Bonjour mes amis!
There have been exciting developments behind the scenes here at The Good Life France as we’re revamping the site to make it look even better. This has a bit worrying for me as I am a complete technophobe but I’ve been watching the drafts and I hope that you’re going to love it when it’s all done by the end of March.
In the meantime I’ve taken my mind off the technical side by throwing myself into work on the editorial side and welcoming a new writer to the team who I will tell you more about next week. Like me she is a lover of France and all things French, she is also a travel and tourism expert, fabulous writer – and I can’t wait for you to meet her.
We’d hate for you to have missed anything so without further ado – here’s a roundup!
Living in France
We’ve been adding to all areas from finance, driving, healthcare etc. so – if you want advice about the daily essentials of life in France we want to help you. This section is set to grow over the next few weeks and we’re very excited to be getting expert advisers on board to support this.
I’ll be focussing on advice to help those looking for work in France and thanks to a great response from our friends on Facebook we’ve picked up a whole raft of tips from people who have come to France from all corners of the world and managed to get work. The one thing that stands out as critical above all else – learn the language. There is a lot you can do to help yourself have the best possible chance of getting an interview and a job – watch this space.
Things to do, places to go…
With spring comes an updated and full events calendar! All over France carnivals & festivals are taking place and planning for fabulous events is at a frenzy. Check out our monthly events calendar – we add to the monthly events section constantly so that we can make sure you’re kept informed and we personally check every link and date so that we’re accurate on your behalf.
Spring is also the time when the wonderful flea markets and brocantes of France pick up pace and we have an insider’s guide to finding a brocante; we also have a guide to finding second hand markets and antiques in Paris year round (full of gorgeous photographs of course!).
What I’ve been up to
Working hard of course! I was lucky enough to be invited to the inauguration of the Salon du Chocolat at Lille – just looking at my photos brings back memories of all that deliciousness! I also went to the Calais Wine and Food Fair where I had a great time tasting fabulous wines from all over France and touched glasses with the Mayor!
While in Calais I checked out a few restaurants and was bowled over by the quality of the food. I also checked out the town, I climbed to the top of the Belfry to get a fabulous view over the Channel and loved the Musée de Beaux Arts with its permanent Rodin exhibition – a nod to Roding’s fabulous Six Burgher of Calais sculpture in front of the Town Hall. There’s a whole heap of work going on to make it more attractive and it’s certainly working – I’ll definitely be going back soon and we’re putting it high on our French Day Trip Delights list.
I met with tourist office representatives from all the regions of France at a big media event in London – this means that I’ll be able to bring you lots of updated information about what’s on and where, what to see, what to and where to go.
I’ll leave you with my musings on French humour – inspired by an advertisement for Le Trèfle loo paper. Yes, I know it sounds a tad odd, but its actually quite witty and charming and I hope it makes you smile!
A bientôt
Janine
