Europe is famous for how easy it is to travel en train. However, les trains are often more expensive than you would think!

Thankfully there are alternatives like le covoiturage (carpooling), and l’autocar (intercity bus).

Until recently it was difficult to take un bus over a long distance in France. However, private transportation companies have created des nouveaux réseaux (new networks) for les autocars with companies like Isilines and Flixbus, and it is now easy and affordable to travel from city to city en bus !

La loi Macron, which aims to open up France’s economy, is what allowed this change. Before la loi (the law), in order for a bus to legally travel through France, it had to be a part of an international route or be a part of la SNCF (la société nationale de chemins de fer français, The French National Railroad Company).

Ceci dit (that said) international bus travel has always been an option from France, even if le train or l’avion are more popular moyens de transport (transportation methods). Eurolines is une entreprise (a company) that focuses on international bus travel in Europe and has routes from and to nearly any city in Europe!

The downside is you have to be on un bus for a very, very, very long time. It’s an experience, but I would not recommend it unless you are willing to be cramped in a small seat for over a day.

The confusing part about all these moyens de transports is how many of them are des faux amis (false friends), and the similarities can easily lead to mistakes.

Un bus or un autobus is a normal city bus or bus that goes throughout le département, while un autocar or un car is an intercity bus that goes between far away cities or even in between countries.

On top of that, blab-la-car is a website that helps you find people willing to share leur voiture (their car)!

Un bus, un autobus 

A local (city or county) bus

Un car, un autocar 

An intercity bus

Blab-la-car 

Website for carpooling (le covoiturage) 

The easy way to remember the differences is that un bus is a normal bus you take to get around a city, un car is like a greyhound or route-master bus, and blab-la-car is about all the talking (blah blah) you have to do when carpooling.

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

If you’ve spent any time in France, you know very well that much of the music you hear will be in English – and it’s non censuré (uncensored), mind you. It’s also no secret that the French are proud of their language, and this is one of the reasons the government began imposing a law on radio stations starting back in 1994 requiring at least 40% of their songs played be in French. To comply with the laws but only play hits, some stations are playing the same 10 titles over and over, which can cover up to 75% of the required quota.

In September, some radio stations began a 24-hour boycott against the law. Fleur Pellerin, the current Ministre de la Culture et de la Communication (Minister of Culture and Communications), disagrees with the message the stations are trying to convey. They say it infringes on their broadcasting freedoms, but Fleur says playing more tracks won’t infringe on anyone’s “fundamental liberties.” The stations replied by saying the law isn’t applicable to streaming sites such as Pandora and Spotify, and du coup (as a result), these services now hold an unfair advantage.

The truth of the matter is, according to the radio stations, the production of French-language albums has dropped 66% between 2003 and 2014 as many of these artists prefer to branch out into a more international market. Stromae featured Kanye on a track and garnered exposure in the USA. Ariana Grande’s “One Last Time” received the French treatment when Kendji Girac released a French version called “Attends-moi” (Wait for Me). David Guetta has worked with countless artists. The list goes on and on!

Despite the drop in French-language albums, there are still some gems being produced. NRJ (pronounced like énergie, or energy) is a popular private radio station that first aired in 1981, and these days, you’ll find all the biggest and most current tubes (hits). The station also runs a yearly award show to recognise and honour the best in the music industry. Each category except Clip de l’année (Video of the Year) and DJ de l’année is separated into two branches: francophone and international. Each of the 13 categories has 5 options, and the winner is decided through an online vote and a selected NRJ jury.

The French know our music, but how well do you know their music? Below I’ve listed the francophone categories from the 2015 award show, the nominees, and the winners. Click any link to visit artist pages or hear the songs. Do you agree with the winners?

Les Palmarès (prize list) 

Winners are marked with an asterisk.

Artiste féminine française de l’année 

Christine and the Queens 

Cœur de pirate 

Indila 

*Shy’m

Artiste masculine française de l’année 

Black M 

Kendji Girac 

*M. Pokora 

Soprano

Révélation française de l’année 

Marina Kaye 

*Louane 

Nekfeu 

Lilian Renaud

Groupe / duo / troupe français de l’année 

Cats On Trees 

*Fréro Delavega 

La légende du Roi Arthur 

L.E.J.

Chanson française de l’année 

click the title to hear the song 

Christine – Christine and the Queens 

Avenir – Louane 

*Conmigo – Kendji Girac 

Homeless – Marina Kaye 

Est-ce que tu m’aimes ? – Maître Gims

DJ de l’année 

Avicii 

DJ Snake 

*David Guetta 

Calvin Harris 

ok, this is an international list, but I included it because of the French winner !

