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Tips and Topics In France, Corsica and Monaco 2005 to 2007

Factfile News and Information

November 2007 Further expansion for Easyjet as they agree to acquire GB Airways Limited

easyJet has announced that it has agreed to acquire the entire issued share capital of GB Airways Ltd excluding its slots at Heathrow Airport, from the Bland Group Limited, for a cash consideration of £103.5 million.

GB Airways is primarily a London Gatwick based point-to-point airline operating to destinations across Southern Europe and North Africa under a franchise agreement with British Airways PLC. It serves 31 destinations and operates 15 Airbus aircraft (9 A320s and 6 A321s) with an average age of 4.1 years, which are complementary to the easyJet fleet of 107 A319s. In total it operates 39 routes – 28 from Gatwick, 6 from Manchester, 5 from Heathrow.

Following the acquisition, easyJet will operate 24% of Gatwick’s slots and will fly approximately 8 million passengers across 62 routes from Gatwick. By Winter 2008/09, GB Airways will be fully consolidated into the easyJet business model. GB Airways will continue to operate all routes under the British Airways brand until March 29th, 2008 after which flights will operate under the easyJet brand.

October 2007 From the 17th November 2007 — Low cost carrier Ryanair strats flights between Dublin and Nice

Aer Lingus's monopoly of flights between Dublin and Nice will end when a daily Ryanair flight starts. Ryanair will also be operating routes to Marrakesh and Fez in Morocco from Nice Cote d'Azur and Marseille from October 31st. 2007

Founder of Ryanair — Dr Tony Ryan dies

Dr Tony Ryan the Ryanair airline founder and entrepreneur died at his home in Co Kildare, Ireland on the 3rd October 2007 after an 18 month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 71. Michael O'Leary chief executive of Ryanair who was Tony Ryan's personal assistant said," It was a privilege to work for him and to learn from him". More on this story here.

October 2007 Report shows house prices in the Alpes-Maritimes- South of France are still on Increase

The Observatoire Immobillier report for the Côte d'Azur that monitors house prices in the Alpes Maritimes shows house prices are still on the increase. It states that in the first quarter of 2007 buyers were spending 5 per cent more on modern houses and 10 per cent on established ones compared to the same period in 2006. Only 1,400 new build properties have been released in the first six months of 2007 which is 30 per cent less than in 2006

September 2007 Inheritence tax threshold raised in France to boost property market

President Nicolas Sarkozy has increased the inheritance tax threshold to boost the French property market. The new legislation raises the inheritance tax threshold from 50,000 to 150,000 per parent for each child. For brothers and sisters the threshold rises from 5,000 to 15,000 and for nieces and nephews it will be 7,500. It is estimated that with the new changes as many as 95 per cent of the population in France will no longer pay any inheritance tax at all upon the death of their parents.

September 2007 Take care if you speed in France — the fine can now catch up with you

Speed Cameras: There are more and more speed cameras in France (useful web site is controleradar.org/) They usually have a warning sign a few metres or so before you see the camera and it is often set on a dual carriageway in the central reservation to capture traffic on both sides of the road. They are much nearer to ground level than those found in Britain and Ireland. They are often located on motorways on more dangerous sections particularly when the speed limit is reduced to 110 kmh. Remember if you are driving a hire car your fine will be passed onto you by the car rental company.

If you are driving on foreign plates, don't think you are safe from prosection now. A letter in the August/September 2007 edition of "The Riviera Reporter" concerned someone whose son had passed an Italian radar camera that flashed him. The fine was passed onto the French authorities to pursue via the local Prefecture. The same writer also knew of someone who had been speeding in Switzerland and the fine demand went overeas. According to The Riviera Reporter "Harmanisation and intra-EU cooperation is under way and not only fines will have to be paid, but soon points will be deducted from your licence no mater where the offence was committed. This will include offences in the UK and any other EU country as well as Switzerland"

September 2007 Halifax reports that house prices in France rose by 15 per cent in 2006

House prices have risen by 18 per cent in Belgium, the highest rise in Europe in 2006 according to the Halifax. In France they reported by 15 per cent and 14 per cent in Spain. Over the last five years Spain had led the way with a 100 per cent increase, with UK at 90 per cent, France 73 per cent and Ireland 71 per cent.

September 2007 Holiday Home Insurance Warning

A correspondent to a French property magazine wrote in August 2007, a warning to other readers about the importance of retaining receipts for items of property at the family holiday home in France. It was reported that the house was broken into in late 2006 and the agent made the discovery. Although the agent dealt with the issue, the owners decided to visit the property as well. The property was insured with a large French insurance company. More on this story here.

