Opinion: france's new addresses lack imagination - but they do help
Opinion: france's new addresses lack imagination - but they do help"
- Select a language for the TTS:
- UK English Female
- UK English Male
- US English Female
- US English Male
- Australian Female
- Australian Male
- Language selected: (auto detect) - EN
Play all audios:
THERE IS NO LONGER ANYWHERE TO HIDE IN RURAL AREAS I always loved the fact that you could almost literally disappear off the face of the map in rural France because if you bought a house in
a remote enough spot, it wouldn't have an address. No road name, no house number, nothing. You were just 'l'Anglaise' or 'La Famille Dupont' followed by a
postcode and the name of a village or hamlet. Back in the last century this didn't matter because everyone knew everyone, and the only people making deliveries worked for the La Poste
so they knew everyone too. In fact, if you ever got lost you could stop at a post office and ask for directions. "Ah, you must be delivering her new fridge," the post mistress
would say. "She's at home, it's that house round the corner with the ugly shutters." It meant you could credibly deny receiving certain types of post. It also meant you
could drop a line to anyone without knowing their address. You could write 'The Canadians who just arrived, opposite the apple farm, near 30700 Moisson' and know that it would be
delivered. Read more: How to be reimbursed for lost or stolen parcels in France DELIVERY DRIVERS GETTING LOST But with the advent of Amazon and White Van Man, everything changed. Smaller
post offices closed, newer arrivals kept themselves to themselves, and the countryside filled up with confused delivery drivers sitting in stationary white vans scratching their heads over
their GPS. Even Google Maps couldn't locate the stone house with blue shutters just after the bush with yellowing leaves. Various friends with unfindable houses got into the habit of
giving my address because I'm right beside the mairie, but even I got a ridiculous number of phone calls from Amazon drivers asking for directions. So I guess it is no surprise that
the law has been amended. Until 2022, only communes with a population of more than 2,000 had to name all their streets, but now all communes have to do "l'adressage" and so
maires all over France are scrambling for names for every dead end back road, lane, and alleyway. NEW ADDRESSES, OLD NAMES It could have been an opportunity to come up with some brilliantly
creative street names, but the French being the French – everyone prone to responding 'non, non, et non' to all new ideas on principle – the Hexagon now has thousands more streets
called Rue des Vignes, Rue de l'Eglise, Rue de la Mairie, etc. And all houses are numbered, whether they like it or not. We all have proper addresses. I guess it brings France up to
date, and makes it easier for White Van men to deliver all their Amazon parcels without getting lost. It's efficient and makes France fit for the 21st century. But it also means that
we are all signed, sealed and delivered, on the map in black and white. Worse, it's going to be impossible to claim that because of having no address, I didn't receive information
about local council meetings, recycling tins, and primary school fund-raisers.
Trending News
Video 'Big Little Lies' star Laura Dern teases possible return to 'Jurassic Park' - ABC NewsABC NewsVideoLiveShowsShopStream onLive UpdatesLive UpdatesTrump 2nd term 'Diddy' trial Severe weather Loretta Swit dies...
Monument to jet crash victims dedicatedPOINT MUGU — Bracing themselves against powerful winds and blowing sand, mourners Wednesday laid carnations on a chunk o...
Were dr. Seuss and kurt vonnegut college classmates?Claim: Authors Dr. Seuss and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. were college classmates and fraternity brothers. It might be difficult t...
Synovial macrophage populations linked to ra remissionAccess through your institution Buy or subscribe Sustained drug-free remission is an important but rarely achieved clini...
404 errorHow France's energy ratings system affects property prices New study reveals significant differences in urban properties...
Latests News
Opinion: france's new addresses lack imagination - but they do helpTHERE IS NO LONGER ANYWHERE TO HIDE IN RURAL AREAS I always loved the fact that you could almost literally disappear off...
Chalti ka naam publicity: not only shah rukh khan, these actors also took to public transport for promotions!With Shah Rukh Khan promoting Raees on a train, we take a look at other film stars who have used the public transport to...
Page not foundLoading......
The page you were looking for doesn't exist.You may have mistyped the address or the page may have moved.By proceeding, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and our ...
Scientists discover a new population of the biggest animals to have ever livedA new population of at least 700 blue whales has been found living between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. T...