Letters and comment

'I am too afraid to drive in France - it feels like the wrong side of the road'

Columnist Cynthia Spillman gives her advice on acclimatising to French roads and motorways

'Nesting swallows have become a pest at my French home'

Columnist Samantha David is irked but the birds enjoy protected status

Letters: ETA online link for people transiting through UK to or from France

It is recommended to use the app to get an electronic travel authorisation - but this reader managed to apply without it

magazine

Comment: France's rural entertainment is real, raw and - usually - outstanding

Local theatre is still the beating heart of the community in many French towns

Letters: Postal delays meant Christmas cards took five weeks to reach France

Readers complain of gifts arriving well into the new year

Letters: French is a hard language - even for native speakers

Reader recounts his struggle to find access to more modern teaching methods

Letters: French vegetarian burgers are still a work in progress

Reader bemoans the lack of meat alternatives available in restaurants

Comment: Signs of climate change are all around us in France

Columnist Nick Inman says the complex overall picture may be beyond us but the clues are within the reach of all

Letters: I'm tired of second-home owners complaining about life in France

Connexion reader questions people's problem with higher taxes and the 90/180 day rule

Letters: Our names always raise a smile in France

Readers share their anecdotes about adapting their names to French

Letters: Free banking is so hard to find in France

Reader notes with displeasure that he must now pay regular charges on his account

Letters: France has problems but following America is not the answer

Connexion reader says a veer to the right would make France lose the kindness that sets its culture apart

'We live in France but really miss our grandchild in the UK'

Columnist Cynthia Spillman looks at ways to deal with the feeling of missing out on life's milestones

Letters: France's energy audit system does not work for stone properties

Readers say the diagnostic de performance énergétique system heavily favours recent properties

French visas and residency card applications: Connexion readers share their experiences

The complex process is a challenge for many - including Britons, Americans and second-home owners

Letters: French food is unseasoned and bland, bland, bland

Connexion reader says it is one of the few disappointing things about living in France

Letters: French authorities do nothing about dangerous dogs

Connexion reader says the response by gendarmes was disappointing

Letters: France should ban harmful oils to curb obesity

Connexion reader says working people do not have the time to cook healthy food

'I feel sorry for all the stray cats in my French village'

Columnist Cynthia Spillman gives her advice on what to do with abandoned - or feral - felines

Letters: Out-of-control youths are ruining French ski slopes

Connexion reader says the issue of dangerous skiers is becoming more and more serious on the piste

Letters: French food is fine but lacks spice

Connexion readers say they struggle to find decent salsa in France

Letters: 'We cannot treat an injured fox due to French wildlife rules’, claims vet

Connexion reader says the vet refused to treat the animal 'to prevent the spread of diseases'

Letters: The French advice to wear the same t-shirt for days is quite right

Connexion reader says people should wash clothes less often to help save water

Help! We are surrounded by English people in France

Columnist Cynthia Spillman gives her advice on how to feel more 'French'

Letters: French translation apps are ridiculous, but AI can do the job… sometimes

Readers share their disappointment with automatic translation

Letters: French sliced bread is clearly inferior for sandwiches

Readers spar over France's sugary sliced bread being too sweet and whether the UK version is superior

Letters: Here is a cheap way for second-home owners to get internet in France

Connexion reader suggests a flexible and cost-effective alternative to a fixed contract

Letters: I was a victim of number plate fraud in France - twice

A Connexion reader gives advice on how to appeal against unjustified fines

Letters: A bande dessinée helped me understand a serious issue in France

Reader shows how the French culture of graphic novels is useful as well as enjoyable

Comment: Forget the sales - get your bargains elsewhere in France

Columnist Samantha David notes that savings can continue even though the January sales are ending

Letters: Ski resorts disfigure France's breathtaking mountains

Connexion readers share contrasting views on the winter sports industry

Letters: French people struggle to say my name - or translate it

Connexion readers share their anecdotes of cross-cultural confusion

Letters: French recycling rules just lead to more waste

Connexion readers say the system pollutes communes and attracts vermin

Letters: A tontine clause may ease inheritance fears in France

Connexion reader suggests a way of avoiding complications over the transfer of an estate

Letters: We can live comfortably in France on €15,000 a year- in a city with no car

Connexion readers share the annual budget they need to enjoy their retirement

Comment: Spat between France and Algeria opens old wounds

Columnist Nabila Ramdani tells how tempers between the countries flared after the arrest of a TikTok influencer

Letters: France needs more immigration to help its ageing population

Connexion reader disagrees with Simon Heffer calling it a problem

Comment: Jean-Marie Le Pen’s death will further detoxify Marine’s politics – but not completely