August 2007 Helicopter flights at St Tropez limited

The French authorities have limited helicopter flights to St Tropez following complaints about the noise. In 2006 a voluntary agreement authorised 1,200 flight movements a year, but 5,000 flights were registered between June and August 2006. Some companies were found to be flouting the rules.

July 2007 Downing Street launches French website

To coincide with the Prime Minister' Gordon Brown's visit to Paris to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy, Downing Street is launching a French version of its website. The website contains a wealth of information about the Government, the work of the Prime Minister and the history of Downing Street. A Downing Street spokesman said: "Our website has proved very popular and we are keen to make it more accessible to people in the UK and around the world. Translating the site into French is an important step in that direction." This is the second time the website has been translated into a foreign language, following the launch of an Arabic microsite in June. The French version of the site can be seen at: New site

June 2007 French Prime Minister François Fillon married to Welsh born Penelope

The wife of the French Prime Minister François Fillon was born in South Wales. She met François when they were students in 1976 and married in June 1980 in LLanover near Abergavenny. The couple have five children ageing from six to twenty five and live in a country house at Sarthe which a 12th century château set in 20 acres approximately one and a half hours from Paris non the boundary of l'Anjou and La Maine. They also live in a small apartment at Hôtel Matignon in Paris. Penelope Fillon is the first British woman to be married to French Prime Minister. Her sister Jane is married to eye surgeon Pierre Fillon (François Fillon's brother)

June 2007 ICM Research finds that many British buying in France are unaware of the need for insurance.

French Property News reported in it’s June edition that according to a recent ICM Research (Market research company offering polling, focus groups and telephone surveys in various specialist areas) that was commissioned by Hiscox that there are now much younger and inexperienced buyers of overseas homes. Young people are buying overseas to get a foot on the property ladder and then eventually selling up and buying in the UK. The research backs up the fact that only 4 per cent of those surveyed said that legal liability for guests having accidents on their property worried them. They should fully examine the policy and find out what they are covered for. More information here.

June 2007 French property prices look set to increase by 6% in 2007 and second home property prices have risen by 19% per annum over last ten years.

A report from the national association of French estate agents FNAIM state that re-sale property prices look set to increase by six per cent in 2007. In April the price of apartments increased by 1.4% compared to March 2007. Although prices for non-new build houses remained almost at a standstill with only an increase of 0.1%, jointly property prices have registered a year on increase of 1.3% during the first three months of 2007. These increases are not as high as in 2006 when they rose by 7.2% ,10.9% in 2005, 15.5% in 2004 and in 2003 14%.

However, property prices of second homes in France have risen on average by 19% over the last ten years according to research by estate agents Savills and the holiday home website Holiday Rentals.co.uk. The Rhône-Alpes region has experienced the highest second home price increase over the last five years.

June 2007 Higher French tourist records for 2006

There were 78 million visitors to France in 2006 according to figures released by junior minister for tourism Léon Bertrand. The figures represent 75 per cent being fellow Europeans – including Spanish, British, Swiss and visitors from Eastern Europe. The increase is a 2.7% increase on 2005.

May 2007 Romania wins major prizes at 2007 Cannes Film Festival

The Palme d'Or, went to Cristian Mungiu for "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days," described as an unsparing yet humane look at life during the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu. It follows the ordeal of two female university students as one tries to help the other obtain an illegal abortion. Cristian Mungiu’s film had critical support from the start and the The audience in the Palais des Festivals was audibly delighted by Mungiu's victory. The jury for Un Certain Regard, gave its highest honour to "California Dreamin,' " a first feature by Cristian Nemescu set in Romania during the Kosovo war of 1999. Cristian Nemescu died in a car accident in 2006 at the age of 27.See also Cannes Film Festival.

May 2007 France gets a new President, however it is not the first woman President this time

Nicolas Sarkozy the 52, the son of a Hungarian immigrant, the conservative right wing canditate has been elected France's new President. He gained 53 per cent of the vote of the 85% turnout. He will take over from 74-year-old President Jacques Chirac in May. Ségolène Royal 53, had hoped to join the growing list of first female leaders around the world, but it was not to be The socialist left wing candiitate gained 47 per cent of the vote. This is the third consecutive defeat for the socialists in a presidential election.

