From the bad weather in France to finally getting around to taking care of administrative responsibilities – this week’s La Belle Vie newsletter offers an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking, and living like a local.
La Belle Vie is our regular look at the real culture of France – from language to cuisine, manners to films. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to your newsletter preferences in “My account”.
Hello readers,
Another three-day weekend is coming up, and I’m looking forward to spending time in the south of France in the sun… or not! France is currently going through a really bad period of rain and thunderstorms. The last few days in Paris have been quite reminiscent of fall, with chilly temperatures and non-stop rain.
Hence why I was looking forward to getting some sun this weekend, but it turns out the south of the country is going through the same thing. But I’m still hopeful. Being a proud Breton, and used to a microclimate where one minute it can be pouring rain and the next it’s sunny, I tend to believe everywhere is the same.
Maybe I’m being slightly delusional, but even though the forecast is showing me rain and wind, I still hope that the sun can show up even at the last minute.
What France’s weather has in store for the May 8th holiday weekend
Speaking of May 8th, ceremonies across France will be held marking the end of fighting in Europe during World War II. In Paris, like every year, the ceremony will be held at the Arc de Triomphe.
The monument will be closed to visitors for the occasion, but the general public is welcome to gather around it to watch the tributes and the rekindling of the flame by the French President. No booking is required.
Why is May 8th a holiday in France, and will it remain a day off?
The “rekindling of the flame” under the Arc de Triomphe refers to the daily ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the monument.
After World War I, France buried an unidentified French soldier there in 1920 to honour all soldiers whose remains were never identified. In 1923, an eternal flame was lit at the tomb as a symbol of remembrance.
You might also remember the famous flame from last August, when a video showing a man bending down to light a cigarette from it sparked widespread outrage on social media.
Man outrages France by lighting cigarette from memorial flame
Whenever I travel to another city or country, I always check which art exhibitions are on. I didn’t use to do this when I was younger, since I already visit museums in Paris and didn’t feel the need to do the same abroad. It felt a bit like ordering a classic French dish while travelling – somehow unnecessary when you can have it at home.
But last year, I had the chance of visiting Budapest with a few of my friends. We went to see a retrospective of photojournalist Robert Capa. It turns out that the expo is now being held in Paris until December, but I find it extremely cool that I got to see it in his home country.
If the weather this weekend prevents me from lying on the beach, I do have a backup plan. There is a great art expo where I will be staying in the south of France, which makes the trip already worth it, no matter if it rains or shines.
15 art exhibitions to look forward to in France in 2026
With tax season underway, I must admit I do have a sort of phobie administrative as the French would say. Now this sounds way more dramatic than it is, but it just means I get a little anxious about anything that has to do with the French administration.
But recently, I decided to be a responsible citizen and get everything sorted regarding my taxes. It turns out it was over in a matter of minutes, and the mountain of stress it had caused me was all in my head and certainly not worth the fuss.
While I had the ball rolling, I decided to finally call France Travail (France’s unemployment program), due to unfinished business I had with them. Turns out it took just a three-minute phone call to get everything back on track.
I recently was gifted a book by American author Mel Robbins called “The Let Them Theory”. I’m not normally a fan of self-help books, but she did give good advice on one thing. She explains that she uses a countdown method if she’s procrastinating on something. She counts backwards from five to one and gets moving immediately.
I applied this technique to get myself to finally tackle my responsibilities regarding my administrative duties, and… it worked! It’s also useful to know that there are some shortcuts to help with French bureaucracy.
