At Home in Brittany

The Lady in the Snow

In the UK we are very wary of inviting perfect strangers into our car, partly a culture issue but more likely the result of  fear; of ending up being the victim of a crime. However, in France thumbing a lift to get home or just as a means of acquiring transport from A to B is not unusual. As a result people are very willing to pick up perfect strangers without any qualms and are very relaxed about this casual method of transport.

I have to admit to still retaining the English reluctance to casual invitations to strangers who desire a lift, however the other day I was caught off guard and an interesting scenario transpired.

It was the day of the first of this years snow showers in Brittany and I had volunteered to pick up a few extra groceries in case we found ourselves snowed in. The supermarket in Lannion was very busy with similar minded shoppers equally engaged in panic buying before the winter set in. I carried two heavy bags out of the supermarket heading determinedly towards my car the snow falling thickly blurred my vision. As I approached my car I became aware of an elderly woman also carrying shopping heading towards my car. In a typical English manner I tried to avoid eye contact but to no avail.

In French she said how bad the weather was and then without hesitation, could I give her a lift home!

In a moment I considered the suggestion, a strange woman alone with me in car! Everything in my English upbringing told me this was not a good idea.

Seeing the look of panic in my eyes she sought to assure me, "I only live a kilometre distance from here."

It was too late, elderly woman, heavy shopping, bad weather, I had no choice so I invited her into the car. I immediately tried to ascertain were she lived and she gave me an address I have never heard of, but thought it must be one of the small hamlets on the outskirts of lannion.

So off we go and at the exit to the car park , "à la droit ou à la gauche?"  I enquired, to which she gave a concerned look and it was immediately clear this was someone who walked everywhere and had no idea of the road layout. Possibly right she thought, so of we went with me making further requests for directions at every junction and turning. I could tell by the look on her face that this was not looking good.

After reaching the Lannion bypass without any signs of local recognition I suggested we return to the supermarket and try to retrace her journey from there. So we duly arrived back at the start and started of again using a  different route; but you guessed it, no recognition!

After three returns to the supermarket I was beginning to panic. Had I offered a deranged women a lift? Did she pick on drivers at random for a ride around the town? I decided I would have to take some sort of drastic action; perhaps take her back to the supermarket and seek help or take her to the nearest Gendemerie and report her lost.

It was on this final return to the supermarket that she suddenly recognised a landmark and indicated a right turn was needed. Part of me (the desperate part) said it was going to be just another diversion but having taken yet another right hand  turn she declared she lived in the flats, second road on the right.

Hallelujah! I cried to myself, as I drew up outside the flats. I opened the car door and assisted her out after which she reached across and squeezed my wrist, looking directly into my eyes and said, "Vous êtes très gentil Monsieur."

 

 

A Breton Tune

Although Breton music has been in existence for as long as this region of France has been called Brittany, the folk music associated with this North West corner of France has only acquired a higher profile since the early 1970s. This is due in part to a broadening of horizons to include more genres. Breton Pop music was introduced as early as the 1960s by such people as Alan Stivell with his Celtic Harp; but this has evolved into groups which have been greatly influenced by the American rock and roll. Groups such as Tri Yan an Naoned (The Three Johns from Nantes) or Soldat Louis, who modify the traditional style into a modern presentation.  We have attended two open air concerts when Soldat Louis have appeared at Perros-Guirec and although the raw Breton folk tunes still remain an alien tone to our ears, the modern renderings by groups such as these are much easier to identify with. Today there are Breton festivals that resemble a pop festival held anywhere else in the world; except for the addition perhaps of a Breton instrument or even Scottish bagpipes.

The traditional forms of the music are strongly supported and it is impossible to live in this region without taking part in at least one celebration with Breton folk music during the summer. I've found that Breton music has a very unique sound, distinct from other Celtic regions; it could not be described as melodic but definitely loud. The bombard, a member of the oboe family, is frequently incorporated in instrumentals; and certainly lives up to its name with its high-pitched sound overpowering all the other instruments. The music is of course the staple diet at a Breton fest-noz (night festival as opposed to a fest diez, day festival), both of which would require you to learn at least a few basic dance steps to be able to join in. On these occasions be prepared at each interval during your meal to be vigorously whisked away from your table into long bouts of dancing; which involves weaving in and out of other bodies on the dance floor while remaining linked (usually just by the little finger) to the persons on either side of you. It is a form of country dancing that should not be undertaken by the faint hearted as you will find they are a demanding exercise! The dances arranged in couples are called “bal de…..”  dance of followed by the name of the place where it originated from: such as the Bal de Dinan or Bal de Jugon. The dances arranged for groups of four, for the more advanced or more fool hardy, are usually performed at a more elaborate and faster pace. The music and festivities reach long into the early hours of the morning, the music and the dancing and the inexhaustible energy of the Bretons; requires stamina and fortitude to tackle these events.   

