Making Friends in France: What Nobody Tells You
City vs. small town, French vs. international — and one surprisingly useful trick involving English bookstores.

Beyond the farmers’ market: a guide to the marchés nocturnes, gourmands, brocantes, and vide-greniers that make French community life so special.

Shocked by French renovation quotes? We break down why costs are so high — materials, skilled labor, décennale insurance — and what to budget per square meter.

This week we saved €650 on three train tickets to Paris. Here’s exactly how we did it. The Sticker Shock We were booking a round trip from Bordeaux to Paris for a holiday weekend in May — still several months out, just over two hours each way, multiple trains running daily. We expected reasonable prices. […]

Have you ever caught a story about France in the American press and wished you could hear the French perspective on it? Or maybe you’re already living in France, mentally exhausted by newspaper articles en français, but still want to stay informed?

Here are our go-to sources for French news, straight from French outlets — in English.

If you’re dreaming of owning a home in the French countryside, there’s one thing that trips up nearly every first-time buyer: the septic system report. Before you panic at that “non-conforming” label, read this.

One of the first things that surprises people about Easter in France is that the Easter eggs aren’t delivered by a bunny — they come from bells.

When we first arrived in France, the cheese aisle stopped us cold. Dozens of types, textures, and names we’d never seen — and smells we definitely weren’t prepared for. It was overwhelming in the best and most confusing way. So I did what I always do when something new feels like too much: I bought a book.

Can you get over-the-counter medications here? Short answer — yes! But the experience is very different from what most Americans are used to. Here’s what you need to know. Pharmacies Are the Only Game in Town In France, a pharmacy is the only place legally allowed to sell medication — even over-the-counter stuff. You won’t […]

French Sundays have a rhythm I fell in love with almost immediately — relaxed, unhurried, built around cooking, family, long walks, and lingering conversation. Restorative in the truest sense. But last Sunday, I nearly turned one into a full-blown Christmas dinner production. Let me explain.

When we decided to move to France, one of my quiet anxieties was the unknown. Back in Texas, I know the drill — wild boars, venomous spiders, scorpions, snakes, tornadoes, hurricanes. I’ve got a playbook for all of it. But France? What hazards might be lurking here that I wouldn’t even think to Google?

Last week, I got my answer. And naturally, I’m passing it straight on to you.