Tipping in France The English word ‘tip’ was originally an acronym for ‘To Insure Promptness.’ Innkeepers would write this on a box by the door, later simplified to ‘T.I.P.’, to enable customers to show…
La Ferme du Bonheur is a sanctuary for old, abandoned, or abused animals, among them horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, geese, ducks, dogs, cats, a bull and a wild boar.
In 1911, Picasso and Braques arrived in Céret and began experimenting with Cubism, a painting style that was to revolutionise art.
Police border checks were set up between France and Spain from November 13th to December 13th, to control immigration during COP21 when 195 countries and nearly 150 world leaders met in Paris to discuss climate…
With the New Year fast approaching, and the uncertainty of Brexit, you may be thinking about getting your paperwork in order. As if official administration isn’t hard enough, doing it in a foreign language can sometimes…
The hottest 2015 calendar on the block! Eleven gorgeous ladies and one very brave man star in the nuddy, tastefully frozen in time amidst the wines, vines and easels of sunny France. And boy, do they…
French rail service SNCF has dropped a partnership with Airbnb following pressure from the hotel industry. The accommodation website, which describes itself as a site to ‘rent unique places to stay from local hosts in…
This is the second instalment of the history of our farmhouse home in the hills above Ceret.
I was very lucky to meet Jaume Bertran. My french teacher also works as a carer. When she arrived to give me my french lesson recently she remarked that she had a new client and that he had told her that he knew Mas Pallagourdi very well. When she pressed him for more details he told her that he had lived at our house as a child. It was this, in fact, that spurred me on to discover more about the history of our house, and I asked her to set up a meeting.
FNAC buys your unwanted electrical goods An eye catching building as you enter Perpignan, the FNAC stands for ‘Fédération nationale d’achats des cadres’ and is an international chain selling electronic products, books, CDs…. Once…
‘The sardana: how to dance it’. The Society for International Folk Dancing have just published a book by Brian Bishop, in English, on the Catalan dance, the sardana, entitled ‘The sardana: how…
