Moving to France

To the OP: yes, a toroidal step-down transformer is just the ticket. I suggest sizing it at about half again the total 'wattage' of your components. Plitron used to sell good ones, but they have become pretty hard to deal with - you could try.

Drink a Grand Cru for me!

stumbles

@asvjerry 

On reflection, more to it, I think. California is seen as 'The Big Time' for more reasons than Hollywood, aerospace, and what used to be the climate. That is the University of California, probably the best university system ever. Decade in, decade out. Not to mention Stanford. People of culture know these and honour them, even revere them. When they think of their best, California is their aspiration. (UC out-of-state alumnus)

Yes. I make a point of not reading anything MC writes, but he cunningly camouflaged himself with a short post, so I too was afflicted. Yecch. I feel dirty.

Hilde, you wrote, "They need to think hard about who they are and why they choose to act that way. They demean themselves."

I wonder about "demean themselves" - as Bob Dylan said - "never tumbles, got no place to fall."

@asvjerry

As you point out, California is the accent of TV and the movies. It is therefore usually perceived as sophisticated, in my experience.