So, there you have it. The best of 2015 according to the NRJ jury and the online voters. What are your initial impressions to the music? J’avoue (I admit) it’s a little funny that the French song of the year is sprinkled with Spanish, and one of the other nominated songs is completely in English. Kinda makes that 40% even more difficult to reach.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

The value of the pound has been sliding on international currency markets, declining nearly 4% since the start of 2016.

It has been losing ground against the euro for the past eight weeks, its longest downward streak since the single currency was introduced in 1999.

Wednesday 20th Jan at 10:00am - £1.00 GBP = 1.2975 Euros

Last week, it hit its lowest level in euro terms for a year. Against the dollar, it has fared even worse, plumbing depths not seen since mid-2010.

Isn't this all rather sudden?

Indeed. As recently as November, the pound was as high as €1.43, but it's been downhill all the way since then. Now it's flirting with the €1.30 mark.

NOTE: Ben Amrany from FC Exchange follow this link is always on hand to discuss your own currency circumstances.

Over the same time period, against the US dollar, it's gone from being worth as much as $1.53 to about $1.43.

That makes it one of the worst performing major currencies, at a time when the UK economy has been considered to be stronger than many of its peers.

After all, it has grown in every quarter since the start of 2013, whereas some eurozone countries are still seeing contractions.

So what happened?

Well, the US Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates in December has highlighted the differences between the US and UK economies.

Last year, there had been an expectation that when the Fed rate rise eventually came, the Bank of England would quickly follow suit.

But now that expectation has faded. The predicted timing of the next UK interest rate rise has shifted - first to late 2016, then to early 2017.

The current record low interest rate of 0.5% makes holding sterling less attractive and encourages traders to sell the currency.

Is that all there is to it?

No, there are other factors at work as well, explaining the Bank of England's reluctance to raise interest rates.

Weak economic data is casting doubt on the future performance of the UK economy, with inflation persistently well below the Bank of England's 2% target and earnings growth slowing down from a six-year high.

Earlier this month, figures for November showed that UK industrial output had suffered its sharpest decline since 2013.

Looking further ahead, investors are worried about the outcome of a referendum on the UK's continued membership of the EU.

As Andy Scott of foreign exchange services firm HiFX put it: "Concerns over the UK economy and the risk of a Brexit look likely to continue to haunt sterling."

Traders are also generally more risk-averse in the light of the global turmoil caused by Chinese market problems and falling oil prices, which makes them reluctant to buck sterling's downward trend.

What are the consequences?

If the pound's weakness continues, tourists will find that trips to Europe and the US are more expensive, with sterling buying fewer euros and dollars than last year.

Imported goods will also become more expensive when priced in pounds, which would fuel domestic inflation.

UK exporters should, in theory, derive a boost from a weak pound, since their goods become cheaper in euro or dollar terms.

However, the UK doesn't produce as many tangible exports as it used to: the country's service sector has recovered to the levels seen before the financial crisis, but manufacturing has not.

How long is this likely to last?

Ask the Chancellor, George Osborne.

He recently warned that the UK was facing a "cocktail" of serious threats from a slowing global economy.

He added that this year was likely to be one of the toughest since the financial crisis, and that far from "mission accomplished" on the economy, "2016 is the year of mission critical".

In this context, the pound's latest woes seem a fair reflection of uncertainty ahead.

In the words of Esther Reichelt of Commerzbank, "the headwinds to the British economy have definitely increased."

Do you want more information ?

So if you need to buy or sell sterling and would like to be kept up to date with all the latest data releases and exchange rate movements then feel free to contact myself Ben Amrany. If you are buying or selling a house in France we will make sure your monies are in the right place at the right time, we work hand in hand with you and Cle France.

For more information on the currency service I can provide please feel free to contact myself...

Ben Amrany from FC Exchange follow this link or phone and ask for myself and quote "Cle France" on 020 7989 0000.

You may contact me directly using this form (click here) with your requirement and I will explain the options that are available to you in getting the best exchange rate.  

Originally published: Robert Plummer | Business reporter, BBC News | 19th January 2016 | Business Section

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

As many of you may know, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has recently been released to both great anticipation and great acclaim.

In fact, in the US data suggests that The Force Awakens might be the highest US grossing film… EVER.

That’s not to say that Star Wars films are limited to the US, either. Star Wars, also known by its French name La Guerre des étoiles is a well-loved franchise in France as well. Le Réveil de la force, as it is known, has broken records across the hexagone as it has across the United States.

In fact, 600,000 Star Wars fans in Paris saw the film during its opening weekend–beating out the previous record opener Bienvenu chez les Chtis in 2008.

And, now, more good news for Star Wars fans: According to recent data by Forbes, Star Wars fans are more likely to have larger salaries than those who don’t like this famous saga–but it depends on which character you identify most with.

