Exchanging my driver's licence

Goodbye French licence! If you have a car and had to renew your insurance recently, you were probably shocked when you discovered by how much your premium had increased. According to the industry, higher claims payout in the past few years are to blame for the increase. Well, I'm not in the...

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9 tips to improve your English

Let's be honest, the way English is taught in France is kinda crap. The best way to learn a language is to speak it, however, the emphasis is mostly put on grammar and written work. Now, put your hand up if you're still traumatised by the list of irregular verbs you had to learn by heart....

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The expat holiday: Expectations vs. Reality

We are back from a two weeks holiday in France where we had a great time. Like every time we go home, we want to make the most of it and this time was no different. The thing is, even though we had the perfect trip in mind (cultural visits for the kids, aperitifs, meals with friends and nights out...

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Holidays

Hopefully the weather will be as good as that... The blog is probably going to be quieter for the next two weeks as we're going to Brittany tomorrow for a well deserved holiday. The kids have been there for three weeks already and according to my mum, they still don't speak French. As a matter...

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5 Irish things that still surprise me

Living here for that long, nothing should really surprise me anymore. And yet, I sometimes find myself thinking "This is really strange"... Hearing the National Anthem in odd places In France, La Marseillaise is mostly played in a stadium or at a political event. In Ireland, you'll...

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