FRANCE all started when the Neanderthals arrived there in 300,000 BC but they soon extinguished themselves after they could simply not withstand the harsh winter in those days. Winter is not that much different in France nowadays by the way although you have to wear layers and layers of clothing if you want to wander around the French Alps. This means that underwear must not be just your intimate clothing but a shirt during winter is still considered underwear.

Outerwear consists of fleece, mitts, boots and the like. A tip to tourists who come from the tropics during winter in France – never ever wear fabric out of cotton because cotton by nature absorbs most moisture and the result is you will even be getting colder than warmer. It’s okay about the locals experiencing winter there. It is in their nature to adapt to the climate to the place but if you’re someone from the tropics where your natural environment is warm throughout the year, your physiology needs some degree of adjustment.

Some 40,000 years ago, a new tribe inhabited France – the Cro-Magnons. The Cro-Magnons introduced agriculture in the country. They stopped being nomads and eventually lived as a village. To survive, they also depended on hunting and as leisure, religion, art or burial, they built megaliths. Tribes such as the Iberians and the Basques from what is now present-day Spain and the Ligures from the Mediterranean coast joined the foray by 2800 BC. These folks speak a common dialect – Pro-Celtic. Later, the Greeks, the Etruscans and the Phoenicians joined the existing inhabitants and even erected outposts in what is now known as Marseille. These Celtic people, also called Gauls, were conquered by the Romans in 125 BC.

The Gauls could already erect statues. The Roman reign started the Romanization of France. The moniker that Paris is the most romantic city in the world is probably an ode to the Roman conquest in the area. After the Romans withdrew by 455 to protect their homeland of Italy, the Visigoths, the Burgundians and the Franks assumed power in the country. It was not until the 19th century that the French republic was established as an outcome of the French revolution. There were about 12 kings of France prior to the revolution. They were (in alphabetical order) Charles VIII, Charles IX, Charles VI, Francis I, Francis II, Henry II, Henry III, Henry IV, Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI. The French republic lasted until Napoleon Bonaparte declared himself emperor by 1804. The war instigated by Prussia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal forced the now Napoleon I into exile.

The French second republic was instituted and after a coup, the second empire brought forth and after the second empire died down, the third French republic was erected. Then the Vichy regime was established. Another French republic succeeded the Vichy regime. The present prime minister of France is Francois Fillon. From Paris to Nice, from Alsace to Loire, modern day France is a sight to behold by both romantics and business tourists alike. It is your right to be here too.