Parking Nice style

Having spend the last 7 years in the South of France I have had several culture shocks but one that remains to get me angry is the way people park their car. It seem that there is no specific rule to park the most important thing is to stop where u need to be and than leave your car.

This can be for 1 minutes or several days and its seems the police is not too much bothered with it. Even stronger than that in the South they have created a new style called 'double file' with is basically parking your car next to an offical lane of parked cars and created another lane. Its really nice and a good idea, only when you are parked in the official line you will have difficulties to exit it...

Yesterday I was waiting in front of a traffic light on my way back home. Light turns green and nothing happenend. I waited patiently but flashed my lights, nothing. A klaxon maybe? well why not... nothing changed. I step out of the car when a realized that the driver was no longer in the car. He left to buy a newspaper and fags! When he decided to come back, there was a whole line of cars waiting. He looked at us, got in his car, not too fast of course, and drove away, just in time to pass through Orange and making us....wait a bit more! Nice!

I continued to drive back home when I arrived close to the gate of my residance. And oh joy, there was a car parked, blocking the access to my residance. Although it was a small smart car, the driver had dissappeared from the planet. I kept my patience but just behind me was another driver getting less patient and hitting his horn like there was no tomorrow.
The problem was that the entrance is in a bend street which would make us soon major obstacles as well as dangerously close to the boulevard, where many Fernando Alonsos where testing their engines. But great, from nowhere the lady appears looking at us with this similair look I saw before... The person behind me kindly thanks her for making him wait ... She looks at us and replies; well I think you should respect it that I want to do my shopping and since your entrance is not often used it should not be a problem to let her use it. Do we want rent for it?

And some more words, that I didnt knew yet but according to the reaction of the other person, seemed to be rather rude.... She drives off and the driver behind me offers her a concert of his klaxon and waives her off in a one finger matter. Its a strange habit here but I start to understand the ritual that involves parking here.

The importance is finding the best place and than basically ignoring all other circumstances that could cause problems, the most important thing is parking! Which by the way explains why a garage here costs the price of a nice car...
On the other hand, who cares, the road is ours ! Parking is fun ! Nice Style Parking is funnier!