Is the Eiffel Tower your idea of France?

Let's say, it's a beginning :).  Built by French engineer Gustave Eiffel and finished in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle, this event celebrated the 100th year anniversary of the French Revolution.  It's 1024' high without the antennas, and around 7 million people visit (that means buy a ticket to go in) a year!  Three-fourths of those are foreigners.  Who says tourism doesn't pay? :)  And that's around 5 million people expanding their education in this world every year, and THAT'S a great benefit for everyone!  (After our family got to live in Europe 9 years & travel to over 2 dozen countries, we came back to our house which we rented out & I saw a neighbor from prior years, was talking about our time overseas & going to Paris, & she asked why would we want to go there?  I thought, . . . so sad!)

The 1st time I saw this style of "French country" painting was on dinnerware in a German flohmarkt about 1989-90. I bought the few odds & ends (10, 8"& 9" plates for $6.60 with a tea cup & saucer thrown in for good measure!).  Twice more I saw a few pieces, & paid $20 for each of a long serving platter 6" x 18", and a large, 9" x 5" square serving bowl.  A vendor told me to look for those which didn't have the "dishwasher/ microwave" words because then they would be from before WWII.   Because of those dishes, one day I drove to that Obernai area in the Alsace region of France "just to look around."  I remember finding one more unusual shape, to me, with a different painting.  I just loved the country scenes, & the clothing, & the colors!  Then in 1991, during the kids' Easter vacation, we went back into that area & stopped at a Canadian military base to see what different kinds of products they had in their "BX," & there was a room filled with ALLLLLL this dishware, piled up from the floor & filling massive shelves!  There had to have been at least 500-or-