May 2007 Research has found that London residential property is the most expensive in the world — It has now overtaken Monaco — Cannes is 6th, St Tropez 7 and Paris 9th

A report by Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank has revealed that London has the most expensive residential properties in the world. The average cost in prime central London is £2,300 per square foot. More

April 2007 New Identity signs in Monaco

The signs at entry points to Monaco have also been added in Monacan — Principatu de Múnegu — Mune Carlu have been added. The Comité des Traditions Monégasques have arranged these in order to emphasize Monacan identity and heritage.

April 2007 Insurance4carhire.com is pleased to announce that it has launched a car rental Excess comparative site

The site shows the Excess amounts charged by the major car rental companies, as well as the daily rates they charge to reduce the Excess.

The information was compiled during April 2007 by Insurance4carhire staff calling each car rental company's airport location at the international airport in the capital city of each country – more than 180 locations in total — and the costs are based on the daily cost of excess for a compact size car.

The survey was conducted in more than 30 countries across Europe, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, USA and Canada. The car rental companies surveyed are: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and National More information

April 2007 Barclays Bank expands French operation

Barclays Bank that is very much in the news in April after it has agreed a €67bn takeover of Dutch bank ABN Amro. Barclays will hold a 52% stake in the new merged banking group, which will be the world's fifth largest banking group . It has opened a new branch at Port-Frejus in the Var in the south of France. The bank currently has eight branches in the south of France

April 2007 Savills Estate Agents list the league table of where the British buy overeas

Research among existing future buyers overseas have found that in Spain is top of the league table for British owned property overseas, followed by France, Portugal in 4th place and Morocco in eighth place after Cyprus.

April 2007 Cannes film festival celebrates 60th birthday in May 2007

With more than 200,000 people in the streets of Cannes for the 60th festival, there is bound to be a lot of interest.It starts on the 16th May and ends on the 27th May 2007. Diane Kruger will be the Master of Ceremonies for the 60th Festival de Cannes. She will welcome the President Stephen Frears and his Jury onto the stage of the Palais des Festivals on May 16th 2007. She will also host the Closing Ceremony, on Sunday May 27th, during which the Awards will be announced. See also Cannes Film Festival.

April 2007 easyJet end battle with French authorities over labour practices

The chief executive of easyJet — Andy Harrison presented a proposal in February to the airline's French staff at Orly and will start paying social charges in France in a bid to end a dispute with the French authorities over labour practices.This will mark the end to the company's battle defending its use of UK contracts for staff in France.

April 2007 The Louvre Paris opens "another branch"

Desert Louvre has been established and is causing an uproar amongst French experts. France's Culture Minister — Renaud de Vabres has signed a controversial deal worth more than one billion euros with the head of Abu Dhabi tourism — Sheik Sultan bin Tahnoun al-Nahayan. A satellite of the famous Paris art museum is to be established on the island of Saadiyat in 2012. The agreement will last for 30 years. The reason it is controversial is that there are 7.3 million visitors to the Louvre in Paris each year and these visitors will miss out if the works are not being shown in Paris but in United Arab Emirates.

The new Louvre will be named "The Louvre Abu Dhabi". It will be a 24,000 square metre gallery and 300 works of art will be loaned in the first four years.

March 2007 SpeedFerries will have dedicated bases in Boulogne-sur-mer and Dover

SpeedFerries is going to move its Dover operations base to the old Hoverspeed hoverport in Dover. This means it will be easier to get to as you will no longer have to use the same port facilities as used by Norfolk Line, Seafrance and P & O at the eastern Dock.The new base will have shopping and catering facilities. They hope to have this operating by Easter 2007. SpeedFerries successfully launched the world's first low cost fast ferry company in May 2004 and has had an effect on the ferry industry similar to that of low cost airlines in the airline industry. It is aLimited company, registered in England founded by the Danish entrepreneur, Curt Stavis. It successfully launched its first activity, the all year, cars only, fast ferry service Dover-Boulogne 19 May 2004. Today SpeedFerries has obtained 12 percent of the passenger vehicle market and reached its original objective of delivering a “50 percent cheaper — 50 percent faster” product to cross-Channel travellers.

