Letters and comment

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

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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: 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: 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

Letters: Vegetarian options are too limited in France

Connexion readers say French cuisine is all the poorer due to its reliance on meat

Letters: Stop moaning about French bureaucracy

Connexion reader says that foreign residents must display more self-awareness

Letters: Readers share the drôleries of getting by in French

From old false friends to the latest translation tech - sometimes everyone gets language wrong

Comment: Trump’s victory paves way for far-right win in France

Columnist Simon Heffer says French voters may look with envy at the decisive mandate of the US president-elect

Letters: French GP is charging more than he should for consultation

Connexion reader says her doctor is already asking for €30 per visit

Letters: French vets cannot check EU database for lost pets

Connexion reader points out that pets in France need to have the national ID chips or risk never being reunited with their owners

Letters: French cycling rules are rarely enforced

Connexion reader says he takes special precautions to stay safe

Letters: French banking practices are commercial nonsense

Connexion reader says that spending limits force him to turn to foreign banks

Letter: It takes too long to get a disabled parking badge in France

Connexion reader says delays due to French bureaucracy meant the card came after his recovery

Letters: Post-Brexit reset means easing UK-France border checks

Connexion reader says a reciprocal deal on the Schengen border would help everyone

Letters: Strength of the dollar is key factor for Americans in France

Reader notes that last time Donald Trump won he said he wanted a weaker dollar to boost exports

Letters: French banks act like our money is theirs to keep

Connexion reader says the monthly spending limits are 'incomprehensible'

Letters: Automatic French translations can be so funny

Connexion readers share their experiences of absurd mistranslations

Letters: Avoid Bordeaux Airport if you can

Readers call it an 'eyesore', with long queues, few seats and lack of air conditioning

Letters: Our French village fête is literally booming

Connexion reader says traditional festivities have been replaced by three consecutive nights of loud music

Letters: French visa proposal for second-home owners sounds like hassle

Connexion reader says he will leave the country if it keeps getting harder to live here

Letters: EU's new entry rules will drive UK tourists away from France

Connexion reader feels that the stringent border checks will force people to seek pastures new

Letters: French kindness saved my POW father

A reader recalls her father's experience of being a German prisoner of war during World War Two

Letters: Patou dogs often run wild in France

Connexion reader says owners are dismissive of the danger

Letters: The cost of living is not always lower in France than in the US

Connexion readers share their views on energy, healthcare, education and daily living expenses

Comment: Why hairdressers rule French villages

Columnist Samantha David notes that the coiffeuse is more valuable than a boucherie and boulangerie

Letters: Brexit benefits for Britons in France

Connexion readers share their experiences

Letters: End of Paris Métro ticket books leaves me nostalgic

Reader reminisces about the original carnets, after their replacement is discontinued

Comment: France needs to protect its satirists

Columnist Nick Inman says we need their regard on society - even if we do not like what they say

Letters: It is shocking that disabled Blue Badges do not work in France

Reader says the lack of consideration sits ill with the triumph of the Paralympic Games

Comment: French PM's talk of taxing rich is just a gimmick

Columnist Nabila Ramdani notes that France's new right-wing government is not the first to make such plans

Letters: Minority of French motorcyclists think they are in a video game

Reader says that UK and German bikers act more responsibly

Comment: Court ban on Marine Le Pen from holding office would anger French voters

Severe punishment for the Rassemblement National's presidential candidate could derail respect for legal and political institutions, says columnist Simon Heffer

Letters: France's hot weather and limited bin pick ups make for bad mix

Reader says that composting is impractical for second home owners who live abroad

Letters: Vegetarians can cook at home and leave French restaurants to the rest of us

Reader says the pressure for more menu options would turn France into a nanny state

Letters: My French admin nightmare due to name error

Reader says the problem arose because officials do not have an ü or umlaut key

Letters: French DPE system for energy efficiency is all about money

Reader says that the diagnostic models were devised to make people purchase on heat pumps, solar panels and insulation

Letters: French lettres recommendées are by no means infallible

Reader points out two failings of France's omnipresent system of registered post

Comment: The French language does not match the country's values

Columnist Peter Wyeth ponders why they say ‘I’ when the English say ‘we’ – is this a historical anomaly?

Letters: French 'réserve de chasse' sign does not mean what I thought it did

Reader had presumed that it meant an area was reserved for hunting

Letters: EU's Schengen 90-day calculator is not reliable for time in France

Reader says the dates it gives do not match reality

Letters: Biodiversity is in decline, but not just in France

Reader says the complex systems of weather, migration and global economics all play a part

Letters: Excellent French healthcare service has never disappointed

Reader is impressed by France's conscientious GPs and access to specialists

Letters: The language barrier ended my dream life in France

Reader says that despite his love for the country he just could not get to grips with French

Letters: Motorcyclists are too aggressive on the Paris périphérique

Connexion reader says that many drive too fast and act rudely when drivers do not let them

How long does it take to renew a carte de séjour in France?

Readers share their experiences

Comment: French garages can be a right pain in the derrière

Columnist Samantha David recounts her regular struggle to get her old banger moving

Comment: Industrial eyesores are a blot on French rural landscape

Columnist Nick Inman argues that town planners should be more aware of visual pollution

Letters: Quirky French expressions with donkeys, silk and breaking wind

Readers share their favorite silly phrases in the language

Comment: Brexit hit French residents hard but was it a no-win for everyone?

Columnist Nick Inman says it is time for Leave supporters to take stock

Letters: French paid bin collection system works if you take care

Readers share their experiences in coping with the limited pick-ups

Letters: France’s traditional village fêtes are still alive and well

Connexion reader says the parties could easily run late into the night

Comment: French YouTuber's Everest ascent is problematic but inspiring

Columnist Nabila Rambani reflects on the achievement of YouTube sensation Inoxtag

Letters: Patou dogs can spoil hiking trips in France

Readers share their opinions Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog

Comment: Soap opera of French politics continues with new cabinet

France teeters on the verge of ungovernability, says columnist Simon Heffer

My advice as a mountain guide on how you can help protect the French Alps

‘Despite what you might think about fresh alpine air, the air quality index is often worse in Chamonix than in Paris’

Letters: Don’t forget that climate change hits French farmers too

Connexion reader highlights the uphill struggle against drought, flooding and varying temperatures

Letters: DPE energy efficiency reports for French homes are misleading

Readers say the system makes many good homes appear unattractive and does not give a full picture

Letters: I have always used my French licence to drive in the US

A reader tells of his trouble-free experience of driving abroad

Letters: Why is French wine getting stronger every year?

Connexion reader notes that wines are frequently above 15% alcohol content

'Many in my French village vote far right... but not due to immigration'

Columnist Nick Inman addresses an unpalatable reality of rural life that is now a national phenomenon

Letters: French roofers' tiling error made it rain in my home

Connexion reader shares a hard lesson on making sure your canal tiles are are correctly positioned

Letters: France’s toll booth free motorways: a ‘nightmare’ or ‘no trouble at all’

Readers spar over their vastly different experiences with the new system

Letters: We too have seen a huge drop in biodiversity in French countryside

Connexion reader says that the number of animals visiting her home has plummeted in recent years

Letters: Don't sign deals for fibre internet on your doorstep in France

Connexion readers share their experiences signing up to the high-speed network in villages