French Life

Embrace France's joie de vivre with real-life tales and bright ideas ranging from the quirky to the inspirational.

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Edmond Simeoni and the wishes of Corsica

Edmond Simeoni, 82, one of the founders of the Corsican nationalist movement, told Connexion the elections in December 2015 were a real shot in the arm for their dreams of autonomy.

Craftspeople in France - candlemaker

Holding a candle for veggie wax

French village garage’s century of Citroën heritage

It is just a small village garage but it resounds with 100 years of Citroën history.

How lacemakers in Calais ended up Down Under

Over several decades, waves of British citizens have moved to France for a better life. But when the political winds of Europe suddenly change, they find themselves marooned with nowhere to go. Sounds familiar? Perhaps, but this was 1848, as The Connexion discovers…

The French van now making its mark in middle England

All photos on this page copyright Troubador Publishing Ltd

Following on from our recent article about readers who love their old Citroëns, here’s how one vintage van can be spotted around villages in the UK

Readers and their Citroëns

We’ve travelled all around the world in our 2CVs for some incredible adventures

Izi way to find a handyman in France

French market celebrates its 700th anniversary

Markets are a common sight in towns and villages across France – but some have a much longer heritage than others.

France’s band of weekend warriors with a difference

The Connexion learns more about the part-time world of live-action role playing games that give thousands of players a brief pause from day-to-day life

France's crafts in focus - November 2019

Inside magical world of a self-taught ceramic artist

Online video shows Belle Époque-era Parisian life

Footage features Notre Dame Cathedral in 1896, the Champs-Élysées in 1899 ... and the moving walkway at the Paris Exposition in 1900

The rise and rise of camping cars in France

The Connexion spoke to Louise and Bill Peacocke, have just returned to their home in the Haute-Savoie after a month-long camping-car holiday in Iceland

A French test drive with a difference...

Journalists are often offered the chance to test drive new cars but The Connexion's Brian McCulloch had a different opportunity - to get behind the wheel of a combine harvester in France. Here's his report...

Great Christmas gifts for anyone who loves France

We know it's just October and Christmas seems a while away, but we also know that early organisation can help take stress out of seasonal gift-buying

Combining personal health and the planet’s wellbeing

Our zeitgeist column looks at the success of a simple French Facebook idea that caught the eye of founder Mark Zuckerberg

France's crafts in focus - September 2019

Modern-day careers in the age-old art of bookbinding

France’s own kilt-maker

A large house in a French village hides a surprising business: hand-made Scottish kilts.

Disabled rider’s round-France five months’ journey

One rider, her dog, a pair of horses and 13 legs...

Lifestyle of the nomadic European house-sitter

The Connexion discovers the ups and downs of looking after someone else’s home while they are away, from a pair of ‘working retirees’

'We crossed the Alps in 40kg of armour'

Historian retraces the route of 16th-century French king's troops

The fan of forgotten French fleurs

Make sense of...The French and holidays

The classic holiday choice for the French involves lying on a beach in August – and this year Corsica is favourite destination