Never Argue With Your French Teacher My wife Val and I live in California but I spend several months every year in St-Rémy-de-Provence. When we first started doing this some years ago, Val spoke basic French and I spoke next to none. So we each took classes in the US …

By Paula Kane Here it is, the last full weekend of my stint in Provence. The time always whips by and it’s hard to believe I’ve been here just over two months already. This stretch is often punctuated with a wide range of emotions, and this year has been no …

Contributor blog post by Jemma: I couldn’t write this post until things had been resolved – or mostly resolved, as the case would be. Even then, I didn’t know if I should bother. It’s France. Everyone expects home maintenance problems. And how can anything be a problem, really, if we’re talking …

Contributor blog post by Jemma: French Lessons has survived a summer that one local friend dubbed “un agenda de ministre.” Even for us non-government ministers, the French expression seemed an appropriate way to characterize our schedule in a country where public spending(as a % of GDP) continues, shall we say, to …

This article “Twenty Years Living in Aix-en-Provence”  was originally published on author M. L. Longworth’s website. The post is her reflective view of how the city of Aix-en-Provence has changed in the last two decades, and of those staples that make the city unique. Our decision to move to France …

Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer: It’s well over 2 years now since we finally picked up the keys and opened the door to our little house in Provence after so many years of dreaming about it. We couldn’t afford a perfect house with elegant gardens and a pretty pool and …

Contributor blog post by Paula Kane: I have a system, and for a decade it’s been running like clockwork. It’s an excellent plan, and one I am rather attached to. I look forward to it, like a ritual.  Although some people think I am a bit of a gypsy and rather …

French Lessons welcomes Rachael for the second year running as our annual guest contributor. Last summer, she explained how she dealt with her impounded car at the local fourrière (pound). This year her automotive theme continues, as does her – ahem – fast wit. A few months ago, I was …

EU Imports Need to Know As a fully-fledged member of the European Union, it’s fair to say that the economy of France has benefitted considerably from the freedom of movement and continued migration. France is an attractive location for individuals looking to work or live in, one of the EU’s …

By Sophia Mose: Aix-en-Provence Relocation Newcomers to Aix-en-Provence as well as people considering a move to this popular town just inland from Marseille tend to have a lot of questions about moving to Aix-en-Provence or living there – which neighbourhoods are the nicest or closest or greenest, the property market …