This French Life

Google goes French for Super Bowl advertisement

GOOGLE turned to France, and Paris in particular, for its first ever Super Bowl advertisement in the US.

In less than a minute the advert, titled Parisian Love, tells the story of how an American finds love in France and how the couple are brought together by the search engine.

World media and French locals turn out for Fromelles burials

Fromelles reburials begin from War Graves Commission

A STORY I have been following for some time has been the excavation of a number of pits which held the bodies of around 250 Australian and British soldiers who died during World War One.

The site of the work near the small village of Fromelles, in northern France, has seen archaeologists extract the bodies of the troops who perished during the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916.

Behind the scenes of theFrenchPaper

IF you have started reading the monthly English-language newspaper theFrenchPaper then you might want a peak behind the scenes.

Owner of the newspaper, Nicki Wade, provides a little background on how the idea of the newspaper came about, and some of the challenges they've faced launching the title during the downturn.

In another piece editor, Michael Streeter, talks about the day-to-day tasks he undertakes and how the internet allows the newspaper to be put together remotely.

Historical images of French cities damaged in WWII in Google Earth

IMAGES of cities destroyed during the Second World War, including a few in France, have been made available in Google Earth enabling you to compare them to the modern day.

The photographs come from the archives of the Royal Air Force and United States Air Force and were taken to assess the damage that bombing sorties had made on cities across Europe.

iPhone apps for your French life

I DON'T have an iPhone myself, but if you do here are some interesting applications that might prove helpful.

And don't forget to leave a comment below if you have a favourite app which makes your life in France a little easier.

Petite Assistante
A French renovation dictionary and translator with 6,000+ dedicated building/renovating words covering everything from fractions in English to French to tools, materials and so so much more.

News headlines from France

IF you are keen to stay up to date with what's happened in France over the past few days then here is a pick of some of the headlines.

And check out the French news page on the site for updates throughout the week.

Advertisers who support This French Life

EACH week I highlight the businesses who help keep the This French Life website up and running, and I hope you will drop in on their sites to see if they can help out.

You can find out more about advertising on This French Life, but first check out the websites below:

Flybe flights to France for summer 2010

HERE is a look at the flights to France being offered by Flybe for summer 2010.

I have tried to capture as many of the French routes as I can, but if you spot a gap there is always the comment form to keep me on my toes.

Irish Ferries cancel Rosslare to Cherbourg sailings after fire

A FIRE on the Irish Ferries ship, the Oscar Wilde, has seen the company cancel all sailings between Rosslare and Cherbourg until Wednesday, February 10 at the earliest.

Irish Ferries said the fire started shortly after the vessel had left A&P Shipyard at Falmouth, where it had been in dry dock undergoing its annual overhaul.

There were no passengers on board at the time and all 113 crew have been accounted for and no one was injured in the incident.

French language boost from TV5 Monde

ONE simple way of boosting your French language skills is to watch the news at least once a day.

I've found it to be a great way to pick up phrases and vocabulary that will help you in day to day life, but TV5 Monde take things on a step or two.

A section of their website offers short news clips from the past seven days and varying degrees of challenging questions, from a beginner level, to an intermediate stage and an advanced level for real linguists.

You can watch the individual news reports, read transcripts and have a go at a number of different types of questions such as simple multiple choice to grammar challenges.

Cork gets summer flights to Bordeaux and La Rochelle

TWO new summer routes to France from Cork have been announced by Ryanair.

Flights to Bordeaux and La Rochelle will operate for the peak months of June, July and August, with tickets starting from €39.99 one-way.

And Ryanair has cut 30 per cent off all seats on all routes for travel every day in late February and March, but tickets must be booked before midnight on Thursday, February 4.

Petition to press UK government to standardise benefits

A PETITION has been launched to appeal to the UK government to standardise the benefits pensioners are entitled to, regardless of where they live.

The online petition highlights how many pensioners have made national insurance contributions throughout their working life, but when they move overseas they see certain benefits reduced or stopped completely.

At present there are 128 signatures, with a closing date of September 28, 2010, and provided there are 500 signatures or more a response from the government will be published.