March 2007 Russians are buying up the hotels in the South of France

In 2006 the owner of Chelsea Football Club — Roman Abramovich bought the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc at Antibes, near Cannes.This hotel is a favourite location for the stars of the Cannes Film Festival (see). and is very popular with rich Russian tourists visiting the Côte d'Azur. Their website lists a long alphabetical celebrity guest list. Now a fellow Russian Leonard Blavatnik has just purchased the prestigous Grand- Hôtel du Ca-Ferat located between Nice (see). and Monaco. He is a business oligarch — business magnate who was born in Russia and emigrated to the USA in 1978. This specatular hotel was opened in 1908 and like the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc has a pedigree guest list including Winston Churchil, Aristole Onassis, Pablo Picasso and a fellow Russian Tsar Nicholas 11. There are 44 rooms and 9 suites with room rates from €333 to €1,098 and at times rising to €2,525 per night. The estimated purchase price he has paid is €215 million — £146 million. He has also purchased the Hôtel de Vendôme in Paris.This is located in Place Vendôme in the centre of the French Capital.

March 2007 Futuroscope celebrates 20th birthday

Futuroscope the amusement park in the Département of Vienne near Poitiers is celebrating its 20th birthday in 2007.It opened in 1987 and since that time has attracted more than 30 million visitors. It is the second largest amusement park in France. It offers rides and the latest multimedia cinematographic and audivisual techniques.

March 2007 SpeedFerries will have dedicated bases in Boulogne-sur-mer and Dover

March 2007 2006 was the warmest autumn in France since 1950

According to Météo France the autumn of 2006 was the hotest in France since 1950. Temperatures were 1.9 degrees centigrade above the seasonal average. Birds that would normally fly to Africa for the winter like warblers and swallows delayed their departure because of the warm weather.

March 2007 Pet passport scheme is very popular

Brittany Ferries the ferry operator has announced that almost 30,000 dogs and cats were transported by their company. It costs around £10 which is a lot cheaper than one nights stay in the average boarding kennels. The Pet Passport Scheme was introduced in 2004 (see also CLICK HERE)

March 2007 easyJet announces new routes for the 2007 summer season.

The low cost carrier easyJet has announced that it is to start flights from Bristol to Bordeaux this summer and Gatwick to La Rochelle.

January 2007 France Magazine celebrates 100 issues.

January 2007 saw the 100 edition of France Magazine. Founded by Jane Last, Philip Faiers and Tony Faiers in 1989 the first issue was published in the spring of 1990. It had a cover price of £2.50 and it all started in a small office in the Cotswolds. W H Smith refused to stock it initially and an 8 second mention on a “Travelog” television programme meant the newsagent had numerous requests for this new magazine and immediately wanted to stock it. It was later sold to Archant publishing group (who also own French Property News and Living France) and one of the founders Philip Faiers is still consultant editor submitting articles from his home in France.

January 2007 France 24 TV news is launched

France 24 the French international news channel has been launched. This news channel offers a French perspective on world events. It broadcasts 24 hours a day offering an in depth analysis of current affairs and news. It is broadcast in French and English and later this there will be an Arabic version and a Spanish version is scheduled for 2010. It is available via SKY or TPS/Canal+.

January 2007 Assetz Finance states that more holiday home purchasers are taking out French Mortgages

A recent report by Assetz Finance states that more people buying holiday homes in France are taking out French mortgages instead of paying in cash. Assetz Finance in the last year has seen a rise in the number of British holiday home buyers taking out a French mortgage from 33 per cent in 2005 to 50 per cent in 2006. French mortgages are one to one and a half per cent cheaper in the UK.

December 2006 New Eurostar terminal to open in London in November

The new Eurostar terminal at London's St Pancras International station will be open on the 14th November. The new station is served by the UK's first high speed line that has been named as "High Speed 1". It will cut journey times between London, Paris and Brussels by an average of 23 / 25 minutes. The fastest travel time between London and Paris will be 2 hours 15 mins . (Currently 2 hours 35 mins) and from London to Brussels 1 hour 51 mins (Currently 2 hours 15 mins ).St Pancras International will have far better connections to London and the UK, with six Underground lines serving St Pancras International and five train operators serving St Pancras, King's Cross and nearby Euston.

December 2006 — Marseille to be France's first airport dedicated to cut price air travel

Marseille is to be France's first airport dedicated to low cost airlines with one million passengers expected to pass through the airport in 2007. A new terminal, MP2 ( short for Marseille Provence 2) will be located next to the existing buildings. This will be able to deal with six flights at any time. It will deal with 3.5 million passengers per year. The new facility will boost traffic at France's fourth largest airport

October 2006 — Holidays in France – Bon Voyage — A drama set in France that turns into a crisis.

