LIKE the governments of most countries in the world, the French tourism ministry is pushing aggressively for visitors to come to the country. And synonymous to the boom of the tourist industry in a country is also the boost of its real estate industry. As the United States across the Atlantic is slowly recovering from its housing crunch, the properties sector in France remains robust. Real estate developments are sprouting up virtually everywhere both owned by domestic and foreign investors. These real estate developments are either used as residential areas or used by multinational companies as part of their French campus or plant. As far as real estate policy is concerned, French law is foreign-friendly. That is why there are lots of investments here from conglomerates based in Spain, England or even the United States.

Let’s talk about the typical French life nowadays while winter is approaching. Visitors may be busy preparing for their vacation in the Alps but it’s a typical autumn life for the residents here. The wind can be cold at times and it’s nice to snuggle up in city parks especially during weekends with some romantic lover in tow. Or at night during a fully moonlit sky, you and your lover can have your second honeymoon together with the ruins of a 16th century cathedral as your backdrop. Speaking of cathedrals, churches here in France have that distinctive Gothic architecture. This seemingly eerie architecture is not meant to be blasphemous but is designed in such a way to attract the pagan natives of old. The original design has been retained through the centuries and is still in erection today. Catholic cathedrals in France have become tourist spots aside from being places of worship and reverence.

The French folks usually take their breakfast as early as 5 a.m. They like to gobble up a hearty one such as French toast, bacon, eggs, milk and juice. They then settle for a while for about an hour not sitting down but merely standing up and pacing about for the food to settle in the stomach. The French are actually health conscious folks. This stems from their proximity to the Mediterranean as well as the abundance of olives in their locality. The Mediterranean is full of healthy catch like redfish and grouper and the French want to cook them fresh rather than refrigerated or frozen. With the abundance of olive trees in the country, many of these are fermented and turned into olive oil, the healthiest cooking oil in the world because of its less fatty content.

After the post-breakfast siesta, the French the do some jogging around the neighborhood or spend some time in their electronic treadmills back home. They then go to their places of work and arrive by 9 a.m. Lunch is served at 1 p.m. They want their lunch to be served hot and usually contain some soup with it. There is that obligatory dessert of fresh fruits afterward. Dinner is served at 8 in the evening.