Letters and comment

Letters: The language barrier ended my dream life in France

Reader says that despite his love for the country he just could not get to grips with French

Letters: Motorcyclists are too aggressive on the Paris périphérique

Connexion reader says that many drive too fast and act rudely when drivers do not let them

How long does it take to renew a carte de séjour in France?

Readers share their experiences

magazine

Comment: French garages can be a right pain in the derrière

Columnist Samantha David recounts her regular struggle to get her old banger moving

Comment: Industrial eyesores are a blot on French rural landscape

Columnist Nick Inman argues that town planners should be more aware of visual pollution

Letters: Quirky French expressions with donkeys, silk and breaking wind

Readers share their favorite silly phrases in the language

Comment: Brexit hit French residents hard but was it a no-win for everyone?

Columnist Nick Inman says it is time for Leave supporters to take stock

Letters: French paid bin collection system works if you take care

Readers share their experiences in coping with the limited pick-ups

Letters: France’s traditional village fêtes are still alive and well

Connexion reader says the parties could easily run late into the night

Comment: French YouTuber's Everest ascent is problematic but inspiring

Columnist Nabila Rambani reflects on the achievement of YouTube sensation Inoxtag

Letters: Patou dogs can spoil hiking trips in France

Readers share their opinions Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog

Comment: Soap opera of French politics continues with new cabinet

France teeters on the verge of ungovernability, says columnist Simon Heffer

My advice as a mountain guide on how you can help protect the French Alps

‘Despite what you might think about fresh alpine air, the air quality index is often worse in Chamonix than in Paris’

Letters: Don’t forget that climate change hits French farmers too

Connexion reader highlights the uphill struggle against drought, flooding and varying temperatures

'Many in my French village vote far right... but not due to immigration'

Columnist Nick Inman addresses an unpalatable reality of rural life that is now a national phenomenon

Letters: Bin collection fees have soared in France - for fewer pick-ups

Readers say the fees mean putting the rubbish out only once every six weeks

'Real French treasures are now hard to find at flea markets'

Columnist Peter Wyeth laments that traditional vide-greniers are increasingly filled with flimsy plastic objects

'French healthcare is baffling and complex... but it works'

Columnist Nick Inman recently had the misfortune to be ill, but the fortune, as he sees it, for this to happen in France

'Paris Olympics were magnificent - but our visit was disappointing'

Reader says her family were surprised to see that the Olympic flame was not real - and that there were no more Phryge toys available

Letters: Readers spar over French 'obsession' with meat

Vegetarians argue that it is 'bad for our health and the planet' rather than the 'epitome of dining'

'Get your cat treated for fleas before it goes wandering in France'

Columnist Samantha David explains how her pet was picked up by an association only to return riddled with the pests

Comment: Olympics were all about cash but will leave positive legacy

The funds generated by the Games have been well spent and optimism has replaced the usual glumness, writes columnist Nabila Ramdani

Comment: Macron may pull rabbit out of hat for new PM but will it work?

Political instability seems destined to last in France, says columnist Simon Heffer.

Our village fête is sadly now more hipster Hackney than paysan Périgord

Columnist Nick Jenkins says that the gala events feel increasingly sanitised and less traditional since Covid

Comment: Recycling cannot solve plastic pollution problem alone

How one organisation is calling for less waste in a bid to fight pollution

Letters: French emergency care is fast and effective - unlike in the UK

Connexion reader says people forget how long the wait for ambulances and treatment can be in Britain and Ireland

Letters: France wrong to stop some people working after retirement age

Connexion reader says training schemes are unavailable at age 67

Comment: Croissant changes must not lose authenticity of great French pastry

Innovative twists on traditional recipes are redefining the classic pastry and should be celebrated, writes Peter Wyeth

Comment: ‘If you are going to break a tooth, don’t do it in France in August’

Reader tells how he tried 70 different dentists - but still no luck

Comment: The French can't get enough of British grub

Columnist Samantha David says that British restaurants near her could not be more popular despite low rankings by French people for the UK in a global cuisine survey

Letters: Upgrading to fibre in France was unnecessarily infuriating

Connexion reader had to pay a €50 fee to cancel previous contract, despite staying with the same operator

Letters: Why must French farmers chop, poison and destroy nature?

