American economic dominance

[Moliere]

We will spend only a few days in Paris and most of our time in Normandy, the only place in France we haven't spent much time in, and then lastly in the Loire valley. Should be lovely.

Let me know if you want any tips on Normandy. I consider it a second home and hope to do tours there when I retire.

[tooblue]

You wouldn't either if you were Canadapoor.

It's a black (Friday) sense of humour

[tooblue]

So poor we built a 6.5 billion dollar bridge Trump won't open because Canada owes the US ... what exactly is unclear, because you all are so wealthy, but hey

Fact check: Canada paid for Gordie Howe Bridge, but doesn’t own it alone

https://www.ctvnews.ca/windsor/article/fact-check-canada-paid-for-gordie-howe-bridge-but-doesnt-own-it-alone/

[tooblue]

Might I suggest an afternoon trip to Les Grottes Petrifiantes near the Chateau de Villandry while you're in the Loire. I think Villandry has the best gardens in the area. We were there in a heat wave (100 degrees), and the Caverns were an amazing break from the heat and a really cool place to check out.

That sounds like an amazing suggestion. My wife served part of her mission in the Loire and that itinerary is all hers.

[Bo Diddley]

As a missionary in London in the 80's, it felt like there was a prosperity gap between the UK and the US. Not that they were poor, just that we had more.

It seemed like they caught up some in the next 20 years, but then with Brexit, they are losing ground. They are not a poor country.

[Omaha 680]

Lol. You have zero sense of humor.

You wouldn't either if you were Canadapoor.

[bluegoose]

We will spend only a few days in Paris and most of our time in Normandy, the only place in France we haven't spent much time in, and then lastly in the Loire valley. Should be lovely.

Might I suggest an afternoon trip to Les Grottes Petrifiantes near the Chateau de Villandry while you're in the Loire. I think Villandry has the best gardens in the area. We were there in a heat wave (100 degrees), and the Caverns were an amazing break from the heat and a really cool place to check out.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Lol. You have zero sense of humor.

[tooblue]

Americans (Utahns) are so wealthy they don't storm stores ...

[Northwestcoug]

Aren't heat pumps cheap in Europe. That's a no brainer, low-energy solution.

The last time we went to the UK we noticed more and more heat pumps.

We also have heat pumps in our house and the separate ADU. It rarely gets above 90 here so we only turn it on when there's been a long stretch of hot days. Works though.

[tooblue]

You’ll likely be fine in late August unless another heat wave comes through. There are tricks to getting by in Paris during the summer. The first is to never rent an apartment near the top floor. Those apartments are cheaper for a reason, because they stay hot. Also, never rent an apartment that has windows that open up onto a busy road. You’ll have to choose between keeping the windows open for cool air or keeping out the noise. Also, be careful when assuming a listing says it has AC as it likely doesn’t have adequate AC. Even in hotels. I once rented an apartment that said it had AC but there was one portable unit for the entire apartment, which had three bedrooms.

My recommendation is to vacation in Normandy, because you’ll very likely never need AC out there…

We will spend only a few days in Paris and most of our time in Normandy, the only place in France we haven't spent much time in, and then lastly in the Loire valley. Should be lovely.

[Green Monstah]

Aren't heat pumps cheap in Europe. That's a no brainer, low-energy solution.

[tooblue]

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You mean like when people fought over toilet paper during COVID, or when a woman paid me $50 cash for one of the last 1lb bags of Russet potatoes I had in my cart despite the fact there was an entire pallet full of 1lb bags of Yukon gold potatoes right in front of us?

I said: "sure, I'll take $50 for a 1lb bag of russet potatoes," and then bought two bags of the Yukon golds with the rest of my groceries.


Who bought all the toilet paper? Study suggests who was most likely to stockpile during COVID-19

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...-most-n1230586

[Jeff Lebowski]

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[wally]

European opposition to AC is fascinating to me.

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So basically, the extra "insulation" Americans carry with them is better for the environment because we don't need as much energy for heating? Jeez, America just carrying the load for the whole western world again.