form a majority coalition then Labour (the party with the second highest votes) can try. Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish National Party (SNP) leader talked of a coalition with Labour but then she changed her mind. That coalition would be necessary for Labour to get a majority Party. If they can't then the Torries can rule as a minority party but they would have difficulty getting much work done. That's probably true of their coalition with DUP too. It's all confusing to those not familiar with their rules of government. You can find maps and charts of the election results on this web page.

"This time, the Lib Dems are more left-wing and are vociferously anti-Brexit, so they are more likely to side with Labour. The Conservatives can more realistically hope for the backing of one the unionist parties in Northern Ireland, the DUP, who are supportive of May's Brexit position." However, there is significant opposition to the Torries partnership with the DUP, making May's chances of achieving a working majority, even in a coalition, appear slim.

The Tories are forming a coalition with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a party backed by terrorists. Article on "Who are the DUP?" A petition against the coalition with DUP reached 500,000 signatures on it' second day.





9.6.2017

Health Coverage: Nearly a year has past since John and I got our European health care coverage, so it's time for us to renew our health coverage. John found a way to renew our card online (after you log in to your account on ameli.fr there is a link in the middle column of options) but we also read and were advised to go to a pharmacy and have them run our card through their machine. So after one year, when you need to renew your health card, just go to your neighborhood pharmacy, hand them your Carte Vitale/National Health Card and ask them to renew it (mettre a jour, si vous plais). Apparently the online renewal is not necessary.

The same website to update our Carte Vitale is also used to apply for European Union medical cards. We didn't know about this card previously. The European Health Insurance Card (or EHIC) is issued free of charge and allows anyone who is insured by or covered by a statutory social security scheme of the European Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland to receive medical treatment in another member state free or at a reduced cost, if that treatment becomes necessary during their visit. You can apply online (for Nice). You'll need to create an account if you haven't done so previously. An image of the card is shown below.

CAUTION: In some countries there are companies that invited people to pay for the free EHIC, falsely implying that through payment the applicant could speed up the process, so don't fall for that scam.

Carte Européenne d'Assurance Maladie





8.6.2017

Deliveries and repair: Repair personnel and Chronopost usually ask for an 8 hour window to come to your residence -- talk about a productivity killer (for the customer)! You can ask repair people for a shorter wait time (4 hours) and you should. Sometimes Chronopost (mail delivery) will send a text saying they will arrive within a one hour window. And then sometimes they will arrive an hour earlier than that or they will just leave the package at a local post office or depot" which is usually a shop a few blocks from your residence. Retrieving your package from a depot can happen within a week at any time the shop is open. Most small shops, even in the tourist areas, are closed from noon to 2:30.

Back to politics: Following Trump's June 2 decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, France is offering US scientists 4-year grants to move to the country and do research. Thus, the French government has created an outlet for people from all countries who still want to fight climate change. Researchers, teachers, and students can apply for a four-year grant that allows them to continue their studies or instruction, fully financed. The site also provides information on how to move to France by obtaining a work visa and residency permit. The website is called Make Our Planet Great Again. We like Macron.





7.6.2017

We went to Democrats Abroad tonight. At those meetings we often discuss current events, state of U.S. politics, the mechanics of campaigns and the balance of power of federal, state and local political offices and judgeships. Joe was our speaker tonight. He provided handouts about the voting choices of Trump voters based on their cultural identity vs. their economic hardship. He talked in some detail about a book addressing those circumstances in the Appalachia in the U.S. and another book about similar circumstances addressing National Front voters France.

The book "En Finir avec Eddy Belleguelle" (The End of Eddy) by Edouard Louis is about growing up poor and queer in a French village and the other book is about the hillbilly culture of Appalachia (Hillbilly Elegy) by J. D. Vance published in June 2016. Vance grew up in Appalachia. John and I haven't read either book yet but there are online interviews of both authors and a TED Talk by Vance. I saw a few very positive references about Hillbilly elegy posted by my Facebook "friends".





05.06.2017

We're house hunting full bore now.