Connexion reader says that he has seen biodiversity plummet in the past decade

Letters: France's new toll free motorways confuse - and impress

Connexion readers share their experience of driving under the new system

Letters: Why can't French property deeds be simpler?

Connexion reader asked notaire for a copy of their home's titre de propriété and received a 21-page document in reply

Letters: Why does Amazon Prime require another account in France?

Connexion readers say they use the service to deliver products from the UK

Letters: I have four addresses for the same house in France

Connexion reader responds to a recent article on rural properties not having a proper address

Comment: France's obsession with eating dead animals must end

Columnist Nick Inman says that meat production is a luxury the environment can ill afford

Letters: Stop blaming French drivers, maybe the problem is you

A Connexion reader takes issue with correspondents labelling French drivers as impatient and aggressive

Letters: UK residents in France defend Michel Barnier’s Brexit stance

He ‘expressed the same opinion as the majority of Brits,’ say Connexion readers

Letters: Paris games are too big and should go back to basics

A Connexion reader says that the modern Olympics are a bloated affair with too many events

Please, Paris, bring back the romance of 1924 Olympics… we need it

Breathtaking spectacles, intense competition and – most of all – the chance for a few remarkable individuals to help us forget the chaos of today - even if only briefly - will do us good

Letters: Vaccination campaigns are not straightforward in rural France

Connexion reader says that local GP needed to convince enough patients before setting a date

Letters: Reader views on Macron's snap election

One reader felt echoes of the UK's 2016 Brexit vote in the announcement

Comment: France has entered its ‘deckchairs on the Titanic’ moment

Electoral manoeuvring has made a mockery of democratic values, argues political commentator Simon Heffer

Letters: Frenchman Barnier still does not get Brexit

Connexion reader says the EU's chief negotiator clearly fails to see why Britain voted to leave the European Union

Dual nationals in France: We are a help not a hindrance

Officials respond to far-right’s June proposal to ban citizens with double nationality from holding certain jobs

Letters: I'm American but my English is more British since move to France

Connexion reader says being around so many Britons while trying to speak more clearly to French people is having an effect

Letter: UK election rule changes did not affect my ability to vote from France

Difficulties for those who left the UK long ago casts doubt on how effective changes really were

Comment: The Paris Olympics are bad for planet and we must scale down

Columnist Nick Inman says that the event 100 years ago was more in tune with modern environmental concerns

Letters: France needs to support Ukraine or I will with my credit card

Connexion reader says individuals feel increasingly pressured to support the fight

Letters: 22 (satirical) French principles every foreigner should know

Residents are expected to accept 'republican values' when applying for a carte de séjour

Letters: Is France lagging behind UK in banking security?

Connexion reader says phone call from bank seemed more like a scam

Letters: Bordeaux airport is struggling for good reason

Connexion reader says it deserves its bad reputation and should concentrate on improving safety

Letters: 'France's aggressive drivers make me shudder'

Connexion reader says French drivers are 'more reckless' than those in Germany

Letters: HRT in France and osteoporosis

Reader says pharmacists were surprised by this treatment as it is not standard here

Opinion: France's new addresses lack imagination - but they do help

There is no longer anywhere to hide in rural areas

Letters: Left-wing euphoria in France is dampened by political reality

Connexion reader believes the media hype over recent election results does not reflect the political reality for voters

Letters: Collaboration with Nazis on Jersey was the same as in France

Connexion reader says that during the occupation in World War Two some Britons on the island denounced their neighbours for simply listening to the radio

Letters: France should do more to support Ukraine

Connexion reader wants to start crowdfunding campaign to help war effort

Letters: French registered cars face battles with London ULEZ charges

Connexion reader says she was asked to pay hundreds of euros after the payment machine mistook her vehicle for a lorry

Letters: French tax problems easier to resolve than UK issues

Connexion reader says that their attempts to contact HMRC have proved frustrating

Michel Barnier: election echoes Brexit, French should learn from it

France’s political situation bears a striking similarity to that of the UK in 2016, says the Frenchman who managed the negotiations on behalf of the European Union