Preconceptions

I don't know about you, but before arriving in France, I had this idea of what apartments and homes were like here. One of the preconceptions was of their shutters. Now, don't get me wrong, every home has shutters, just not what I'd imagined (like in the opening scene of Beauty and the Beast). As a matter of fact, there is a law in TOULOUSE that doesn't allow you to keep your shades open for more than a 24 hour period. Okay, I have to correct myself. I went back looking for where I found info on the blinds. It my not be law, but it does have to do with insurance. If you leave your blinds open for more than 24 hours and you're burglarized, the insurance company doesn't have to pay.

We live in a newer neighborhood of TOULOUSE and all apartments have what Larry's manager, Randi refers to as "blast shields" right out of a Bond movie. The picture on the top is of a nearby home with shutters (as I'd imagined). The picture on the bottom is of a door of our apartment. The shutter raises and lowers by a control switch near each of the windows/doors. There is also a master switch that raises and lowers them all right by the front door.

Another preconception that I had is of their roads, cars and driving. That idea has not been proved wrong. Their roads are small as are their cars. They drive fast. I'm glad that Larry is happy to drive around here and I don't have to. Public transportation is fine with me.