We have found the distinct differences of Brittany to the other regions of France are in no other way expressed more adequately than in the choice of instruments and singing style known as kan ha diskan; a song and counter song or chant and response which is more familiarly called a cappella. The Breton style falls somewhere between the Gregorian chant and Barbershop music but to the unseasoned ear it can sometimes sound discordant. The rhythm is repetitive and the reason for this is to accompany the steps of la Danse Bretonne.

Another musical experience not to be missed is more usually found in the villages nearer the sea. A backdrop of gentle waves and a setting sun provides a picturesque scene for a very different musical evening harking back to the history of Brittany’s links to the sea; it is an evening of ‘les chants de Marin’ (sailor songs).  The sea shanties and ballads inevitably describing shipwrecks are sung by groups of men and are often haunting renditions accompanied by the accordion. The more familiar shanties encourage the crowds gathered to join in the choruses and this is done with great enthusiasm; with a little bit of cunning we have managed a few easy phrases that are endlessly repeated. The songs are colourful and are usually performed by equally colourfully attired performers and a relaxed family atmosphere is a relaxing way to spend the evening

 We decided on arriving in Brittany to dip into the Breton style of music and learnt right from the start it was an acquired taste. Invited by Breton neighbours to accompany them to Nantes to attend a Celtic Music Festival being held at the Beaujoire Stadium of sports we eagerly agreed to go.  It was an enlightening experience and I would definitely recommend taking a cushion as the seats are hard and you will remain in them for at least three hours!  To a packed stadium the variety of the performers could not be criticised, but music is a personal choice. The violinists, along with the Welsh choir; who we considered were by far the best, were not as well received as the top billing, whose performance left my husband and I wondering if we were hearing the same music as our Breton friends! A less than endearing figure dressed in black swaggered onto the central platform and sang in a high pitched voice while tinkling a few notes on a piano. We evidently needed to develop our appreciation of the Breton music!

Scottish-style pipe bands called a bagad (bagadoú plural) and use a similar array of instruments including the Scottish highland pipes. The Scottish highland pipes are called biniou bras and although the sound is the same I have been reliably informed it is played entirely differently. The performances of the Irish harp are a welcome softening of tone amongst the mêlée of noise during the festivals or perhaps it is just the more melodic simpler tune I am more comfortable with.

All of this, along with colourful costumes and groups from all Celtic related societies (Scotland, Ireland and Wales) as well as Galicia, Cornwall, Canada and perhaps more surprisingly the Caribbean and India. It is the measure of the extent folk music and dancing traditions reflect the global popularity by the crowds of spectators and tourists that gather at this time of year all over Brittany. There is the Interceltic de Lorient, a two day festival des Hortensias (Hydrangeas) at Perros-Guirec, the St Loup festival at Guingamp; which is the oldest in Brittany, and the town of Lannion presents Les Tardives, four nights of world music in July and August.

It is essentially a masterful annual display of the Breton culture, which cannot (and should not) be ignored if you wish to better understand the character of the people that has shaped this part of the hexagon. However, after further time spent observing the musical celebrations we have come to the conclusion, it is not a question of just listening to a few songs and musical performances because they are essentially Breton; and to truly understand and appreciate it you have to be Breton.  

Who Dug That Hole!

Living in rural Brittany you get used to observing the various tracks and creative damage inflicted by various animals in and around you property. Badgers gathering at night on the lawns, moles perforating the beautifully landscaped garden and wild boar digging for roots are wildlife activities you learn to live with.

I have to take the view that they were probably here first and will be still here long after we have gone so its best to just sigh and try and repair the damage, which is usually of a minor nature. Last night however we must have had a visit from something a little larger than normal resulting in a large hole in the 'talus' (Large earth bank surrounding French rural properties). Initially it looked like something a badger would dig, but they would normally only dig a sett in a safe and secluded area and certainly well away from human activity.

