Driving in France: what you need to know

Driving in France: what you need to know This article covers driving in France: paperwork, insurance, and how to obtain it. Buying a car. In case of accident. Items you are required to have in the car. If you are British, you may want to follow this link for regulations post-Brexit. DRIVER'S LICENSE: Generally speaking (because there are of course exceptions, this IS France) if you are in France for over a year and your driver's license is not European, French law requires you to have valid French driving papers for driving in France. This one year period starts on the date of your first carte de séjour. Etudiant status is one of the exceptions; as a student you can drive with your foreign license for the duration of your studies. Some US states and other countries allow an exchange of licenses, other states and countries do not and you'll be required to pass the French exam to obtain the French license. Keep in mind an exchange must be done within the one year grace …
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Stimulus Checks: Why 2024 is the Year to Get Tax Compliant

If you’re one of the many Americans who has fallen behind on your taxes, now is the perfect time to get caught up and potentially receive a significant amount of money in the form of a Stimulus check. It is estimated that 9 to 10 million people who have not yet received their stimulus payments are still eligible. Are you one of them? The cost of becoming compliant, such as hiring a professional to help you with your taxes, can be covered by the money you receive from the stimulus check. In fact, you may even have money left over after paying for compliance costs. This is especially important for those who are considering renouncing their U.S. citizenship, as the stimulus money can significantly help cover the cost of renouncing. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to receive financial support and become compliant with the IRS. Read on to find out more about the eligibility requirements for stimulus checks, the benefits of being tax compliant, and the steps you can take to get up…
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Sports in France

Hints for Newcomers – Hindsights for Old-Timers: Sports in France in this Olympic year 2024 by Shari Leslie Segall When your spouse was offered a high-paid, top-executive position in Paris, did you declare, “We’ll move to the most beautiful city in the world only if I can find a step-aerobics class catering to my age group and ability level”? Have you said to yourself, “Now that I have played tennis in the Bois de Boulogne, skied in Grenoble and run the Marathon de Nantes, what could possibly be left for me to do?” Does your overpowering attraction to moelleux au chocolat crash full-force into your seeming inability to chase its pernicious effects from your thighs? If the answer to any of these is a resounding “YES!” you have come to the right article. France is often criticized by Anglos for not having the kinds of school/university-based athletic programs common in their native countries. “The battle of Waterloo,” the Duke of Wellington is (apocryphally) noted as h…
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E-Carte Vitale On the Way

According to Le Parisien your Carte Vitale will soon be available on your phone. French Social Security health Insurance has just rolled out an application, which allows social security beneficiaries in eight pilot departments to create and e-Carte Vitale on their smartphone. In the rest of France, this is expected to become available in 2024. But do'nt worry the physical Carte Vitale is not being phased out yet. The eight departments involved in the test phase are: Alpes-Maritimes, Loire-Atlantique, Puy-de-Dôme, Bas-Rhin, Rhône, Saône -et-Loire, Sarthe and Seine-Maritime. Applicants must be over 16 years old, not under guardianship, and of course, have a phone with Android version 12 or iOS 7 at least. Once installed on your smartphone, the application requires verification of your identity. This involves entering your social security number, and attaching an identity document to the application. After a security check carried out by l’Assurance maladie, you will have acces…
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The traffic report for highways in France is called Bison Futé

Traffic report for Highways in France or Bison Futé

Bison Futé or the "Clever Bison", is the national traffic website for Highways in France and now also available as a phone app. The Bison gives the current incident reports (accidents, closures, construction) for all highways in France as well as predictions of traffic volume for holiday weekends. It is a very helpful site for avoiding notorious traffic jams on French roads during the high traffic weekens on the routes des vacances. But why on Earth is the traffic reporting system called "Bison Futé" and incarnarted by an American Indian? The "clever" part makes sense as the clever traveler avoids traffic, but why "bison"? Well they almost choose Ginette la Girafe (who could see a long ways thanks to her height, note that in French girafe takes just one "f"). Other suggestions for a mascot were Thimothée the bird who culd see far ahead with her binoculars, a dolphin or a rat, so why not an Indian? Bison Fut…

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Bag of Books Fundraiser: Excuses for NOT coming

Excuses for NOT coming to the Bag of Books Fundraiser

There are all sorts of reasons why people aren’t coming to the Bag of Books and silent auction fund raiser this week.  We thought we'd share a few that we've heard.

