Photo prompt @ Sandra Crook
So incongruous.
To finally make it to France and yet, not how I imagined it.
Romance, history, tragedy. Architecture. Hot blooded and glorious men.
So far, the airport. Escape via industry. Hop onto the freeway.
Wrong way traffic.
Drivers screaming obscenities.
Magnificently dressed women, dragging poodles.
Choking dogs, barking profanities.
Traffic. Rainclouds.
Refugees. Anger.
Masks.
I cannot find the fabled belle France – culture, fashion, beauty, history.
At least here is a moment to smile. Could be in any village of the world.
Traffic jam une cause de véhicule agricole.
C’est la vie. [94 words]
Thank you Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for continuing to set this 100 word or less challenge. It is certainly a commitment appreciated by many. Other 100 word stories can be read here.
RANDOM THOUGHTS by Trish 
Sadly I do not know rural France, I however enjoyed this tale
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Interesting take on the photo prompt. Sad to hear that your narrator had a bad time. My experiences of rural France have always been good.
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Thanks 🙂
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Hah, that’s how it often goes when you’re so full of expectations. Great and lively descriptions. It’s not the France I’ve experienced and love, but I’ve never been to Paris.
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Awww! You’re a bit hard on France! There’s beautiful countryside, glorious architecture, and, naturally, excellent food and wine. But I suspect you know this!
I enjoyed your entertaining take on the prompt!
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Hello Penny, it was a comment on travel in general I think (not just France). We like to travel although everything is so far away from us. But it has become a bit about expectations vs reality 😁
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Okay, once I translated to latin, it made sense. My mind does this automatically. Sorry, No parle en francais
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Neither do I 😄😄 school girl French supported by Google translate. 🙃
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giggles. my foreign language at school was English…haha!
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Where are you from Bear?
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Ohio, USA. We spoke our native American language at home, along with a little German. I didn’t get English until school. Then I had a head injury in 96 and had to relearn it.
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When a place has been so built up with expectations, I’m sure there is bound to be the disappointment of reality to it. I like the balanced way you told the story, as the buildup and letdown canceled each other out.
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Too bad the rare smiles are covered with masks. People need smiles; people need to smile.
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A stranger and I were being polite to each other picking up at a coffee shop. I asked could she see I was smiling from my eyes. 😃
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France is indeed a country of contradictions. I’m always amazed when people are able to generalise about the place.
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Whoops, is that what I’ve done?
Hope I haven’t offended🙂
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Some things are universal 🙂
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You saw the France of people’s everyday reality, without the glamor and history. Well written
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Better plan a staycation next time! Just as bad but less distance to travel!
Here’s mine!
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Life is like that; a balance of poetic words to release the stress. Nicely done.
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Thanks James! I’ll read everyone tomorrow.
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That made me smile. Maybe it’s better not to travel so that places can stay exactly as they are in the imagination
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Yep. Rock up to that Parisien dream and – poop on the pavement 😁
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