Whether you parlez vous Francais ou no, you might be able to put a make on this Mercure sign. Yep, that's a hotel. And that's me striking a not-so-medieval French pose in the 14th-Century town of Avignon.
This is Day Two for us on a special-access tour of French nuclear facilities, all of them run by one of the world leaders in nuclear energy AREVA. In fact, the French company bills itself as the only fully-integrated nuclear company in the entire world.
Rare air, indeed. And CO2-free air as well, so to speak, since nuclear power generates electricity without producing significant CO2 emissions. That's the major selling point for proponents in the U.S right now, including some very big names in Congress (John McCain, among them).
If The President gets his way and we implement a cap-&-trade system to limit our carbon emissions, the nuclear option for power generation could become more attractive than ever. Especially interesting, given that last month was the 30th anniversary of the partial core meltdown at Three Mile Island.
Photojournalist Ian McAllister and I visited nuclear sites in five French towns last week, sites that represent various stages in the nuclear energy production process. Stick around, and I'll show you what we saw. Unusual sights inside plants, impressive scale of reactor components, and occasional unsettling proximity to potentially dangerous material.
As for our stay at The Mercure in Avignon? Brief, busy, and beautiful.
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