This French Life

  • Take a virtual tour through the Lascaux caves

    Lascaux-caves

    YOU can take a virtual tour of the Grotte de Lascaux in a great 3D representation of the famous caves.

    Travel through the Hall of the Bulls, and see the deer, bison and men painted on the walls thousands of years ago.

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  • Artefacts found in Fromelles graves

    Gas-mask-fromelles

    The remains of a First World War gas mask recovered during the dig.

    THE work on recovering the bodies of British and Australian soldiers buried in mass graves during World War One near Fromelles in northern France has turned up some intriguing objects.

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  • Getting down to business in Eymet

    Angel-traders-eymet

    Melanie Chipperfield and Amanda Smith hope to help smaller businesses in France

    IT is not often you get to see a yoga teacher in the same room as a carpet fitter, or staff members from a national bank rubbing shoulders with the chef of an Indian restaurant.

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  • Gourmet moments, or maybe not

    Cycling-cuisineOf all the French words or phrases that have been universally adopted, one is first among equals, writes Christopher Strong.

    It is the phrase that so perfectly describes social sins, that it has joined such mondiale stalwarts as sex, taxi and radar.

    The phrase, of course, is faux pas.

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  • Things to consider when buying French property

    Coins1803FEW people can resist stopping in front of an estate agent’s window just to see what properties they have on their books.

    Here regular contributor to the site, lawyer Guillaume Barlet, takes a look at some of the things you may need to consider if looking to buy a place in France.

    Quotesstart_2 In recent years, French laws relating to property ownership, inheritance and taxes have been subject to dramatic changes. Adaptation is key and these rules are full of traps for the unwary.

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  • One for the bug hunters

    Bug-franceI HAD to slowly back away from the computer screen after opening an email from reader Steve Pritchard with a photograph of this bug attached.

    He is hoping that other readers of the site will be able to identify what type of beetle it is, he saw it whilst out walking near a vineyard at Peyriac de Mer just west of Narbonne (map).

    Click on the thumbnail image to get a better view of the beast, and if you know what it is please leave a comment below.

  • Emergency services in France

    Chateau-blockWITH the summer holidays here many people will be driving around France either visiting friends or enjoy a week or two away.

    But sometimes things don’t run smoothly and should something go wrong and you need to call on the emergency services, a little advanced preparation may help.

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  • Motor rally race at Sauveterre-la-Lémance


    WHAT should be a quiet Sunday morning as the sun beats down on the French countryside is anything but as the turbo on a Renault 5 GT rattles my ribcage.

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  • French language crossword to enjoy

    Crossword-franceTAKE five minutes out of your day for a quick crossword challenge that will help boost your French vocabulary.

    Beverley has created another crossword for you to enjoy with the clues offered up in French, and the answers in English.

    You can download a two page .pdf file offering up the quiz itself on page one, and the answers on page two.

  • Motor rally at Sauveterre la Lemance

    Rallye-sauveterreIF you enjoy motorsport and want to experience a rally around the roads of south west France then head to Sauveterre la Lemance (map).

    A number of teams will be heading to the village for a day of racing on Sunday, June 28, with drivers from across France expected to attend.

    And if you want to get an idea of the race take a look over the photographs and videos on local website http://mcracing47.skyrock.com/

    Update 28/06/09: Racing through the French countryside