Upon closer examination it looks as though the excavator was following a much smaller animal into the hole as the interior had two smaller holes going off in different directions. In the loose soil leading up to the hole entrance were two cloven foot prints which deepened the mystery. We do get Sanglier (wild boar) around the garden from time to time, but we have never seen them dig a hole, only scratch small trenches in their search for roots.

These earth banks which I understand date back hundreds of years were originally designed to stop soil erosion and are usually constructed of stone covered with soil and turf. In this instance the animal had a lucky escape as another few inches of soil removal and they would have had an enormous lump of granite resting on them.

We don,t have many stray dogs in our area, but it is a possibility and perhaps a Sanglier just happened to come pass after the hole had been dug and thought he would inspect the quality of the workmanship!

One thing is for certain living in rural Brittany you cannot help but come face to face with wildlife on a regular basis, whether its wild deer or just the daily glimpse of foxes you become used to their presence and they to yours. I saw my first red squirrel the other day and instead of it darting away it sat in the small tree close to where I was working looking for all the world like he was supervising me.

I think it would be worthwhile investing in a pair of night vision binoculars so that while my wife is busy looking at the stars I could be scanning the garden for excavators!

Thanks for All the Comments

A big thank you to all those who continue to comment on our posts about life in Brittany. When we started the blog two years ago, we had no idea our ramblings would attract so much interest and have been amazed at the number of people that continue to visit the site.

We apologise if we have not responded to every comment we receive but unless we are asked a specific question we are happy to publish the comments on our blog and share your views and opinions. We will continue to try and give an honest view of life in France from the perspective of an English resident and hope that you will continue to find the observations interesting.

Best Wishes, Tony and Anne.

All that Glitters

 You don't have to be a magpie to appreciate  the shinier things in life such as silver, gold and sparkling jewels and if you have a penchant for 'bling' it is not in short supply here in Brittany.  Accessories are not restricted to elaborate scarves or handbags;  for Mesdames  et  Mesdemoiselles an elaborate arrangement of baubles around the neck with matching earrings are effortlessly worn to complete an ensemble. 

Jewellery is used in French fashion like lettuce in French cuisine; it compliments cheese as well as tomatoes and cucumber. And so it is with diamonds in your ears, bangles on your arms and pearls around your throat whether you are wearing the little black dress or jeans and a simple blouse.   Fashion does not require the gems to be authentic and a gold appearance of a metal is all that is necessary to fabricate a work of art which is exactly what French women manage to achieve; they craft their own.  Very successfully too!!   

The incorporation of jewellery has been integral in French fashion since the 17th century; a standard requirement set by the wealthier classes in defining their status in society in general.  An extravagant display of   the harmonisation of various pieces worn about ones person would compose of, necklace, comb, diadem, belt clasps, earrings, rings, bracelets, tiara.............and so on. Some may say it was gauche, others an artistic embellishment; either way an enduring image from French history and an influence that has stood the test of time.

The stamp of the French style, has long overtaken the traditional Celtic jewellery and yet the  romance of the design still lives. The Celtic ring has surged in popularity as a wedding band; the  mystery and myth  surrounding  the decoration of knots, spirals, scrolls, chevrons  (which for centuries the more erudite have searched to  find an accurate meaning for) evokes romanticism; and thus a symbolic gesture.                                               

Within the last ten years the flamboyant extremism of the past centuries has manifested itself in the western world; Brittany too has seen the effects. Body piercing and facial piercings with gold ornamentation (I use the term loosely) is common practice. In days gone by a fashion conscious Parisian would colour her pet poodles fur pink to match her costume; today we pierce our children's ears to affix gold studs to compliment Mum's! 

Market day in Summer is as crowed as it always has been, and the stalls selling jewellery have more than doubled.  Amongst the obvious gold plate and thin slivers of silver items there are some unique hand crafted items to be found. The materials are varied, wooden carved necklaces, plastics imitating ivory or bone, not to mention the imaginative feather and mother of pearl constructions.

         There is no lack of colour or artistic creation and if you add to that the certain French  je ne sais quoi,  I can guarantee you will find something to suit your taste; after all the crown jewels do not suit everyone!

Domestic Electricity in France

Anyone buying a house in France will be fascinated by the interesting electrical supply methodology and in particular the house wiring compared to the UK.  Anyone with a basic understanding of domestic electrical wiring will probably be horrified at the initial look at a typical French electrical system compared to that of the UK standards. In reality the French system is  fairly robust and providing it is a fairly new installation unlikely to give you many problems.  Without getting into the technicalities of electrics I thought it might be helpful to point out some of the key differences for those who have just, or are about to buy a French house.