Thinking of taking your holidays in France? This wasn’t such a good idea in the ITV drama shown over two nights in October 2006 in the UK

A couple Neil and Elizabeth (played by Ben Miles and Rachael Blake) go on holiday together, driving south through rural France with their two children. The marriage is under strain. First of all he takes his pride car an old classic Mercedes that is somewhat temperamental. He won’t switch off his mobile phone and eventually she throws it away whilst they are sightseeing. She gives the impression that has been having an affair. Plenty of fine rural French scenery and nothing seems wrong.

En route, they find themselves being stalked by a couple in a white camper van (played by Daniel Ryan and Fay Ripley), who are somewhat evil. Following a road accident the mysterious couple suddenly appear in the middle of the night and kidnap their teenage daughter and younger son.

They have to then find the children (played by Emily Beecham and Cameron Ansell ) who have been abducted as the couple’s children played by Fay Ripley and Daniel Ryan had been killed a year or so back and Neil and Elizabeth’s children were “ideal” replacements. They take them to their French holiday home and the character played by Daniel Ryan becomes more and more dangerous

They trace them through a vineyard, graveyard and in the end rescue them. Not really the most ideal holiday in France!!

October 2006 — Britons now own £4.6billion of property in France

Britons have bought some 51,000 properties in France sonce 2000. The last French census in 2004 recorded a 50 per cent increase over five years in the number of Britons who live permanently in France to 100,000 and there areabout 500,000 who spend more than six weeks a year there. The country is the favoured place for retirement with 37 per cent wishing to retire there according to an ICM survey as opposed to 30 per cent opting to stay in Britain. At the same time the survey found that if given the choice of nationality, just over half of Britons under 50 would retain their passport, but 22 per cent would opt to become French instead.

September 2006 — Expansion out to sea at Monaco

The Sovereign Price Albert II has formerly launched his first major project since taking the reins of the Proncipality of Monaco. Tweleve hectares are to be reclaimed from the sea at Le Portier, just west of the Grimaldi Forum. The land is to be developed to offer 300,000 square metres of extra space for housing (40 per cent) and office space, alongside public amenities such as nursery school and crèche. There will also be another shopping centre and additional berths for pleasure boats and a coastal pathway to link Lanvotto to Port Hercule. There are also plans to build a new National Museum here. Work should begin in 2008 and be completed by 2014 and to pay for it — there a budget running into billions of euros.

August 2006 — Property Boom in France

Property investors are receiving an average 92 per cent return on their investments in property in France. Property investments in France are outperforming those in the UK, Spain and Florida-USA according to a study by property investment specialist Assetz. Florida was second with 81 per cent. The UK stands at just 35 per cent

August 2006 — Aer Lingus will be charging for carrying luggage

The Irish airline Aer Lingus has followed Ryanair and FlyBe in annoucing that it will charge passengers extra for baggage it carries in the aircraft hold. This will be from the 17th January 2007. They will levy a fee 8.00 / £5.50 for each bag carried for short haul flights or half if it is booked on line in advance. This fee policy reflects the moves among some low cost airlines like Irish competitor Ryanair to apportion costs for optional services. The company has abolished complimentary catering on its European network. The policy will not affect British Airways passengers who are booked on "code share flights" (EI127 /BA329 for excample) that operated from London Heathrow to Dublin, Cork and Shannon. British Airways has negotiated for its passengers to be exempt from the charge.

July 2006 — Delta Air Lines now has a non-stop scheduled flight between Nice and Atlanta, USA and Sky Europe starts a service to Prague in the Czech Replublic.

Delta Airlines have announced a new regular service between Nice and Hartsfield Jackson. They can now connect with 145 daily flights to over 130 cities around the world. This development takes place less than fifteen years after the Nice to New York (JFK) service was established. The low cost carrier Sky Europe started a service to Prague in April. There are three flights a week. The company started in 2001.

July 2006 — Villeneuve-Loubet promotes itself as a family resort on the French Riviera

Villeneuve-Loubet as numerous tourist assets. There are seven thousand hotel beds, two natural parks, the Canyon Forest, self catering holiday apartments and villas, the Labyrinthe de L'Aventure, a riding club, a castle, river and of course the Mediterranean Sea. The municipality has decided to promote it's family image by putting a great emphasis on young children. Back in 2004 the town became the only commune on the PACA region coast to be awarded the "Station Kid" label (This is a Ministry of Tourism label taking into account the quality of the environment, security, facilities and activities for Children). There is going to be a big poster campaign

June 2006 — Airline tax in France

From 1st July 2006 France will be imposing a taxe de solidarité on airline tickets to contribute to the financing of developing countries. When passengers take flights from France they will pay a maximum of1 for economy class and 10 for business class for inter European flights. If they are non-European flights the tax will be 4 for eceonomy and 40 for businees class. This tax is expected to raise over 200 million euros.

