When someone or something's actions fall beyond the scope of reason, beyond the limits of restraint, in America we would say that the person, thing, or situation is "over the top". While this saying does not apparently exist in France, I think it should. I have been in Paris for over a week and have experienced several things integral to French culture that I would deem to be, quite frankly, over the top. Don't get me wrong, America is a country of excess and extremes, for better and for worse (e.g. we are all big as houses, but man do we work long and hard). It is for this reason that I was somewhat relieved to witness first hand that a country with as sophisticated, classy, and evolved a culture as France can also at times live in excessively...as in over the top. OTT. (yes, Americans LOVE acronyms! and exclamation points- go team!).

Some cases in point:
In America, we are fearful of carcinogens. We believe that smoking is bad for the health, and it is generally a frowned upon habit (which sometimes adds to the appeal). In France, there doesn't seem to be a negative stigma associated with smoking and the majority of inhabitants revert into human chimneys, daily. I have been around, but have never witnesses such chainsmoking in all of my life. It is remarkable.

In America, we are slowly recovering from the carbophobia that raged unrestrained a couple of years back. We eat bread, but there is still a lingering guilt associated with consuming "white food". In France, people on the street have bread coming out of their bags and pockets. Literally. Don't leave home without a baguette.

In America, we have areas and cities that are quite charming. In France, charm is taken to another level. Every area, city, region, is charming for its own reasons and in its own unique way, whether you are training past a lone stone farmhouse standing amidst rolling green farmland, witnessing the entire architectural spectacle that is Paris, or, as I most recently experienced, if you are in the seaside villages along the Northern coast of France, in the Normandy region. If I had more technical ability, and could better read french, I would be able to incorporate more than the above image into this blog entry. And I wish that I could because the beauty of the landscape and the charms of the little cottage and cobblestone towns, no matter how touristy, were breathtaking. One point for France.