Unless you live in a town it is likely that your supply will be delivered by overhead lines which snake their way through the countryside.

It is these lines which are often struck during thunder storms causing an electrical surge in the supply. Most installations will have two safety devices to prevent damage to the house wiring system:

1. A surge/short circuit protector on the mains master switch with a reset button.

2. A surge/short circuit protector in the distribution panel with a reset switch.

It a good idea to let the storm pass before resetting the system otherwise you may have to do it more than once. The electricity companies try their best to prevent the surges reaching the domestic supply by installing long earthing cables under ground, usually next to the local transformer boxes. These are designed to dissipate the power surge but in practice they tend to make little difference.

In the UK it is not unusual to see pole transformers (Reducing transmission voltage down to local domestic voltage) in the local areas similar to the ones in France but one noticeable difference is the 
older ones are installed in a brick tower looking like small watch towers. The modern ones are similar to those found in the rural areas of the UK with a transformer fitted to the side of a pole,as seen in the picture to the left.

If you are buying a house in France it is a good idea to ask what the power rating of the supply is to the property as the basic tariff is based on the Amperage of the supply rating. This can vary dependant on the occupation and use of the dwelling, i.e. a house used as holiday accommodation with limited electrical fittings may have a supply as low as 15A, whereas a house occupied by a family with lots of electrical appliances and perhaps electrical radiators would need at least 45A.

If you tried to use a lot of electrical appliances at once in a house with a minimal supply the power switch would trip cutting the power as you were exceeding the fusible rating, we know we tried it! Increasing the power supply rating is not usually a problem, but it is worth checking with the supply company if you are thinking of buying a property in a very remote area.

You can actually complete a calculation by adding up the various electrical demands of every appliance but it is far easier to ask the advice of the power supplier in your area, who will estimate the Amperes requirements for you.

Although the supply comes in overhead cables it is possible to have the last part of the supply run underground,i.e. the supply from the nearest pole to the interior of the house. Not only is this preferable in terms of visual appearance but also a lot safer if you want to work on roofs near the supply cable attachments. It is worth remembering that everything to the house side of the meter is the house owners responsibility and everything the other side is the responsibility of the power company. So if you have a meter installed at the boundary to your property all the cabling from there to the house is your responsibility.

Meter reading can be a problem if you are absent from the house a lot and cannot arrange entry. In these circumstances it is a good idea to have an external meter reading point fitted,these are unobtrusive small beige coloured units placed on an accessible external wall. There is a cost for the installation. Meter reading is normally only carried out every 6 months the intervening readings being estimated.

Upon initial inspection the house wiring looks similar to that of the UK and most modern systems will have a fuse board with resettable fuses rather than the old wired fuses. However it is in the hidden areas that the similarities finish.

On modern French systems the main fuse is replaced with a surge protector which has two buttons one large white and one small red. The red button can be depressed in the event of a problem to cut the supply. In the event of a surge the power is cut and the white button has to be pressed to reset the system.

Meters are likely to be either the old revolving wheel type with a mechanically driven readout or a modern digital format with are far easier to read. As with the UK, day and night usage is charged at a different rate. It is possible that you will come across a tariff called 'Tempo' which involves the division of electrical usage into 6 different usage rates, red,blue & white,plus the day and night usage on each. This tariff was principally supplied to second homes where usage was minimal and inconsistent, however my understanding is this is now unavailable to new subscribers.

The majority of house wiring is completed using single cable  methodology running within cable protective tubing to protect it from rodent attack. e.g. a simple plug would have three separate cables rather than one PVC covered cable  At various points throughout the house terminal boxes are installed to act as junctions for the myriad of cables servicing the electrical system. The majority of the electrical system is designed around spurs with up to eight outlets per spur.

The spurs will originate from a fuse block which is divided into what the French call divisions, each division being protected by a safety cut out called a 'disjoncteur' . If you loose power suddenly it is worth checking these in the first instance to see if one of these has operated and of course trying to identify the fault before resetting.

