This French Life

Author: Craig McGinty

  • A bicycling tour of French treasures

    Bike FranceI AM sure there are many people who would like to check the tyres on their racing bike and head off around the back roads of France.

    Well US-born video film maker Christopher Strong has done just that with his Bicycle Gourmet’s Treasures of France tour, which fulfilled his dream of cycling around the country visiting interesting places and meeting entertaining characters.

    Here Christopher writes a Q&A style piece outlining the travels he undertook around France, which took in total just over two years.

    (more…)

  • Any advice on treatment for osteoporosis in France?

    A COMMENT has been left on the site asking for the experiences of those who have received treatment for osteoporosis and what medical support is available in the French system.

    If people are able to pass on any advice you can either leave a message via the comment form below, or contact me directly and I will draw together the different threads.

  • Advice page in English on electricity in France

    English electricity FranceTHANKS to a comment on the forum an advice page in English about electricity in France was highlighted that features some useful basic information.

    The page is part of the EDF website and provides a quick overview of payment methods, meter readings and a couple of pointers about different voltages.

    And whilst other pages linked to are in French, the English language page may prove helpful for people who are planning a move.

    Related article: Electricity tariffs in France

  • Autumn snapshots to explore

    Autumn chestnutsYOU can tell that autumn hangs heavy in the French air when wood smoke drifts through villages and chestnuts are in abundance.

    And as Clare, of Dordogne Quilter fame, spotted in a shop window those chestnuts pop up everywhere and even have their own special kitchen equipment.

    If you have any photographs you want to share with readers of This French Life then just pop them in the Flickr photo pool.

    Or if you are a little shy, why not spend some time browsing around the work of others and explore France with them.

  • Living the Dharma House way of life

    Dharma House project

    Learning new skills such as permaculture at The Dharma House

    WHEN a group of friends from Brighton decided to leave the rat race behind they found themselves a place in the foothills of the Cévennes mountains.

    And that place has become The Dharma House, a centre for people to study ecology, undertake meditation and learn how to lead a more sustainable life.

    (more…)

  • Challenge your knowledge of France

    Ritournelle de la faimLET’S see how good your knowledge of France really is with the latest quiz covering both events from the present day to those from the past?

    Here are ten questions posed by author Andrew Whittaker, who compiled the book Speak the Culture: France, so see how much you really know.

    The list of questions are below, alongside a .pdf that you can print off and take away with you, which you could hand out at a get-together or similar event.

    (more…)

  • Aircraft noise levels around French airports

    Aircraft noise FranceA SERIES of maps have been released by the civil aviation authorities charting the noise levels of aircraft around the major airports of France.

    The maps from the Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile outline current levels, but also cast an eye forward to the future and estimate the areas around airports that may be affected by increased flights.

    The airports concerned are Bâle-Mulhouse, Bordeaux Mérignac, Lyon Saint Exupéry, Marseille Provence, Nice Côte d’Azur, Paris – Charles de Gaulle, Paris – Orly and Toulouse Blagnac.

  • Heading to the spas of France for cancer care

    Verite Reily CollinsOUR ancestors ate, drank, made merry – yet lived almost as long as we do, writes Verite Reily Collins.

    Every year some went abroad to ‘take the cure’, and Edward VII was a frequent spa visitor, accompanied by Caesar, his dog. The Duke of Westminster would take his Duchess, install her at Brides-les-Bains, then rush across France to join Coco Chanel in her spa holiday at Biarritz.

    French cancer survival rates are far higher than ours, so when my cancer specialist’s only suggestion to treat nasty side effects from treatment was, “do you want to come off the drug”, I decided to follow celebrities like Kylie Minogue.

    Tapping into French after-care I was helped to stay on the drugs, and will hopefully live a lot longer, although sadly, in Britain, over 50 per cent come off these life-prolonging treatments because the NHS does nothing to help.

    (more…)

  • Advice for when booking a holiday

    Beachwalk1603THE past few months has seen a number of airlines and travel firms close down, often leaving holiday makers stranded far from home.

    And with the growing appeal of booking separate parts of a holiday to France to cut costs, difficulties can arise if one part of your trip goes astray as the knock-on effects on the other sections of your holiday can see you out of pocket.

    Some simple tips offered by Consumer Direct, which is part of the Office of Fair Trading, may help you decide on the best travel plans as well as holiday choices so that you are not still paying for your trip long after you have returned.

    (more…)

  • Route out of inheritance tax nightmare for same-sex couples

    Borrie_1201_1THE inequality that the French inheritance tax system has towards same-sex couples from outside France could see many people face bills totalling 60 per cent of the value of their assets.

    At present the French system does not recognise couples who have registered under civil partnership arrangements in their own countries, so on the death of one the surviving partner is treated as an individual and will be charged inheritance tax.

    Campaigns have been started in both the French parliament and Europe to change the current set up, but surviving partners have already faced tax demands at a time when they are still grieving.

    (more…)