I thought everyone loved Vancouver, whatever. So sorry that was hard on you.

That pdoc reaction (reactions, really) sound sorta funny to me, BD. Not funny, haha, funny, kind of weird. It makes me wonder if he had some specific negative experience in France or with a French practitioner at some point and is somehow holding onto some of that still, then, transferring it onto you in order to express it. Just a thought. Also kind of wondering about your pdoc's age. Perhaps holding onto some sentimental, nostalgic feelings about the "way medicine used to be" in the US, as some older docs unaccustomed to ever having their actions questioned are wont to do. My dad retired because of these feelings. Way before he needed to. He told me: "One day, I woke up and went to the clinic angry and came home angry. That was it for me. Enough."

I worked in Paris hospitals a number of times, mostly in operating rooms, and always found the docs and nurses professional and bright. It is a very different healthcare system, obviously, as are all in Western Europe.

I think France is great. I'd live there in a hearbeat. I say, go for it. And have a croissant or five for me.