Modern life in France

France is a very modern country there is no doubt about it. It is also a very old country. All you need to do is look around and you see how far back France goes in comparison to the US or Australia.
Buildings date back to when the north American continent was still largely non white (like, I guess Red). When I was looking for apartments, I actually visited buildings that go back to dates unimaginable to those coming from the new world. A few of the buildings I visited used to be what they call here hôtel particulière or private castle that has been divided into apartments. In one fo these buildings in le Marais, I came across the widest stairways I have ever encountered in an apartment building (many tend to be narrow, especially when elevators were added later on, which took up the spaces occupied by these stairways previously). The lady visiting with me explained that this was to accomodate ladies in flare skirts that I guess used to visit the then grand if now not well maintained building. I could imagine these ladies with their hair piled up high, lifting their long skirt that flared from wall to wall climbing to attend soirées!
In many old buildings in le Marais which, despite the presence of several hotels particulieres, was apparently also for workers, you would see small toilets (I mean small, you’d better not be fat to fit in these toilets) in the stairways between floors. These go back to the time when apartments don’t have individual toilets and residents used these outside toilets. Nowadays, these generally non used (but may still be useable) toilets serve as places for illicit sex for some residents or places you could bring that someone you just met on the street you find exciting and dangerous for quickies ! Same thing for showers (one of the apartement in my building only has a sink and no shower)...this is probably why there are still public baths, not to be confused with hammams or sauna, everywhere in Paris (where for a fee you could take a shower I guess...have yet to visit one). It’s no surprise then that you would find a toilet in unlikely places in apartments (including in the closet like the apartment I occupied long ago) as these are added later.
One of the things that may also amuse you are the keys to your apartment. These are seriously ancient medieval looking keys which are large in size, heavy and look like they were made by someone pounding the hard metal into shape by his brute force!
So, don’t be surprised if you just got off the most modern airplane that is partly French (the Airbus A380) and walked onto a futuristic terminal building (CDG 2) only to find yourself in a hotel that have the toilets in the hallway or are handed a set of big old clanky keys. On the other hand, you may find yourself in a 17th century building accessible via keycards too! There was much discussion about whether the modern pyramide would go with the ancient buildings in the Louvre museum....but in fact this combo modern and historic could be found in everyday life in France.

The modern and the ancien that seem to coexist are also found in non physical institutions....Banking in France is another institution that still combines modernity and archaic ways. When you see French bank/credit cards, they will have chip cards, unlike American cards. These are very practical as you could pay everywhere and anywhere (apparently more) securely with your PIN. However, if you would for instance, activate an internet access to your account, you would still have to print the form and send it via snail mail. They will then send you your access code, again via snail mail (The code, like PIN for your cards, often cannot be changed which pose a challenge to remember all the different codes/PINs). Once, I noticed charges that appeared on my card statement that I never made. I notified my bank via telephone. This, however, had to be followed by a registered snail mail letter that is, get this, written by hand! Add to that a police report that you have to join to your handwirtten letter (When there were weird charges on my Australian cards, I simply called them and the disputed charges disappeared right away.). In banking as in many administrative things, sometimes ‘that is how things have always been done here’ primes over convinience and reasons....