The Language The language of France is French, not English. This may seem trivial; yet many expats in France seem to ignore it. Foreign languages are not commonly spoken in France, and the French take pride in their language. Whereas people in the Nordic countries and the Netherlands will do an effort to speak to you in your language, the opposite is the case in France. No matter how little French you speak, demonstrate the few skills you have and your willingness to try. Also, do an effort to improve your skills over time. You may ask if it really matters. The answer is: Only if you care if you will be welcomed and respected, or ignored and despised.

   Tradition as is the case for the language, the French care about their culture and traditions. Even though things have changed over the last 50 years in the direction of "Anglo-Saxon" habits, the French still have their sensibilities. Making acquaintances takes longer time in France than in English-speaking cultures. The way the French interact is less casual than what you may be used to. Colleagues shake hands every morning and say bonjour. They don't just walk straight to their work place, shouting hi to everybody. Lunch breaks are respected. Be sensitive to such differences.   

  French Cuisine: In France, there are three meals a day. Breakfast, generally served from around 7:00 am to 9:00 am, is composed of a hot drink (coffee, tea or chocolate), croissants and/or bread, butter and jam.    
Lunch, between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm, is a real feast, usually consisting of a starter, main course and/or a dessert. It is usually finished off with an espresso coffee. Finally, dinner starts around 8:00 pm. It lasts approximately one hour and is comprised of an appetizer, an entree and dessert.

 A snack (around 4:00 pm) is traditionally reserved for children, although some adults take this as an opportunity to enjoy tea and cakes.   

  At the restaurant
In France you will find all sorts of restaurants, from simple, small, cozy ones to famous gourmet restaurants, along with brasseries, inns and tearooms.

  In restaurants, bread and carafes of water are included in the price shown, as well as all service charges, even if it is customary to leave a small tip. 

        Culinary specialties
In addition to wine, bread and cheese, which are the classics in French culinary culture, one can enjoy as many specialties as there are regions.
Alsace: sauerkraut (with local cured pork), kouglof (cakes with raisins), dry white wines.
     Aquitaine: duck-based foods (foie gras, breast, gizzards, confit), piperade (pepper and cooked tomato omelette), poulet basquaise (chicken cooked with tomatoes and sweet peppers), cannelé, Gascon pastis and wines of Bordeaux.
      Auvergne: green lentils from Puy en Velay, truffade (potatoes, bacon and melted Cantal Tomme cheese), pounti (salty/sweet cakes stuffed with herbs and with or without prunes).
     Bourgogne: escargots, beef bourguignon, fondue bourguignonne (beef cubes cooked in oil), gougère (cabbage with cheese), mustard and the famous Burgundy wines.
     Brittany: crêpes and galettes, seafood, far (a sort of flan), Kouign Amann (salted butter-based cake), and cider
     Centre: Gâtinais honey
     Champagne-Ardenne: boudin blanc (a type of white sausage), andouillette (chitterling) sausage from Troyes, Ardennes ham, croquignolles de Reims (small pink biscuits) and of course, champagne.
Corsica: cured pork meats, wild boar stew, Brocciu (ewe cheese), chestnut flour, citrus.
      Franche-Comté: poularde aux morilles (fattened chicken with morel mushrooms), Morteau sausages, kirsch and absinthe.
     Paris Ile-de-France: Meaux and Melun brie, Coulommiers (cow's milk cheese).
     Languedoc-Roussillon: l'Aligot (mashed potatoes with fresh Tomme cheese), cassoulet (white beans with goose confit, garlic and pork), brandade de Nîmes (eel-based), la Gardiane (bull's meat casserole).
     Limousin: tourtou (rye flour crêpe), la tête de veau (head of veal) les pomme (apples)
     Lorraine: lquiche lorraine, mirabelle (sweet yellow plum also fruit brandy), beers, white wines.
    Midi-Pyrénées: Cassoulet, foie gras, cured pork meats, Gascon pastis (puffed pastry, strips of apples steeped in armagnac).
     Nord-Pas-de-Calais: carbonnade flamande (beer-cooked beef), Hochepot (ragoût of varied meats).
     Normandy: Camembert and other cheeses, escalope de veau normande (Veal in a mushroom-cream sauce), le poulet vallée d'Auge (Calvados flambé chicken cooked in cider), andouille de Vire (chitterling sausage), la Teurgoule (rice in milk), caramel of Isigny and cider.
     Picardie: la ficelle picarde (leek-stuffed crêpe), clafouti aux maroilles (cheese), le Cackruse (pork with prunes), le gâteau batu (kirsch cakes).
     Pays de la Loire: les sablés nantais (Nantes short-cut pastries), berlingots (twisted, hard mint candy).
     Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur: Bouillabaisse (fish soup), anchoïade (anchovy-based cream), aïoli (garlic mayonnaise), soupe au pistou (pesto soup), fougasse (flat loaf), marzipan from Aix.
     Rhône-Alpes: la fondue savoyarde (cheese cooked in white wine in which bread is soaked), quenelles (dumplings), cured pork meats.
    Riviera: pissaladière (a sort of tomato and onion pizza), salade niçoise, ratatouille (mix of cooked vegetables). 