June 2006 — Ryanair chooses Marseille as south of France base and Jetairfly continues it's north — south routes into the winter.

The low cost airline Ryanair plans to make Marseille its 16th "hub" base. It will base aircraft there and operate routes from November 2006 to Dublin, Eindhoven,Brussels Charleroi, Fez in Morocco, Glasgow, London Stanstead, Rome Ciampino and other locations. Meanwhile Jetairfly airlines have announced that due to popular demand they will continue their Brest-Toulon flight into the winter.The service started in April 2006. The company is part of Jetair, Belgium's leading tour operator. It is known in France as Nouvelles Frontières — TUI France and Corsair

May 2006 Corsica Ferries Celebrated their 10th anniversary in May 2006

In 1996 Corsica Ferries ended the SNCM monopoly of crossing to Corsica. On the 22nd May they celebrated in the port of Nice. The company carried 2.7 million passengers in 8,000 trips or more in ten years. There are now how speed ferries ( NGV’s) and of one million passengers travelling between Nice and Corsica in 2005, 750,00 went by sea.

May 2006 — Cannes Film Festival — Ken Loach won the 2006 Palme D'Or at Cannes

Ken Loach the veteran director has won the 2006 Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his film The Wind That Shakes The Barley (Le Vent se lève). It beat 19 other films. The fim is about the early days of the IRA and stars Cillian Murphy and Liam Cunningham as two brothers in early 1920s Ireland, when volunteer guerrilla fighters rose up against the British Black and Tans.

The Grand Prix was won by Flandres by Bruno Dumont.

Andrea Arnold, a new director, won the jury prize ( Prix du Jury) for Red Road, starring Kate Dickie as a CCTV operator on a Glasgow council estate who spots a man from her past in video footage. See also Cannes Film Festival.

Meanwhile down the coast at Monaco Ferdinand Allonso won the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix,in the Renault with Juan Pablo Montoya in second and local (Scotsman) David Couthard in third place. May 2006 The 5th Historic Grand Prix at Monaco

1997 saw the first Historic Monaco Grand Prix (Grand Prix de Monaco Historique). It was then held in 2000 and since then every two years in May. It is usually held a week before the Formula one event on the same circuit. Unlike the Formula One event that is 78 laps the races are only 10 to 15 laps depending on the category of cars racing. The event that is organised by the Automobile Club de Monaco is held over Saturday and Sunday with qualifying on the Saturday. Cars that race date back to pre- 1947, but there cannot be any cars post 1978.

The day will attract many visitors who will go to the "Goodwood" Revival meeting in England in September. Tickets are not expensive (unlike the Formula One event) tickets around 15 and restaurant prices are still normal unlike when the Formula One event is on. You can have a most enjoyable day's entertainment.

If you are visiting Monaco for the day, as many of the roads are closed off, parking can be very difficult. An excellent alternative to trying to come in by car is to take a train. There is a great service running along the coast from Ventimigla in Italy (plus Italian connections) on one side to Marseille on the other.

The 5th Historic Grand Prix was no exception. Memorable. It took place on Sunday 21st May 2006, with practice sessions on Saturday 20th May.

The Historic Grand Prix meeting is not over expensive to organise, as the stands, safety barriers, and the other essential infrastructure parts are already in place for the following week's F1 World Championship Grand Prix. Because many of the races are for cars from an age when drivers could be seen at work.

Today's F1 cars have high cockpit surrounds so it's difficult to see anything except the driver's head/sefety helmet — with the cars in the Historic Grand Prix you can enjoy watching these racers with arms steering their beasts, often on opposite lock as they defy physics whilst treading that invisible line between total control and spinning off into the barriers.

Of course, it's only the bravest and most talented who drive these beasts at 10/10ths — some others are content to lap the circuit much more sedately, not wishing to take huge risks with their irreplaceable historic cars. But the heroes and heroines are those that have their cars sliding on the edge and giving spectators images that will last forever.

The day's racing included a 10 lap event for sports cars built before 1953 In 1952, the Monaco event had been run for sports cars, as this was a period in F1 when the regulations were being changed from one engine to another and there was not an abundance of single-seater racuing cars. How different to 1974, when 32 cars vied for 25 places on the grid..... The 2006 sports-car race featured cars that had competed in the '52 event or were competing in similar races at that time.

