Life In France

1. The French and the British in particular like to emphasise their differences and the failure of either race to master the other's language, typifies this.
2. In reality living in France can be a good experience if you approach it in the right way. The concerns of the average French person are much the same as ours - family, jobs, the home, food, sport, neighbours, local politics and the ineptitude of Government.
3. The Northern French are quite reserved and the strong regional accent, peppered with patois, can make comprehension difficult even for the most fluent French speaker.
4. Nonetheless most of our clients report that they have been received with genuine warmth by their neighbours and that attempts to speak French, however limited, are appreciated.
5. Municipal services are usually efficient although the paperwork can be a bit haphazard. Electricity, gas and telephone services are good if quite expensive and shopping is generally excellent although the habit of closing for two hours in the middle of the day can be irritating.
6. The North of France has a number of good supermarket chains including the excellent Shops which are like expanded village stores and provide everything from newspapers and ammunition for rifles to fresh meat and shoes and socks. Most villages are also visited by mobile shops selling bread, groceries, fish, fruit and vegetables.
7. The roads are relatively free of traffic by British standards, although the French are not the slowest or most careful of drivers. Of course the opening of the Channel Tunnel, the highspeed TGV through Lille and Arras and an expanding motorway system, has opened up the North of France and made it even more accessible from Britain.

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