Columnist Simon Heffer looks at how the former leader's party has changed since 2007

Letters: France is getting better at providing vegetarian options

Connexion readers say that a cultural shift is underway - but progress takes time

Letters: Delivery fees make it uneconomical to receive packages in France

Connexion reader says that it is not realistic to declare the value of gifts received from the UK

Letters: French healthcare system means people have to stay informed

Connexion reader notes that the lack of structure in France forces people to access care themselves

Letters: Calls for Macron to resign do not help French politics

Connexion reader says that France should learn from its neighbours in forming coalition governments

Letters: French politics needs to veer right to cut costs

Connexion reader says that France can reverse its fortunes by following the example of the United States

Letters: Readers share their French language howlers

Malapropisms, word-for-word translations and false friends are often greeted with a chuckle

Letters: Reporting dangerous dogs is surprisingly effective in France

Connexion reader says the anonymous online form helped ease her concerns

Letters: Long-stay visas in France ‘are not as easy as minister claimed’

Senator Berthet is asking for a simplified visa process for British second-home owners in France

Letters: Saying bonjour really makes life easier in France

Connexion reader shares their experience of how a polite greeting can go a long way

Letters: Cold-callers are out of control in France

Connexion readers share their tips on how to reduce telemarketing calls

Comment: France's recycling rules are impossible

Columnist Samantha David recounts her struggles with the ever more byzantine system

Comment: Speaking French makes us do what we are told

Columnist Sarah Henshaw looks at 'the foreign language effect' and how it makes non-native speakers more pliable

Comment: Macron's Grand Débat for French 'yellow vest' protests was pointless

Columnist Nick Inman considers the outcome of France's national debate over the gilet jaune demonstrations

Letters: Retirement in France costs more than €15,000 a year

Connexion reader says she spends €50,000 for a modest lifestyle

Comment: The trial of Brigitte Macron's French internet trolls just encourages them

Columnist Nabila Ramdani says France's First Lady should not take them so seriously

Comment: France's only way forward is for President Macron to resign

Political commentator Simon Heffer questions the merit of appointing a PM who is doomed to fail

Letters: Readers give their solutions to the problem of hybrid cars and spare wheels in France

Many vehicles do not carry a spare in case of a blowout

Letters: This photo tip makes it easier to renew UK passports in France

A Connexion reader shares how to make renewing a UK passport more straightforward

Letters: Sliced bread is simply too sweet in France

Connexion reader says that UK bread is far ahead of its French equivalent

Letters: Are French disabled badges not valid in UK?

One reader has issues when visiting a UK airport, while another has had no such problems

Letters: French rail fines are so severe even for honest mistakes

Connexion reader says his relatives have been put off visiting France

Letters: How are hybrid cars supposed to carry a spare tyre in France?

Connexion reader says electric vehicles simply do not have enough space

Letters: The rules for organising a garage sale in France are ludicrous

Connexion reader says the system stifles creativity with excessive taxes and charges

Letters: Stop complaining about French bureaucracy after voting for Brexit

Connexion reader says Britons have only themselves to blame

Letters: Vegetarians need to appreciate French food culture

Connexion readers share their experiences of meat-free restaurants in France

Letters: French ski resorts always struggle outside of ski season

Readers spar over the apparent demise of winter resorts in France

Letters: The number of cold calls to French phone is maddening

Connexion readers say that measures to prevent them are not effective

Letters: France must not tolerate political corruption

Connexion reader says it is right that Marine Le Pen should be prevented from holding office if found guilty

Letters: Men’s cancers are too often ignored in France

Connexion reader says more should be done to raise awareness of prostate cancer in particular

Letters: New French visa plan may remove the worry of overstaying

Connexion readers share how their lives have changed since Brexit

Letters: France's private speed camera cars just add to pollution

Connexion reader questions the logic of mobile enforcers

Comment: Notre-Dame reopening shows France’s bizarre religious contradiction

Columnist Nabila Ramdani notes the contradictions of the secular French Republic

Letters: Why do I have to pick up my post from the supermarket in France

Connexion reader tells of his surprise receiving a card from La Poste informing him his mail was elsewhere

Letters: TLS lost my passport after I applied for a six-month visa for France

Reader shares his 'dreadful experience' dealing with the visa application agency

Comment: Trump re-election poses challenge for EU and France

French-American think tank expert says it is likely to bring ‘trade war’ and embolden far-right

Letters: The Entry/Exit System cannot stop us visiting France

Connexion readers give their views on the EU's upcoming EES

Letters: Travelling to France with pets is not that difficult

Another reader says the process is just too expensive