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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'The French state has to respect the wishes of the people 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.

American playground is tourist hotspot

Known world-wide for its 7km Promenade des Anglais, Nice also has strong links with the US – dating from the 1780s when future president Thomas Jefferson paid many visits while ambassador here and advised Americans to “spend a few days here”.

Tiny library is a big success

This crowded room is perfect for Jean-Jacques Megel-Nuber who had been searching for a new adventure after a life working in the theatre and events – so he set up a tiny mobile library and bookshop and takes it round festivals.

Trending Now: Retro Holidays

The wi-fi and phone reception is not always great - but Jane Hanks discovers that's what some people want these days

The simple road sign that means so much to 5,000 communes in France

Why having a Villes et Villages Fleuris de France label is so important to so many towns and villages

Meet the world's fastest woman in a wingsuit

Introducing Ellen Brennan, a New York Yankee in the French court of extreme sports

1,000 drummers wanted to rock the Pyrenees

Drummers, plus singers and guitarists, of all abilities are invited to join in the epic playalong

Moving to France: the Smith family tells their story

Alan (58) and Anna Smith (44) decided to leave their home in Oundle, near Peterborough, and move to France in December 2016. Along with their two daughters Jessica (13) and Lucy (10), they were determined to fulfil their dream of owning some land and enjoying a more relaxed way of life.

Amputee Valérie leads the way to help hospital children

Remembering her own 'devastating' experiences in hospital, she raises funds to improve lives of those on long treatments

Blind rugby fans enjoy Toulon match day

Fans at Stade Mayol got close to the action with audio-description technology

For gardeners who let animals do the donkey work

Animals can clear maquis scrub and tough brush from overgrown gardens or pasture

Ils font quoi? C’est pas vrai!

We asked people who recently moved to France what has surprised them the most. Here are some of their answers.

Relax... There are people out there who can help you to break free of nation’s red-tape trap

Helping new arrivals to acclimatise to French life is the bread and butter of relocation agencies.

France is distinctive – but that is part of the appeal

Be prepared to embrace some idiosyncrasies... We newcomers often consider ourselves experts in French culture.

The first steps towards a life you’ve always dreamed of

Once you have moved to France you will immediately notice that many things are different – driving on the right, the traffic light sequences, yellow postboxes, shops closed on Sunday... all of which is part of the fun.

Try your hand in weekend festival of artistic crafts

Sheep solution to Dordogne's unkempt vistas

Department turns to ancient farming method to protect its picture-perfect rural views

The art of the Parisian shopfront

Photographer Sebastian Erras' project to photograph fascinating Parisian shopfronts and their owners

Book craic in Angers

Volunteers set out to make The English-language Library in Angers' fundraising event a day to remember

Weekly Bulletin 1624 keeps expats in the know about events

Meet Jeremy Smith, the man behind long-running weekly events round-up and website Bulletin 1624.

Provence-based women's networking group blossoms

Meet Rebecca Ronane, the woman behind the blossoming women's group Network Provence.

A century of friendship: the France-Grande Bretagne Association

How the 100-year-old France-Grande Bretagne Association is forging links that are stronger than ever