A Sporting Chance: Galet de Bigorre

THE STORY:

I would need to take a big breath to rattle off the list of the things I would do to improve French schools, if it were up to me. But one thing I think the French do absolutely right is the sports class. Starting in primary school and all the way up till high school graduation, they have physical education classes for the kids. Not only do they devote a significant amount of time to this (a couple hours per week or so, depending on the age), they take the opportunity to expose the kids to an incredibly wide variety of activities.

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Ye Olde Shoppe: Délice du Bocain

THE STORY:

In a little town in central France called Doué-la-Fontaine sits the Musée aux Anciens Commerces, which is roughly the Museum of Old-Time Stores, ranging from 1850-1950. Naturally, because this is France, the museum itself, which has been open since 1992, is housed in an old-timey building -- 18th century horse stables from the Château des Basses Minières, a castle that no longer exists, except for some basement/foundations.

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