According to the Le Monde blog:

“Qui sont les fans (nombreux) de Star Wars ? Des hommes âgés de 18 à 44 ans, qui aiment regarder des programmes scientifiques, d’histoire ou des films d’horreur à la télé, et travaillent dans les technologie de l’information ou le droit. C’est ce que conclut une étude de la compagnie américaine Quantcast reprise par le magazine Forbes. Mais, en regardant de plus près, un fan de Luke Skywalker semble avoir peu en commun avec un fan de Dark Vador, de la princesse Leïa ou de Han Solo.”

According to this study, fans of Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader were compared based on salary and job titles.

“Logiquement, c’est Luke Skywalker qui arrive en tête, avec trois fois plus de vues que tous les autres personnages, peut-être parce qu’il n’apparaissait bizarrement pas dans la bande-annonce”, note un des chercheurs en charge de l’étude. En tout cas, ce sont ses fans qui ont les salaires les plus élevés (de 100 à 150 000 dollars par an). Ils travaillent surtout dans les affaires.

Han Solo – l’ancien contrebandier devenu leader de la cause rebelle – attire la sympathie des plus jeunes, qui sont aussi les moins fortunés (ils gagnent entre 0 et 50 000 dollars par an) et travaillent dans la vente et la construction.

Les femmes sont surtout fans de la princesse Leia. Quant aux admirateurs de Dark Vador et du côté obscur de la force, ils sont nombreux à travailler dans le domaine de la justice, sont en général plus vieux et gagnent en général plus que les fans des autres personnages.”

Alors, qui est votre personnage préféré? Que pensez-vous de cette étude?

Répondez en commentaires...

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

Have you seen these little figurines that are called les santons (from the provençal dialect word for little saint). In the traditional crèche provençale, there are 55 personnages (characters), having spent many holidays in provence we have collected a few of these curious characters ourselves namely a Baker, A flower seller and an old man collecting wood. 

Here we have found out a little more about them and if you are going property hunting in Provence or just on holiday you will not fail to see them in the shops but also take time to visit some of the museums and attractions that feature these exquisit Santons. 

Image courtesy of Chansons de Noel

La crèche (the nativity scene) is pretty common this time of year, but in the southeastern part of France in Provence, they go a little further. Le bébé Jésus, Marie, Joseph, les Rois mages, les ânes, et les anges sont tous là (Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men, the donkeys, and the angels are all there), but you can also find les boulangers, les bergers, les jardinières, et les porteurs d’eau (bakers, shepherds, gardeners, and water carriers) all ready to welcome the newborn king. These little figurines are called les santons (from the provençal dialect word for little saint). In the traditional crèche provençale, there are 55 personnages (characters).

It is believed that the santon tradition started around the Mediterranean (with Naples as a possible starting point) in the 13th century when small figurines were sold and traded. This practice continued in France, and in 1803, les artisans (the craftsmen) introduced a Nativity Fair in Marseille. It was such a success that the fair continues to this day. These craftsmen devote a lot of time and attention to their work, and you can see pride in every little piece. More than just un artisan, there is even a word for a person who makes santons: un santonnier.

Image courtesy of SANTONSDANIELSCATURRO

It’s worth noting that santons were also a way of preserving religion. After the French Revolution, (connaissez-vous l’année de la Révolution Française?) many churches closed and outdoor nativity scenes were banned, so some families began recreating the scenes in their own private homes.

Before, the figurines were made of bois (wood), cire (wax) et même mie de pain (and even the soft part of bread), but today, les santons sont faits de terre cuite (the figurines are made of clay) and are available in 2 distinct styles. There is the santon d’argile (clay figurine) which is modeled and hand painted and are between 1″ and 6″ tall. The second less common (et plus cher [and more expensive]) type is le santon habillé (dressed figurine). These are wearing cloth costumes and sometimes come with small accessories. These are generally bigger than the santon d’argile and measure between 6″ and 18″. Check out the two pictures below to compare.

Images courtesy of Santons Provence and Santons Dilandro.

All throughout Provence in December, you can find fantastic displays of santon villages. In Avignon,  the main foyer in the hôtel de ville (city hall) is filled with a huge fictitious city with over 500 santons. I was able to see this 2 years in a row, and it really is pretty fantastic. There’s so much detail, and wanting to see it all takes a lot of time, mais ça vaut la peine (but it’s worth it)! You can also find a santon museum in Marseille, and there’s also the world’s biggest santon display at la Crèche de Grignan. If you’re ever in the south of France in December and are looking for a local Christmas gift for some friends at home, stop by any Marché de Noël and pick yourself up some santons!

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.