If you visit, ring the bell. Smaller expansions have been placed in the hands of local review boards. It won't do anything to improve the mess that has been made of many small towns, but at least it will try to ensure that future development takes place more sanely, and by doing it at a national level, it minimizes the effect of big money on small town politics. The other day, I had to deposit some cash and several checks. Checks issued in Nice could be grouped together, because they would be credited to the account in one day.
Checks issued elsewhere in France take two days.
The checks themselves are interesting. Kim and I both needed help the first couple of times. Because French numbers can be quite long, you have two lines to write the longhand amount. You write the recipient's name, the date, and the town where the check was written. All checks have a standard size and layout.