It’s not supposed to happen in the land of fantasy and make believe but yesterday it did – there were no princesses, no Disney characters and no parade. The Disney characters at Disneyland Paris said “non” and went on strike for the whole day on Wednesday 16th May. Visitors to EuroDisney in Paris were met [...]
Alain Robert was born in 1962 in Digoin, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France but he is better known as the “French Spider-Man”), or “the Human Spider” thanks to his exploits over the years. Robert has climbed more than 100 of the world’s tallest and well-known buildings over the years including the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the [...]
A new exhibition has opened at the Christian Dior Museum in Granville, Normandy and will run until the 23rd September 2012. Beloved by women the world over, Dior became the designer of choice to Hollywood celebrities, most notably Marlene Dietrich who was a fan and customer from his earliest days. She was also a personal [...]
With just a few days to go to the start of the 2012 Cannes Festival which runs from 16 to 27 May we tell you how to get the most out of your visit if your aim is to go to celebrity seeking. A host of A-list celebrities will be in town wearing their finest [...]
MONUMENTA in Paris is an ambitious artistic work organized by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication based at the recently renovated Grand Palais, one of the great historic buildings of Paris created for the 1900 Exposition Universelle. For the past five years MONUMENTA has invited an internationally renowned contemporary artist to take over the 13,500m² [...]
Hollywood actor Brad Pitt will be the new face of Chanel No.5 – one of the most iconic and well-known perfumes in the world. Chanel No. 5 was the first perfume launched by Parisian couturier Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in 1922 and it has been beloved of women (and men) the world over ever since. Legends [...]
Activities and events to attend in your area. More happens here than you think.
What you may ask is Lille 3000? When Lille became the European Capital of Culture for 2004, the people and the council of Lille took it very seriously but they didn’t want it to be for one year only. A programme of culture was embarked upon and called Lille 3000. Since 2004 the city has [...]
Disneyland Paris or Eurodisney as its often referred to, is Europe’s No. 1 tourist attraction. Created in the new town of Marne-la-Vallée in the eastern suburbs of Paris, its location in the heart of Europe makes it easily accessible which is good since in 2011 15 million visitors converged to enter through its gilded gates. [...]
We’ve put together details of some of the best known, best-loved or just plain fun music events in France for 2012. If you know of any music events that you think we should include so that other people can enjoy them too, please let us know via our Contact Form. France Music in May 2012 [...]
It is easier when you know where to go, where to stay and how much things cost.
Just a short drive (around 30 mins) from the port towns of Dunkirk and Calais, St Omer offers a tantalising and rural taste of historic France. Although northern France may arguably not be able to compete in the glamour stakes with its southern neighbour it is an amazingly culturally diverse area and in St Omer [...]
St Omer in the Nord Pas-de-Calais region offers an abundance of things to do for the visitor both in the town of St Omer and the surrounding countryside. Following on from our list of favourite things to do in St Omer is this new list of equally interesting and diverse activities giving you a real [...]
There’s plenty do in and around St Omer in the Pas de Calais just a short drive from the ports of Dunkirk and Calais and here are just some of our favourite things. You can click here for more things to do in St Omer. The Town of St Omer The main square, Place Foch, is [...]
Enjoy the good things in life just like the French do. Fresh air, fresh food.
This is great for using up summer fruits – especially when you have a glut. Use predominantly strawberries to get a really summery taste. It’s lovely when you put a little in with some sparkling wine or champagne too and if you bottle it up and wrap the bottles they make great and much appreciated [...]
The term aioli comes from the French ail – garlic. It is believed to have originated from Provence and is sometimes called the ‘butter of Provence’. As it’s name suggests, the main ingredient is garlic for this tasty mayonnaise style garnish. Aioli makes a great dip for raw vegetable crudités, barbecued prawns, lamb chops, hot [...]
