Henry Shaftoe talks us through another architectural style, evident across the P-O: a sort of rough-hewn look that makes use of local materials: rough hewn rocks, huge pebbles (cailloux) and flattened bricks, (confusingly known as cayroux).
Drivers in distress, asking for help after having broken down….
How and when to update your Carte Vitale
Did you know that the word ‘vaccine’ originally came from the Latin word vacca, or more common to us, the French word vache, meaning cow?
How about Halloween in Villefranche de Conflent. Several shops sell ‘poupées sorcières’, as befits the legends of magic and witchcraft surrounding this region.
Here in Catalonia, All Saints’ Day and the evening before are known as the Castanyada, (’Fête de la châtaigne’ in French) meaning Day of the Chestnut.
Traditionally, ‘castanyes’ (roast chestnuts) are eaten along with ‘moniatos’ (roast sweet potatoes) and ‘panellets’ (small almond balls covered in pine nuts).
Cemeteries are busy on this day of remembrance and chrysanthemums are on sale on every street. Don’t offer them to your hostess when invited out for dinner! They are for the dead
How about a trip this week on the Scary Halloween Special?
Many a Bac (equivalent of A-Levels) student has quivered at the sight of Victor Hugo’s name on the test paper… how will you fare with this 19th century poem?
October 2025 – Current rules, main exceptions, and upcoming/future changes for carrying liquids in hand luggage when travelling to and from the EU ✈️ Current Rules for Carrying Liquids on a Plane (France → England,…