     Cyclists: 

  Paris has put a lot of emphasis on pedestrianized streets and has laid out paths reserved for cyclists and roller bladers: widened bus lanes (used by RATP buses and taxis) and safe cycle tracks are appearing nearly everywhere, especially on the major roads. On Sundays, the roads by the side of the Seine are completely reserved for pedestrians, cyclists and rollerbladers (except for pre-arranged cancellations or flooding).

Tour De France

The Tour de France is the biggest annual sporting event in the world. It rivals the World Cup and the Olympic Games/Para lympics. While these events are undoubtedly bigger, they only take place every four years.  Also unlike any other major sporting event, the Tour is free to view; it takes place on closed public roads from start to finish. The race regularly goes outside France – it generally visits a neighbouring European country every second year. It was last in Kent in 1994 but has also visited Ireland. The race lasts for three weeks; competing in it represents an amazing feat of physical endurance. Racers climb high into the Alps and cover enormous distances each day.  They eat and drink en route and are keen to make sure that their sponsors names are on show – that’s why they sit up, zip up their tops and throw their arms wide before they cross the finishing line.

The 103-year-old event, first held in 1903 but suspended during both world wars, brings parts of France to a standstill and draws millions to the roadsides along the 2,000-mile route. Many more millions watch it on TV worldwide.

The famous yellow jersey – or maillot Jaune – is worn by the overall leader of the race, the cyclist with the fastest time at the end of the previous day’s racing.

There are other special jerseys. The cyclist in the polka dot jersey is the best climber, winning points for being the first man over the top of designated hills. The green jersey is worn by the cyclist with the most sprint points, won by being first past the post at designated spots on the route, and the white jersey is worn by the best young rider (under 25).

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Futuro scope: Situated just north of Poitiers, Futuro scope is the largest cinematic theme park in Europe. There are areas of interest for all age groups and it provides a stimulating and fun day out culminating in an impressive laser show at night.

 La Rochelle: The historic port of La Rochelle is a must for any visitor to the region. Its sea food restaurants are famous throughout Europe and its range of fashionable boutiques, sheltering under the famous arcades, are some of the finest outside Paris. Time should be found to visit the aquarium and to visit the famous towers which surround the old port.

 Ile de Ré: Only a short distance from La Rochelle, linked to the mainland by a stunning curved bridge, is the Ile de Ré. Known as the St Tropez of the west coast, it offers miles of sandy beaches and the old world charm of St Martin. It is the summer playground for many French politicians and stars of the entertainment world.

 Marais Poitevin: Often known as ‘Green Venice’, the Marais Poitevin provides a remarkable web of interlinked canals in the most stunning natural setting. Visitors can hire boats and spend hours exploring this unique water system. It covers 96,000 hectares and sits between the sea to the west, the Vendée to the north and Niort to the east.

 Valley of the Monkeys: No child’s holiday in the Poitou-Charentes is complete without a visit to La Vallée des Singes. There are thirty different species of monkeys on view and visitors can wander amongst the smaller monkeys and feed and touch them. The larger gorillas are safely contained on their own islands!

 Charente River: Within a few kilometres of the properties winds the enchanting Charente River. At the Aire de Rejallant, near Ruffec,, one can hire canoes and spend from two hours to a whole day exploring this fascinating waterway. (Return transport provided). There are lovely places to picnic, sandy paddling and swimming areas, as well as a bar restaurant.

 Velo Rail: Running amongst the lovely countryside between the Charente and Vienne Rivers is the old railway line which has been imaginatively converted to provide hours of fun for all the family. Up to 5 people can travel together (two pedalling) and it enables the whole family to discover all the hidden delights of an old railway line.

 Angouleme: The old fortified hill town of Angouleme, capital of the Charente, is the centre of cartoon and image in France. The old town, perched high on a rock overlooking the Charente River, is full of lovely shops, cafes and restaurants; to sit out in summer in one of the tree lined squares provides one of those special holiday memories.

 Cognac: Under an hour’s drive away is Cognac, the home of brandy. Many of the big name distillers offer impressive tours including train rides through miles of vaulted cellars. The town itself, situated on the banks of the Charente, is well worth a visit. In nearby Jarnac you can visit the birthplace of former French President Mitterand.

 Rochefort: The former home of the French navy at the mouth of the Charente is a town with many fascinating places to visit. The Corderie Royale, the former rope making factory, has been beautifully restored and offers visitors the chance to see how rope has been made throughout the centuries. Just nearby, in a dry dock, you can see the reconstruction underway of the Hermione, a French sailing ship that went to the aid of the American colonist.