Obviously the sockets and plugs are different than the UK and its fascinating to see how various 'expats' get around the problem of having appliances with UK plugs. Some take the sensible approach and change all the plugs to the European standard, others prefer to treat it as an economical challenge! I have seen plug converters, multi socket UK adapters with one European plug and the worst of all, changing all the wall plugs for UK design. This has to be madness as it is probably not legal and they would all have to be changed if the house was ever put up for sale. The most important reason for not installing UK plugs is the consideration that insurance companies would use it as a reason not to pay out in case of a fire.

It goes without saying that all electrical work should be carried out by a qualified electrician and all new installations require their certification.

Gathering in the Harvest

After several weeks of dry weather the farmers in Brittany are starting to gather in their crops of Wheat & Barley. In the UK it is not unusual for individual farmers to invest in a combine harvester but in rural Brittany farmers diversify so much that investing in one piece of specialist equipment is not viable. They prefer to either make such a purchase within a commune or more commonly use contractors who rent the equipment by the hour and often with the driver.

The process is conducted like a military exercise with all the neighbouring farmers gathering with their large trailers to take the crop to the nearest discharge point which is usually a commercial warehouse where it is weighed and checked before onward transmission to large regional silos. Unlike the UK the farmers in France do not store their produce it is sold immediately it is harvested to the nearest commercial reception point.

It is at harvest time that you take your life in your hands if you want to use the country lanes as the whole area becomes a race track for enormous tractors, trailers and worst of all the combine harvesters moving from one location to another. To the uninitiated meeting a small white van with its headlights on coming around the corner of a country lane would not cause alarm, but you soon learn that it is closely followed by an enormous combine harvester that is quite happy to see you vanish into the hedgerow.

Timing is essential when bringing in the crops of wheat or barley as it needs to be mature and most importantly dry and free from mildew so the farmers have to time the collection precisely. A delay or bad weather can mean the difference between profit or loss hence the flurry of activity towards the end of July.

We have a Gite which is usually fully occupied during harvest time and the guests enjoy watching all the activity taking place around them. We try hard to emphasise the importance of keeping doors closed during the harvest days to stop the influx of field mice looking for a new home but it is inevitable that the following week is spent clearing out unwanted guests. Its amazing how much horror and alarm can be caused by one small creature checking out its new surroundings.

After the harvester comes the bailing of the waste into huge drums ready for winter feed. I have to say I am a bit of a romantic and the drums of straw are not as picturesque as the traditional sheaves dotted around the landscape, Turner would have been horrified!

After the harvest the French farmers are very safety conscious and never burn the stubble it is ploughed in and the soil fertilized organically with manure that has been maturing for some time. This is one time it is a real benefit to be friends with your neighbouring farmer, Ours always ploughs in the manure near the house  first to reduce the impact, what a nice man.

Pottering in the Garden

Pottering, is the word that describes my method of gardening. I take my  trowel and poke at a bit of soil in random spots in my flower-beds. Teasing out a weed here and the occasional dandelion there not only improves the appearance of my garden but also my sense of well-being.

I am not a heavy-duty gardener, preferring self sustaining shrubs, usually evergreen and what need there is for severe digging is carried out by my husband, or my daughter and her boyfriend. 

Colour in the garden is not difficult to achieve when you live in Brittany. You don't have to journey to Provence to see the intense blue of Lavender; it grows equally well in your own back-garden. No need to rely on your local florist to provide you with Arum Lilies, the best examples can enhance those dark corners of your garden. Lily of the Valley exuberantly clusters in patches wherever you care to plant it with hardly any effort at all.

Every shade of Camellia in shapely shrub form or growing to an extravagant  hight provides a declaration of your gardening prowess. This is what gardening is all about; statements of shape and colour in waves of light and shade, providing an ambiance of relaxation encircling your home.

No better large shrub than Rhododendron will provide this and for a more delicate touch there is always the Azalea; a flurry of watercolour from their blooms.

If like me you potter, you might like to try a very satisfying way of accomplishing a new aspect in your garden with the minimum of effort. I call it posing (I believe my husband calls it wasting time, or words to that effect) it only requires you to  spend a couple of minutes considering where to pose a garden ornament of your choice.  Small objects can be just as effective as grandiose statues if placed in an artistic positions. Hidden discreetly behind a suitably leafy plant, amongst flowering shrubs, or just standing on top of a rock.  Sundials are an attractive ornamentation, providing the double effect of combining science (the instrument itself) with nature's sunshine.

Of course the garden to me is a playground and that is why I am just a potterer; and will never develop into a sophisticated horticulturist.

