Email Campaign Archive

Square Dancing in the French Alps

Local ‘square dance’ club at the Fête pastorale (pastoral celebration) in the village of Marthod near Albertville.

Clearstream Affair

In what’s being called France’s trial of the century, the Clearstream Affair has finally started. (Clearstream is a bank in Luxembourg) The trial is shaping up to be even more intriguing than first thought. It’s all very complicated and centers around a list, now known to be forged of account numbers that purportedly belonged to some very important French politicians. Allegedly the politicians were hiding kickbacks and bribes. These politicians included the current French President, Nicolas Sarkozy and former Finance and Economy Minister, Dominique Strauss-Kahn (now head of the IMF). Both are civil plaintiffs in the case.
What makes this trial so intriguing isn’t who did it, that’s been known for some time but, who was behind the list’s creation and who tried or didn’t try to manipulate the Clearstream Investigation to their advantage.
One of the accused is former Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin, who was and still is a rival of Sarkozy. De Villepin isn’t accused of creating the list but of manipulating the Clearstream investigation to harm Sarkozy. De Villepin is crying foul stating his innocence and accusing Sarkozy of being out to get him. As president of France Sarkozy has presidential immunity and couldn’t be brought to justice should it be found that the charges against de Villepin are baseless. Sarkozy is a civil plaintiff and in a way is responsible for the case being brought to trial, if a judge were to throw the case out de Villepin could under normal circumstances take Sarkozy to court.
Sarkozy started the trial, more or less as an injured party looking for justice. But he didn’t help himself when he commented to French journalists that the “guilty parties should be tried before a criminal court.” Calling de Villepin and the other accused ‘guilty’ runs in contrast to the presumption of innocence and makes Sarkozy look like he’s trying to settle a score. Also Sarkozy can as president, appoint judges, making it look like he is trying to influence the trial.

Expat Expo

Again I invite you to attend the Expat Expo on Sunday October 11th. The Expat Expo runs from 11am to 5pm. The location is Palexpo, Hall 7 at the Geneva Airport. There are some 200+ exhibitors, including yours truly at table F7 (listed as GP IMMO).

Email Problems

If anyone experienced problems contacting me with the email address my newsletters are sent from, I apologized. Recently I discovered the address was not working. I try to reply to all my messages, but because of the volume I receive I’m not always able to do so in a timely manner. So if you tried to contact me and never received a response, please try again.
It was also brought to my attention by Paul Varley of Banque Chaix that last month a reader contacted him but the return email didn’t work. Paul has asked the person to please resend their request as a reply is waiting.

Trivia

During the Journées européennes du Patrimoine last month we took part in a treasure hunt and discovered this bit of trivia. It seems that La Roche sur Foron has the 44th swimming pool built in France. It’s out of service now but judging from the photos it used to be a happening place!

Bidart Bed & Breakfast

We are a family home, located in Bidart (near Biarritz), close by everything, yet in the middle of a forest. The bedroom where you shall be staying has two single beds that can be independent or joined together, en suite bathroom opens onto a terrace, where you can breakfast next to the rose garden and birds houses. If the weather does not cooperate, breakfast shall be served by the fireplace. Looking forward to seeing you here!

Resources for living or traveling in France:

My observations about what’s up in France can be found by following me on Twitter.
English Speaking Real Estate Agent in the French Alps. Can also help find property in other parts of France.
Citizen services at the American embassy in Paris.
Need an accountant for your taxes? I have a list of accountants that specialize in helping expats.
Looking for the cheapest way to transfer money overseas at the best rate? I work with Currency Online so that you can get the most out of your money when it comes to currency exchanges.
If you would like to improve your French, I suggest Fluent French. Other good resources are Bien-dire - France's most popular "Learn French" magazine. If you need help with French numbers, French pronuncation or other essential skills? Then check out Bien-dire's "Essential Skills" series.
Looking to rent a car in France? Try car rental partner AutoEurope.
Need a hotel for your travels? Venere.com.
Looking to stay in a B&B or Château? Then please take a look at B & B's/Rental page.
How about sightseeing tours? Try - Sightseeing Tours France
Wine lover looking for a site to help you find great French wines? Then you should try WineDrive. Americans in France readers save 25% on a one year membership with WineDrive, just enter the word ‘Americans’ (without quotation marks) in the promotional code box.
Thinking of having a wedding or other event in France? Have a look at my Wedding in France page.
Would you like to find classified ads for France but in English? Then a good place to start is Franglo.
Do you need to find health insurance for France? Then I suggest either Global Insurance or Medibroker.
Searching for a book about living in France? One you might read is The Insider Paris Guide for Living in France.
Skiing in France with an English speaking ski instructor Ski Pros Megeve.
Looking for a property in France? Have a look at my Property pages.
The number one travel guide to central and historical Paris: Paris Marais.
If there is something I've missed or you would like more resources, please contact me.

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