Amongst a gaggle of well driven 3.4 litre Jaguar C types, a brace of Ferrari 2-litre spyders, an Aston Martin DB3, a magnificent Gordini and two pre-2nd World War BMWs were a trio of Frazer-Nash cars. Much less powerful than many of the other runners, one of them, in the masterly hands of John Ure, dominated the event in early 2000 Schumacher style. very lap, right on the limit, every lap like poetry in motion. That's why so many enthusiasts show up from around Europe and beyond.

Martin Stretton, in one of two 6-wheel Tyrrell-Cosworth 'bolides' in the 1975-78, was another on the edge throughout trhe penultimate race, perhaps the most exciting event of the day. Stretton, who prepares historic cars for a living, certainly knows how to make 'em slither and slide but somehow manages to keep them out of the barriers. He is the only driver to have won here at each Historic meeting to date.

Another sparkler, American Duncan Dayton came away from the meeting with two fine victories, one in the beautiful 1959 Lotus 16 and another in a 1970 Brabham. In both races he and his great rival, Spaniard Joaquin Folch, locked horns for the umpteenth time. Folch, a previous multi-winner here, had to settle for 2nd in one event and retired early in the other, mechanical gremlins spoiling what should have been a battle royal between the two Lotus 16 matadors.

April 2006 Pets in Apartments in France

A correspondent of The Riviera Reporter has written to the magazine saying that under French law a person renting a property has a right to keep a dog. This person ows a time share in Antibes and although other residents are permitted to keep dogs, their time share company refuses consent. The Riviera Reporter has replied that under normal circumstances no one can forbid them from keeping an "animal del compagnie" (domestic pet). According to the law dated July 10th 1970 — you can keep several animals — within ";reasonable limits"; — except for certain categories of dangerous animals and dogs oulined in the revised law of January 6th and April 27th 1999.The only types of dogs that can be forbidden outright under the terms of these laws are Pitbulls, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers,Boerbulls and Tosa Inus. Under the law you are required to prevent your dog from disrupting the tranquility of your neighbours by barking or foul odours. The dog must not cause any physical damage to the building or gardens and communal areas

April 2006 Flights now avaible between Nice, Cork, Dublin and Belfast

Starting on the 1st April 2006 Aer Lingus will be flying to Dublin from Nice on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and to Cork on Friday and Saturday. The frequencies will be increased in the summer. easyJet will have flights to Belfast on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

March 2006 jml Property Insurance can now offer Holiday home property insurance to many European countries.

jml property insurance has been acting as an agent introducing Landlord and Tenant insurance in the UK since 2002. As the company is heavily involved in self-catering holiday home rentals with jmlvillas.com, there have been numerous requests for property insurance for owner's holiday homes in mainland Europe as well as the UK. There are now more and more people buying holiday homes overseas and in the it makes sense to deal with a company that can provide a policy written in a language the owner can understand.

jmlcan now introduce owners in France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden,Malta, Cyprus and the UK to a policy written in English and underwritten at Lloyds. The premiums are payable in £ sterling and the insurance is arranged via Andrew Copeland (Insurance Consultants) Ltd.

Andrew Copeland are based in London and are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority in the UK. This is very good news for the owner of that dream holiday home property who is not too fluent in French, Spanish or Portuguese who can now understand the full details of the policy in his or her native tongue.

Further details can be found by going to http://www.jml-property-insurance.co.uk/overseas_property_insurance.htm

January 2006 — Ryanair to offer online check-in and luggage fees.

Passengers travelling on the budget airline Ryanair are to be offered cheaper airfares and the option to check on in the Internet from March 16th 2006. They will also face charges of £5 / €7 for each item of luggage they check in. The company says that it could cut the number of airport queues for its flights by as much as half and will incentivise passengers to travel with only hand baggage.

Any bag that weighs more than 10kg will have to be checked in. There are also restrictions as to what can be carried on board. Ski boots will have to travel in the hold. Under the new system, any passenger travelling with hand luggage who has an EU passport will be able to check in at the company’s website up to three days before their flight.

Passengers will be asked to print up their own boarding card, complete with a pre-arranged barcode. Upon arrival at the airport they can go directly to the security check in, thus avoiding the check in desks. Passengers who also check in their luggage on line will be charged €3.50 for each bag on the flight and will still have to present their bags at the normal check in desks.

Ryanair has beaten easyJet in becoming the first no-frills airline to offer passengers the option of checking in on line and said it was something they were considering. Aer Lingus has confirmed that it also intends to introduce online check-in later this year, but has no plans to charge customers for each piece of luggage checked in.