But a garden is not limited to within the boundaries of  hedges or a gate and  when you need a change of scenery take a walk in the countryside.                                                                                          

Just outside my garden gate I can gaze across to my neighbours house which is gradually being swallowed up by the field of yellow which now surrounds it.Our farming friend planted Rapeseed, this is what a professional potterer can achieve.

Getting The Car Repaired in France

Car ownership in France can be a pleasant experience, with well maintained roads and about half the traffic you would find on an English road. If you decide to live in France permanently then you will inevitably think very carefully about the choice of car which may well be determined by your house location,i.e. rural or town.

It is fair to say that a lot of ex-pats bring their English cars with them, whether this is due to undying love or the insecurity fears of their new life in France and the possibility of a return to the homeland. Whatever the choice of car at some stage you will need to find a garage to either maintain or carry out essential repairs, unless of course you are one of those few people who have the skills and knowledge to undertake you own reparations.

If you purchased a new car in France then you will be secure in the knowledge that the agent will  undertake the maintenance and repair work. This will usually include the loan of a small car whilst the work is carried out. For those who choose to buy from a second hand car sales agent, privately or have brought their own UK car over then the situation is somewhat different.

Unfortunately we fall into the second group who made the mistake of bringing their own car over to France some 8 years ago. It was a new car that my wife had vowed she would not be parted from regardless of the bureaucracy involved in transferring the registration and the cost. So we have ended up with a Saab in Brittany, which has served us well despite being totally unsuitable for  rural roads and a magnet for manure.

It is inevitable that eventually mechanical problems will occur and you are faced with the decision as to which mechanical surgeon you can trust to replace the diseased part. It would have been easy to take the car direct to an agent for the particular make, in this case Saab, but that was St Brieuc or Rennes, some 2 hrs from our location. Consultations with our French friends enabled a short list of potential garages to be identified based on positive feedback.

So it was that we arrived a the first garage on the list to obtain a diagnosis and hopefully remedial repairs. In hindsight a quick appraisal of the amount of cars triple parked in the surrounding grounds awaiting attention should have set off  alarm bells, but regrettably the thought of an imminent repair temporarily blinded me. I opened the Saab bonnet to allow Guy access to the engine. He raised his eyebrows gave a short exhalation of air and said "Ahgh! très,très compliqué"

This was clearly the stage at which I should have got back in the car and left, however in my wife's words, "He is such a nice man"

So it was that I entrusted the car to Guy for the first time and set forth a train of long periods of being without a car in a rural area. It is apparent that having diagnosed the problem the garagiste, faced with a non French car has to set off on a voyage of discovery to obtain the replacement parts which in our case often come from Paris, or is it Sweden! On more than one occasion I have stepped in  to obtain the part from the UK in 2 days as opposed to the statutory 2 weeks from a French supplier.

If you are mad enough to entrust you car to a local garage then you will find that the loan of a courtesy car is rare and has to be balanced against the low cost of the repair. I am fortunate that one of my friends has a cheap second car which he uses on the farm and insists that I use it when the car is in for repair. It is a great little vehicle that seems to run on thin air and has things living in it! at least I think that is what accounts for the smell.

I think if there is a moral to this story it is to make sure you find a good garage you can rely on to maintain and repair you car and if you intend to stay in France buy a French Car or a good Bicycle

Internet Shopping in France

Despite having a fairly robust and widespread access to the Internet in France the marketing possibilities have not been fully grasped by the commercial world. To a casual observer this would appear strange as on the face of it France has a large rural populace who you would imagine would benefit from access to goods without having to leave their home. However these have historically been the very same people who have been very self sufficient and in many cases only require occasional trips to the shops to replenish those staple items which they are unable to produce.

However over the past ten years the population of the rural areas and the small towns have seen changes with more young people taking advantage of the cheaper housing and of course more Europeans choosing to retire to the French countryside. These changes coupled with the increased demand for the variety and competitive prices offered by Internet sales has encouraged more and more French companies to utilise the net platform.

For those who are new to France or thinking of moving here I therefore give a brief summary of the sort of Internet Shopping which it is possible to access in France.

Clothes

The French consumer has for some years used catalogue shopping as a main source of clothes for the family. Up until the last 5 years the catalogues were mainly sourced from newspaper shops or by post, however the majority of the catalogue companies now provide sales access via the web. It is interesting to note that to reduce costs these companies use reception centres in local shops where the customer retrieves the order, as opposed to home deliveries.