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NewsletterDecember 2003 With this letter I'm starting something new: a list of interesting facts learned in the last month about France. What have I learned lately?
HolidaysThe French holiday season is underway. In Dijon, my hometown, the streets are festive with Christmas decorations. Store clerks ask if you want your purchase gift-wrapped. In France you might bag the groceries but your presents are gift wrapped for free! Chocolate, a French holiday specialty is well stocked in the supermarkets. The specialty is sold mostly in boxes of 10 to 20 chocolates per box. There are many flavors to choose nuts, various fruits and alcohol. The one item I'd really wanted to buy, turkey, as of this writing is unavailable. But we were able to find sweet potatoes! BurgundyVisiting Burgundy off and on for the last several years I really never saw much except the area where my in-laws live, Southern Burgundy. The nearest town to the farm is Tournus. With us now living in Dijon we're able to get out and see more of the countryside. The land is mostly filled with grazing cattle and small villages. The pastoral scene appears unchanged by the passing ages. Although France is changing with fewer people working in agriculture, France is still rural at heart. All French people have a link to the land. Either a second home in the countryside or a relative that farms. If you visit Burgundy you'll see what I mean.See you next month. Follow @jeffsteiner
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