January 2006 -The A8 motorway is becoming like the M25 in England

The Autoroute A8 between Antibes and Nice will become grid locked by 2020 and is France's busiest stretch of motorway. It is one of the most dangerous with 2.5 more accidents than the national average. The section that leaves the cost and heads north just before the airport is quite a black spot. A plan is under public discussion. It is called the contournement de Nice and the objective is to either create two tunnels between Nice est and Vaugrenier and a doubling of the A8 between Antibes and Biot or create two tunnels between Nice est and Breguières with one intersection and exit north east of Sophia Antipolis. The third option is to widen the A8 between Nice est and Nice Saint-isidore. It will take several years before studies and consents are agreed and construction work probably not starting till 2012.

November 2005 — Now is the time to get your swimming pool in order

The 2003 law regarding swiming pools in France comes into force on January 1st 2006. This specifies that all private pools withouth exception should be equipped with a safety installation, designed in particular to protect children. Failure to observe the new rules could bring a fine of 45,000 euros There appears to be no system of routine inspection in force, however if you try to rent out your property through an agency, you could well have difficulty if you have not applied for the new security measures. If there is an accident in your "unprotected" poolyou could be in big trouble. In 2002-2004 there was an average off 22 deaths a year in France by drowning in pools.

Firstly, the law doesn't stipulate any single measure so pool-owners will be able to choose between approved systems. For the moment, the choice is between a security barrier or a soon to be licensed detector that emits a loud audible signal when someone falls into the pool. An infrared beam fence is also on the market but not yet licensed. The security barrier is the least aesthetically pleasing option. The barrier must be at least 1.2m high and carry an official certification which takes into consideration several elements including the child proofness of the gate. Count around 2000 euros, installed.

An auto-nomous fall detector is the more eye pleasing solution and, although still awaiting official licensing, the Aquasensor model sold by Azur Security meets certification standards. Solar-powered, it can be temporarily disabled and automatically switch itself back on. The Aquasensor costs around 1100 euros and, for the ultra-cautious, can be used in conjunction with a security barrier.

The new regulations (which do not apply to above ground pools) are effective from January 1, 2004 for pools constructed after that date and for pools of any age constructed on property that is rented seasonally. All other pools must be equipped before January 2006. Considering the statistics on infant death by drowning, owners would be well advised to pre-empt these legal deadlines.

Source The Riviera Reporter.

November 2005 Renting Property Traps

What can you do if the property you decide to rent does not live up to the promises and description in the brichure or on line?. Tenants in France are not helpless when dealing with landlords. They do have rights and under standing these at the outset can avoid trouble later.

If you only have a brochure or have seen a sparse web site description, try asking for more precise information from the owner or rental company. Landlords are obliged to give all details required concerning location, rental conditions and extra features such as if there is a satellite TV there and is bed linen included or not.

When you make a booking using an agency you will be asked to pay up to a quarter of the entire rent in advance. There are not any laws that stipulate what a private individual can charge as a deposit and the amount can be agreed between both landlord and renter.

In France there are two deposit types (caution)- "arrhes" and "acompte". Ideally you should only agree on an an arrhes. If the tenant back out of the contract they are unlikely to get the money back, on the other hand if the landlord changes his mind they have to pay the tenant double the amount of deposit.

The problem with an acompte is that neither party has a right to withdraw. The Landlord may even ask the renter to pay the entire rent if they are not able to find another tenant. If a landlord renages on the contract, the tenant can ask for compensation if they cannot find a suitable alternative.

Defects: If the property does not look like anything it has been described at or has defects that will affect the renters stay (Description being "near to to the sea" when in fact it is in reality located 5 km from the sea, do not pay the balance but ask for the arrhes back. Avoid moving in, but if there is no alternative, ask for a reduction.

Evidence of defects: If you cannot come to an agreement with the landlord/owner — then collect evidence. Take photos of the deffects and write it all down in the presence of a bailfiff (huissier). These can be found via the Yellow Pages directory. Alternatively you you could ask French speaking friends to write a statement (attestation) under oath. This should detail the problems. He or she will need to attach a copy of their ID papers to the statement which is then taken to the Direction Departementale de la Concurrence de la Consommation et de la Repression des Fraudes (DDCCRF). This address should be found in the local mairie or Conseil General or the Yellow Pages. Finally as a last resort you can take your complaint to the courts and the local Tourist Office .

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