Farmers from France's second-largest agricultural union protesting against the Mercosur trade agreement and demanding fairer compensation for their produce Despite their efforts to enter Paris and Lyon they were met with roadblocks by law enforcement The protests come ahead of a January 13 meeting with French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and elections for agricultural chambers where the union aims to increase its influence against its rival the National Federation of Farmers' Unions tractor convoys from across France have attempted to converge on Paris “We are still stuck at the same point as yesterday,” said Patrick Legras Tractors were reported in areas such as Rambouillet where even private vehicles faced delays due to police barricades A convoy of 15 tractors from Bourgogne-Franche-Comte also traveled through the night they were intercepted on the heavily trafficked D1004 near Fontenay-Tresigny creating a slow-moving "operation escargot" that severely disrupted Monday morning traffic The union expressed frustration over being denied a meeting with Prime Minister Francois Bayrou stated he had reached out to Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and the Prime Minister's office for a designated protest site in Paris The EU-Mercosur negotiations on a free trade agreement started in 2000 and went through on and off phases The parties agreed on a comprehensive agreement covering issues such as tariffs The EU and Mercosur were planning to reduce high tariffs on agricultural products and Mercosur countries would easily sell products such as meat French farmers argue that the EU-Mercosur agreement is part of a broader trend threatening rural livelihoods in France I’ve been yearning to get back across the pond for a good ol’ dose of “weird America”, but I tend to forget that my own country has some pretty odd, quirky and wonderfully nostalgic sights to see when you venture off the main road. Wes Anderson would have a field day with Atlas des Régions Naturelles an online archive of more than 10,000 photos documenting French vernacular architecture all the kinds of stuff that makes you do a double take on a road trip Entirely created by a pair of travellers, Danish-Japanese-French photographer Eric Tabuchi and his partner, painter Nelly Monnier, it’s been over two decades in the making and it’s still a work in progress. Their archive takes us away from the most famous towns and into France’s suburbs, industrial zones, ghost towns and forgotten villages. The entire archive is searchable either by map or by tag (it can help to know a little French for example to recognise that “vestiges” is for ruins and “devantures” is storefronts) flying saucer swimming pools and abandoned Brutalist structures in the middle of nowhere You can also be super specific with your search It’s a great way to spice up a very traditional French road trip visiting chateaux and charming villages with a serving of “weird France” I spent far too much time down this rabbit hole so I feel it’s only fair to tempt you with the same carrot and a few of my favourite picks… Last Updated on December 23, 2021 by MessyNessy or urbex is the activity of visiting places built and abandoned by man A chateau listed as a historic monument since 1963 which is quietly falling into disrepair in the heart of a Parisian suburban village Undoubtedly the best-known spot in Paris for keen explorers of abandoned places The Petite Ceinture is accessible from several arrondissements but the most popular photos are taken in the 14th arrondissement judging by the size of the building and the stunning view of the Eiffel Tower the location can’t be that hard to find An abandoned supermarket turned cradle of Parisian street art The Jardin d’agronomie tropicale is located at the very end of the Bois de Vincennes there are still a few abandoned buildings dating back to the 1907 colonial exhibition  Villa Bela Kiss is a pseudonym attributed by fans ofurbex enthusiasts enthusiasts who want to keep thesecret address And with good reason: it’s a gem for urban explorers it’s an imposing building surrounded by wild vegetation you’ll still find some original furniture and objects Banner photo: Avenue de Saint-Ouen station @petiteceintureparis on instagram