Just the name of them sounds fancy doesn’t it! They are actually very easy to make but you can make them look really special and impress whoever you’re nice enough to offer them to. Ingredients For 20 cup cakes 150g/5¼ oz (⅔ cup) butter 340g/12 oz (1½0 cups) sugar 320g/11¼ oz (2¾ cups) plain flour [...]
Learning French. Simple words, phrases and free online books.
A few commonly used terms that estate agents (immobiliers) in France use: Abri – shed Appartement meublé – furnished apartment Deux-pièces – one bedroomed apartment Cave – usually refers to a cellar rather than a cave though there are cave dwellings in some parts of France such as the [...]
In France, having a debate or an argument is considered healthy and intelligent. The French believe that if you can’t have a good old row with your partner in public then you’ve got something to hide. Certainly in this quiet and tranquil little village where I have a home you can from time to time, [...]
Our English speaking friends often want to know what to say in French to convey an exclamation such as Gordon Bennet or flipping hell! Many of them think that a good phrase to use is Zut alors but it isn’t – no one really uses that expression any more. If you’re interested in learning some [...]
Connecting and paying for your utilities, shopping and making friends.
Public Holidays, or Bank Holidays, in France are fixed dates that are held every year regardless of the day of the week they fall on except those which are associated with Easter which are changeable dates every year. It’s worth noting that if a public holiday occurs on a Tuesday, many workers in smaller businesses [...]
Here at The Good Life France we don’t pretend to be experts on tax or inheritance rules in France but we can tell you that you should, if you’re an expat, check how being resident in France might affect your assets when it comes to inheritance. Once you become a permanent resident in France, your [...]
Newspaper reports carry messages of high unemployment and poor job growth outlook in these times of financial difficulty in Europe (9.8% unemployment in France March 2012) means that finding a job in France as a foreigner might be a challenge. There are lots of reasons why many people will find the appeal of working in [...]
Information on buying, selling, building and renovating property.
This is the Short List table I put together for the renovation work we needed to do to our house, there’s a much longer list – in fact its a book! In it I laid out each job that was needed to be done, any dependencies, what special materials we needed and the approximate time [...]
When you’re considering buying the home you’ve dreamed of in France there are a lot of decisions to make before you commit, here are a few things to think about: Location of your house in France Most people visit an area in the summer months for a short period of time and decide that it [...]
After all the excitement of searching, you find the house of your dreams in France and its time to go ahead and buy. In France, buying a property can mean paying quite high fees – anything from 4% to 10% and more often than not its the higher figure. There are also the legal fees [...]
Just a very quick update today on the latest additions to our family! We were in the local garden centre getting some straw for the chickens’ nests and they had some Barbary ducklings in a cage. I’m afraid I was lost. I know that I said when I became an empty nester after the baby [...]
19 May 2012 is the European Night of the Museums and in France the Nuits des Musées. It’s a night when many of the museums of France open to the public for free from 8.00 to midnight and sometimes later. Often the exhibits are lit with lantern and candlelight and the administrators will throw in [...]
Whenever I go to the market at Hesdin which I love thanks to its wonderful location, I pass a little white chapel at the side of the road in the village of Embry in the Seven Valleys area of Pas-de-Calais. The neighbours tell me it is the second Lourdes which I’ve always thought a [...]
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My French Life: We must be quackers!
Just a very quick update today on the latest additions to our family! We were in the local garden centre getting some straw for the chickens’ nests and they had some Barbary ducklings in a cage. I’m afraid I was lost. I know that I said when I became an empty nester after the baby [...]
My French Life: Museums and memories of France
19 May 2012 is the European Night of the Museums and in France the Nuits des Musées. It’s a night when many of the museums of France open to the public for free from 8.00 to midnight and sometimes later. Often the exhibits are lit with lantern and candlelight and the administrators will throw in [...]
My French Life: The Chapel at Embry, Pas-de-Calais
Whenever I go to the market at Hesdin which I love thanks to its wonderful location, I pass a little white chapel at the side of the road in the village of Embry in the Seven Valleys area of Pas-de-Calais. The neighbours tell me it is the second Lourdes which I’ve always thought a [...]
