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How slowing down makes you love life in France
Columnist Cynthia Spillman examines the surprising benefits of taking it easy
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The battle between old and new France is now impossible to ignore
Columnist Nabila Ramdani argues that the colonial mindset is still very strong in a country looking to the past
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France’s speed cameras are infuriating – and that’s why they keep getting vandalised
Columnist Samantha David says the devices seem designed to catch drivers out
Meet the raccoon dog
Whilst staying near Bordeaux last week (near Arbis) we were lucky enough to see a flock of over 100 storks... simply amazing... They were possibly white storks but flying too high for us to positively identify.
We also spotted a racoon dog (positively identified!). We had never heard of this animal and enjoyed watching it at the edge of the vineyard.
Jon and Marie BASFORD, Mayenne
The raccoon dog (which is unrelated to an actual raccoon, called un raton laveur), is indiginous to East Asia. A tree climber, it is often hunted for its fur.
In France, where it is called as a chien viverrin, it is rarely spotted and was classed as endangered in 2016.