It’s too far. It’s a 20 minute metro ride to Porte de St Cloud or a lovely bike ride along the quai de la Seine from the center of Paris. Or take a bus: 22, 62, 72, 126, 175, 189, 289, 426. There is generally parking on the street available on our street (42 rue du Chemin Vert Boulogne-Billancourt) or one block over. Get Directions It's outside Paris. Boulogne starts - and Bill & Rosa's Book Room is located - just on the other side of the Péripherique. From the metro there's a foot bridge to cross the dreaded highway and after that it's a walk in the park - literally. The whole walk from the metro is 5 mintues. I am busy that day. The event lasts FOUR DAYS there must be one day which you can come. Th…
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Recycle, Please don’t just throw everything in the garbage

Zero waste

There's a Zero waste boutique in Paris, 3 rue Charles Nodier 75018, which proposes ateliers, information, products and ideas for moving your day to day towards zero waste. The association Zero waste France which runs the boutique has all kinds of different campaigns to reduce waste most of them are initiatives to not use containers or distribute flyers in the first place. The association is also a great place to volunteer or make monetary a contribution.

But sometimes we have waste, we have to get rid of things no longer useful to us. So here's some ideas as to how to clean up and clean out by sending things you are don't with to either proper disposal facilities or recycle and pass them on to others who just might find your garage to be just what they need.

Please don’t just throw everything in the garbage - recycle

Some items need a few minutes reflection for proper waster disposal and to recycle. For example according…

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What I didn’t know: adapting to France

What I didn't know: adapting to France Because autumn is when I arrived in Paris as a permanent resident, autumn is always an intoxicating swirl of sense-memories: The fragrance of the fall air, the luster of the September-October light, the sweetness of the season’s first fresh figs, the toots of the swelling traffic, the feel of that infamous feast that Paris will always be. Every year, any one of these (and often all at the same sacred moment) catapults me back to those initial days decades ago. With no more than just the right mix of shrinking daylight and encroaching gray, “back then...” immediately becomes “right now!” I came to France knowing the language, the literature, the history, even-per Charles de Gaulle’s legendary quote*-a respectable number of cheese names.  Here’s a very abbreviated list of what I did not know: People I did not know that you have to say Bonjour! before any type of interaction about anything whatsoever no matter how desperately urgent…
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Break in?! Pickpocketed? Theft in Paris?! Bike stolen?!

Theft in Paris?! Break in?! Pickpocketed? Emergency?! Bike stolen?!

Were you the victim of Theft in Paris? Was your apartment or vehicle broken into? Your bag or car stolen? Your home tagged with grafitti? We certainly hope not, but sometimes it is necessary to make a police declaration for theft or damage. The good news is that you can do a pre-declaration online and avoid waiting at the commissariat. Not only will you save time by not having to personally go to the station and wait in line, you can also fill out the form calmly in your own home with a dctionary handy and without pressure to speak French. Once the pre-declaration is transmitted you will be contacted within 24 hours by a police agent who will process the complaint then ask you to stop by to sign (within a month) and finalize the complaint. www.pre-plainte-en-ligne.gouv.fr I can personally vouch for the efficacity of this system. I used it when my bike was stolen. It makes making a complaint quite si…

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Give blood, Blood Donors Needed in France

Every day, we need blood to accompany a woman giving birth, a person in a road accident, a cancer patient... The situations are as varied as they are regular. The voluntary and benevolent act of donating blood is therefore irreplaceable. You are irreplaceable! Please consider making a blood donation. Stocks are at record lows, 20k packets of blood short of the minimum needed. Anyone 18-70 years old can donate. If you have some time to spare, check out the official website for the nearest donation center near you. It's all done by reservation now so has become as easy and as short as 40 minutes of your time. https://dondesang.efs.sante.fr/trouver-une-collecte PS: If you've just been to the USA please note a West Nile risk has been identified for this country, and you must wait 28 days on your return before you can give blood. #Give blood  
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