We went to look at a neighborhood somewhat north of Liberation but it wasn't very interesting. There are 2 or 3 other areas of town where we will look but I think Liberation will be our next home. John says it will be our last but while we've been together we've never lived anywhere for more than 7 years. Liberation is clean and renovated with lots of shops, restaurants, statues and a park and it's on the tram line. It has 2 vet offices. Our doctor is a 5 minute ride on the tram. Liberation is cleaner than the tourist area near the beach (where we now live) but it is a 10 minute tram ride to the beach (instead of a 4 block walk like we have now). The tram runs every 5 minutes. That small amount of extra time to get to the beach is perfectly acceptable to me.

Nice's new tram (#3) will go to the airport from the city center. Currently you have to take a bus or hire a taxi or driver. Here's updated info about our new tramline. It's going to make a difference in property prices and city wide accessibility. We'll have nice, new, shiny trams to oooh and ahhh over very soon.

On the subject of transportation, recently I learned that many of our regional buses are very cheap now. When President Macron was the Minister of Economics in 2016 he passed a package of modifications which became named the Macron Law. One of those modifications related to bus service in the Riviera. As the article states - the prices are ridiculously low. For example, 1€ for a ticket from Nice to other parts of France:  Aix-en-Provence;  Lyon, Rhône-Alpes; Mâcon, Burgundy; Marseille; Paray-Le-Monial, Burgundy; Valence, Rhône-Alpes. 9€ for a ticket from from Nice to Turin, Piedmont, Italy. There are comparably low rates from other areas of Southern France and Southern Italy.

Some of the beauty of the Liberation area is a modern church that has many white ceiling coves and arches, interior guilding, statues and paintings and outside a spire that resembles ornate scaffolding, many domes, and many more exterior arches. It's a Catholic Church named for Joan of Arc. We'll do a field trip there someday because it truly is beautiful. Some images are below.

Here in France we have a number of considerations related to property purchases beyond what we experienced in the states. They require that you insure your property (the apartment) as one would do in the states, but also all the property inside. There are programs for significant interest rate discounts if you buy a new apartment (or house) or one that is being significantly renovated.  These programs are geared toward improving energy efficiency in housing in France. These buildings are 5-10% higher priced than other housing.  There are other government deals that cover part of a down payment and other subsidies for first time buyers (haven't owned property for 2 years). These deals make acquiring a loan a much better choice than paying cash but, as I said earlier, there are restrictions.

Last week John and I went to our doc to get refills on our prescriptions. My doctor put me in for full coverage of most of my medical expenses because (she said) I had so many medical problems. When I received the paperwork about it I learned that I am now receiving full coverage because I've had my conditions for more than 2 years. The medical coverage here is so much more generous than in the U.S. When I came here I had to have a physical and I disclosed all my medical conditions at that time. I was accepted into the country but told to get a local doctor (who coordinates my care) right away. A few months later, after we became official residents we applied for our medical coverage. I recommend that the medical coverage be obtained as soon as possible.

It's bug season now. Opening our doors and windows is such a nice feeling at night but the bugs come in so we keep everything closed at night. We have to use bug repellent plug-ins daily and bug spray (about once a week). The year we got here there were bugs through most of October. Last year they went away in late August. I guess there was less rain last year.

Last year I hung netting over the double doors to my patio and that helped. So I am doing that today. We also have netting on one set of doors in the back and on one of the kitchen windows. I may add more netting in those and other rooms, too.  After these nettings are up we can have cool bug-free nights.

There's a map below of the spread of the Aedes albopictus mosquito (which carries the Zika virus) in Europe. Most of the Mediteranean region has established infestations. The Zika virus is not dangerous for more than 90% of adults. "[Zika] is referred to as the silent infection," Iveta Dubravec, MD, Spectrum Health Medical Group Travel Medicine Services said. "Eighty percent of patients are asymptomatic and have no visible illness." However, experts still warn not to underestimate threat as mosquitoes become active this summer.

Apartment building in the Liberation
area of Nice		 Our new tram design. Public transportation
in Nice is great!		 One of our current trams
Sainte Jeanne d'Arc church is sometime nicknamed "the Meringue" for its white color. Sainte Jeanne d'Arc was completed in 1992. Eleven domes support a high vaulted ceiling.
The 1000 square feet of fresco paintings were executed by Eugène Klementieff. The rear exterior of Sainte Jeanne d'Arc The spread of the Aedes albopictus mosquito