This French Life

Teacher strike Monday, major protests Tuesday

ALTHOUGH teaching staff went back to school this week, they are set to take strike action on Monday September 6, 2010 and join other workers in a walkout on Tuesday, September 7.

Calculate cost of your electricity after price chagnes

IF you want to calculate the change to your electricity bill in France after the price increases in the middle of August, the Conso.net website offers a simple way.

They have provided a spreadsheet file (.xls) you can download which requires you to know which pricing regime you are on, the supply you currently have, the puissance souscrite, and your annual consumption in kWh.

So you might want to get your recent bills together and once you've worked out the annual consumption figure enter it into your chosen blue box within the spreadsheet and hit return.

You will then be provided with a price for both before and after August 15, 2010 when the increases (see Electricity prices in France to increase by 3%) were introduced, and the percentage change in your bill.

Ryanair's new Barcelona base opens more French links

RYANAIR has announced the opening of a base at Barcelona El Prat Airport, providing a number of new routes to those heading to south western France.

The airline will base eight aircraft at the airport, which is approximately two hours drive from Perpignan, with flights from Leeds, Edinburgh, Dublin and Paris Beauvais available.

It is the first time low cost flights have been available from Barcelona El Prat Airport, which is the second busiest airport in Spain, and at the same time Ryanair also claimed that it had overtaken Spanish flag carrier Iberia as the largest airline in Spain in terms of the number of passengers carried.

Ryanair currently operates services from Girona and Reus airports, which are found to the north and south of Barcelona respectively.

LD Lines suspend Portsmouth to Le Havre fast ferry

FOLLOWING an incident with the Norman Arrow on arrival into Le Havre on Sunday, August 29, when it hit a buoy, LD Lines’ fast ferry sailings have been cancelled until further notice, whilst investigations continue.

LD Lines will continue to divert passengers primarily to its conventional ferry sailings between Portsmouth and Le Havre where possible or via Brittany Ferries’ services.

Just over a week ago LD Lines said it was to end its Dover to Boulogne passenger service from early September.

Rosyth to Zeebrugge service dropped by Norfolkline

THE Norfolkline service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge, which saved those living in Scotland from a long drive south to get to France, will come to an end later this year.

The ferry firm, which was recently taken over by DFDS Seaways, has said that the route between the Scottish port near Edinburgh and Belgium will end on December 15, 2010.

Norfolkline said it will continue to operate a freight service but that passenger numbers were very low and that they couldn't see any improvement in the long term.

Deauville American Film Festival welcomes fans

FILM fans are sure to have an eye on Deauville, in northern France, when the town hosts its annual festival showcasing the best of American cinema.

The Deauville American Film Festival has been showcasing the American cinematographic diversity since 1975, taking in both the established Hollywood circuit as well as independents.

The festival takes place from Friday, September 3 to Sunday, September 12, 2010 and more than 100 films will be presented to the public on three sites.

The festival is an event open to all, professionals as well as cinema fans.

Photojournalism at Visa Pour l’Image exhibition, Perpignan

DISCOVER the photographs behind many of the news headlines you see every day at the Visa Pour l’Image exhibition.

Running until September 12, 2012 in Perpignan you can see the work of some of the world's leading photojournalists.

You can take in images from the Haitian earthquake, the 'red shirt' protests in Bangkok, photos featuring the lives of US soldiers in Iraq and many other stories.

Unaccompanied children on Air France flights seated separately

UNACCOMPANIED children travelling on Air France flights are to be seated separately to adults to avoid any risk of sexual molestation.

Le Figaro reports on the decision, taken in accordance with the French air authority La Direction générale de l’Aviation civile (DGAC), although union representatives asked how children will be helped with oxygen masks should decompression of the cabin take place.

The seating arrangement will not be implemented on fully booked flights, although the section on the Air France website offering travel advice for unaccompanied children does not currently feature any information on these changes.

Video of forest fires in southern France

MANY thanks to reader of the site, Charles Orlebar, for the video above of the fires on the outskirts of Meze, southern France, near Montpellier and Marseille.

Canadair planes were being used to try and dampen the flames as more than 1,000 firefighters worked across the area to try and protect homes and commercial properties.

The peace of the river Dordogne from a canoe

GLIDING through the water in your canoe as you pass the turrets and towers of Castlenaud on the river Dordogne, all you can hear is the splash of your oar as you head downstream.

With the holiday season coming to an end, and the sun still warm on your back, now seemed a good time to take a trip down the river from Vitrac to Beynac.

Coping with Parkinson's disease in France

BEING ill in France can really test your language skills, trying to describe where pain is and how you feel can be both exhausting and have potentially disastrous consequences.

The Telegraph covers the problems faced by Britons living overseas who have Parkinson’s considering there is no test for the illness and that patients will have to see a specialist who will look into their health history.

Charity cycle ride with letower2tower

YOU can follow the exploits of six cyclists heading to Paris on letower2tower charity ride that started from Blackpool.

The 570 mile ride set off from beneath Blackpool Tower on Saturday, August 28 and will be heading south over the coming days to arrive at the Eiffel Tower on Thursday, September 2.

The team is raising money for the Fanconi Hope charity, which supports research into Fanconi Anaemia, a genetic disorder affecting children that causes bone marrow failure and predisposes to cancer.

Letower2tower can also be found on Twitter, where updates are being posted as well as video from the trip.