What is the European Health Insurance Card?
It is a free card that gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country. The benefits covered include, for example, benefits provided in conjunction with chronic or existing illnesses as well as in conjunction with pregnancy and childbirth. The card should allow you to have medical care without paying much out of pocket or at least to be reimbursed just like you do at home. You'll be treated and cared for like a local.
Cards are issued by your national health insurance provider. In France this is Ameli. Ask for a card for each family memeber over 16 via yourAmeli account - it's just a few clicks. French cards are valid for 2 years , so keep an eye on the expira…
The Paris Metro in 26 Easy Letters
THE PARIS METRO IN 26 EASY LETTERS
Accessibility: You’ve probably noticed that when the printed coordinates of a Parisian place of interest are given (a boutique, museum, restaurant, even a party-throwing private home), there is often a funny little symbol following the name, address, and phone number. The funny little symbol, a capital M with a «degree» sign after it (M°) precedes yet another name, as in M° Pyramides or M° Ecole Militaire or M° Michel Bizot. This designates the métro stop nearest the destination in question, a practice affirming that the métro is everywhere and used by everyone but the most crowd-averse snobs. (The site and app of the RATP has an interactive map which can give you door-to-door itineraries with travel time indications for the entire metro, bus and train system in the Paris region. - Ed.)
Begging: On the rise in the Paris metro and becomin…
Bicycle visibility
Hints and Tips for Running and Biking in Paris
Hints and Tips for Running and Biking in Paris (and an impassioned plea at the end)
It’s no coincidence that “endorphin,” the chemical produced by the brain during intensive, repetitive exercise like running, biking, rowing and swimming, seems to rhyme with “morphine” (an opiate pain reliever). It is morphine, its name being a contraction of “endogenous” (i.e., manufactured “within,” or by, the body [en = “in” in French, for example]) and “morphine”--or other “-ine” drugs, such as codeine, etc. Endorphins are natural pain relivers, which is why we get a “runner’s or biker’s high.” This would be the case even if we were pounding the pavement or pushing the pedals in Lost Springs, Wyoming (as of the 2010 census, population: 4). Or Charleroi, Belgium (according to the BBC, the ugliest city in the world).
BUT WE ARE RUNNING AND BIKING IN PARIS! Need we say more?
Yes, we need. In order to keep safe and happy while all that home-grown d…
Furnishing your Paris apartment creatively and on a budget
Ikea is practical, intelligent, not too expensive and usually looks good. It is not a bad way to furnish your Paris apartment. But you do have to first bring it home then spend hours putting it together (unless you call someone to do it for you – see the Services section). But perhaps you’d like something different in your Paris apartment, after all everyone shops at Ikea - it is far from unique. Here are a few ideas for some personalization that doesn’t cost too much.
FUSAC For Sale ads and other websites are a treasure trove of used items. If you find an ad for a moving sale just after it goes up you can possibly furnish a whole Parisian apartment at once! And more than just furniture you’ll find the practical items like small appliances and ironing boards for a song. If you find more than you can carry give a quick call to one of the man with a Van ads to schedule a pickup (again see the Services section).
Izidore: Is the online « garage sale …
Homemakers – a textile Fab Lab with baby clothes workshop
How to meet people in Paris ?
Now that I am in Paris how do I meet people? is a question that is frequently asked. There are many possibilities according to your particular interest. Here is a list of ideas so you can start meeting lovely people in Paris! Please do not hesitate to share some new tips with us!
Paris Greeters are volunteers who warmly receive visitors from around the world. They propose walks free of charge in Paris. It is the occasion to see Paris from the point of view of the locals, to discover neighbourhoods that visitors would not have imagined or dared to visit. Greeters associations are also active in many other cities all over France, not to mention around the world.
Participate or visit Le 3ème Café. This café run by an association proposes lunch and snacks at moderate prices and also activities such as a knitting circle, cooking classes, chef dinners, CV and writing workshops with a goal to create commu…Paris Bicycle theft and BICYCODE
RBT Residency Based Taxation for Americans
The United States taxes on the basis of citizenship. This is sometimes referred to as citizenship-based taxation (CBT). CBT means that the United States taxes its citizens on their worldwide income regardless of where they live and earn their income. RBT Residence-based taxation taxes individuals based on where income is earned. By adopting residence-based taxation, US citizens living overseas who earn income outside of the United States or income unrelated to economic activity in the United States, would no longer be taxed on that income by the United States. Citizenship-based taxation is incompatible with the global economy of the 21st century where the tax policy of all other industrialized nations is based on residency and not nationality.
First a fund raising campaign to support research to lead towards RBTACA (American Citizens Abroad) believes that tax legislation is in the works and that the Congress will p…