General information pages on www.les-kaias.com

Americans in France

Resource for people that would like to live or travel in France.

Headings Only

2009-12-29 8:59am

If you remember Ichabod Crane, You'd recognize Rene. Hawk nose. Deep set piercing eyes. High cheekbones. Angular face. And a frame more fashionably lean than even da BG! When I tried to visualize him at school, I first thought - President of the chess club.

Haute-Vienne Property For Sale

2009-12-28 1:40am

Property for sale in the Haute-Vienne (87) department of France.

Strikes in France Update

2009-12-24 10:54am

For the foreseeable future I'm going to use my twitter page to give strike updates. I'm marking all such updates with #strikefrance.

French Property Tax Information

2009-12-22 2:53am

Non-residents are taxed in France on income arising from French sources only and are liable to a number of other property related taxes outlined below. Individuals living more than 183 days in France, or whose main resident home is located in France, are considered as French resident for tax purposes.

Property Owners FAQs about Taxes in France

2009-12-22 2:28am

Property owners FAQs about income taxes in France from Property Tax International.

The Inside Scoop

2009-7-31 3:54am

What are the French really like? A fair question to ask someone with a fair experience of their likes/dislikes - wot?

Two Apartment Ski Chalet in Manigod

2009-7-31 3:22am

This south facing chalet has 180 m2 (1,937 sq feet) of living space and is divided into two apartments. In total there are six bedrooms each with bathroom, two dinning rooms, two kitchens, one garage and 1,140 m2 (12,270 sq feet) of land.

Traffic in France August 2009

2009-7-31 2:09am

With summer in full swing so is traffic congestion on French roads. August has the only national Black (very heavy) traffic days of the year - Saturday August 1st. There are also two Red (heavy) traffic and 11 Orange (moderate) traffic days. As is often the case the best days to travel by car are during the week Monday to Thursday.

La Clusaz Apartment for Sale

2009-7-28 3:11am

Located in a grouping of five buildings built in 1977, this apartment is on the second floor. The apartment faces south overlooking the Bossonnet ski lifts and has a view of the local mountains. Shopping is not far away.

Apartment Centre of La Clusaz

2009-7-24 7:05am

This south facing apartment is located in the centre of the skiing village of La Clusaz in the Aravis Mountains. Close to the city of Annecy and Manigod ski station with the Geneva International Airport (GVA) less than two hours away.

Mont Saint Vincent Romanesque Church

2008-10-20 10:21am

The Romanesque church in Mont-Saint-Vincent was once a monastery and part of the Cluny network of churches. Its superior church was Paray-le-Monial.

Chazelle Romanesque Church

2008-10-18 12:08am

The hamlet of Chazelle in the village of Cormatin has a Romanesque Church built in the 12th century. Not only is the church old but so is the church's bell as it was made in the 15th century.

French Property For Sale

2008-10-17 3:51am

Please use the form below to search property for sale in France. There are seven different criteria you can search with. This will help to narrow your search as there are over 11,000 properties in the database.

Taxis in France

2008-10-17 2:54am

Taking a taxi in France can be much the same as taking one in the United States, but there are a few differences.

Carbon Offsets

2008-10-11 1:18am

Thanks to budget airlines and open borders it's never been easier to travel in Europe. Almost no matter where you are there is a cheap flight taking off near you. This opening up of the skies and democratisation of travel hasn't happen in a vacuum. The emissions that airplanes emit do have an impact on the environment through the production CO2s and other greenhouse gasses.

Mont Saint Vincent

2008-9-05 11:34am

The village of Mont Saint Vincent as the name suggests sits upon a hill. The village overlooks the Southern Burgundy countryside and has an observation tower that offers you a 360 degree view. On a clear day you can see the Mont Blanc.

Calais Guide

2008-9-04 11:41am

I just found a site that I think would be interesting for anyone looking to visit or do some shopping in Calais. The website is Calais Guide.

Apartment for rent near Flaine

2008-9-03 4:36am

Situated in the hamlet of St Sigismond, 6kms from Les Carroz, south facing and with spectacular views both up the valley towards Flaine and down towards Geneva.

French Road Signs

2008-9-02 8:07am

Below is a list of French road signs translated into English. If you have never driven in France before (or even if you have!) the road signs can be confusing. I hope the translated signs below will make your driving in France more enjoyable.

French School Holidays 2008-2009

2008-9-02 7:28am

Here is the French public school vacation calendar for the 2008/2009 public school year.

Living and Investing in France Real Estate Conference

2008-8-26 11:40am

If you've always dreamed of spending more time in France, enjoying a "pied--terre" of your own in Paris that you can profitably rent when you like, or just make a smart investment in the strong Euro by owning property in France...then this power-packed conference is a MUST.

Traffic in France September 2008

2008-8-24 10:29am

After all the summer traffic congestion September is a welcome month. Everyday is Green (normal traffic) nationally.

Saint Jacques B&B

2008-8-01 7:11am

Is a completely renovated auberge (manor house) in the heart of a charming Solognot village just 15 minutes south of Orlans and 90 minutes from Paris. The auberge has a large living area, a dining room and a bilingual French/English library. For enjoying the kilometres of trails we offer the use of our bikes or there is also badminiton and ping pong available. Only a few minutes away are several of the Loire Valley castles including Chambord, Franois 1er's famous hunting castle. Numerous wineries and restaurants along with 5 well-known golf courses are also nearby.

Real Time Traffic in France

2008-7-31 4:51am

Below are links to real time updates of France traffic by region. This is thanks to Infotrafic a French website that specializes in online traffic reports. Under each report/map is a dictionary that helps you understand that maps, as they are in French.

Les Rossignols Bed and Breakfast

2008-7-30 1:41am

Is a beautiful old Quercy farmhouse built around 1840, near Assier, in the Lot, Midi-Pyrenees. Close to Figeac, the famous medieval riverside market town, there is much to do and see. Three bed and breakfast rooms are available, from a romantic double room with private roof terrace, to a family room for four. The top floor can be rented as a suite of two bedrooms to sleep six, with spa bathroom and sitting room. Close to the wonderful tourist sites of Rocamadour, St. Cirq-Lapopie, the prehistoric caves of Peche Merle, the Dordorgne, Lot and Cl river valleys there is plenty to do. Either walk, explore or watch the wonderful birds and wild life, which ever way you can be sure of a fabulous holiday and warm welcome.

Colombier-le-Haut

2008-7-27 10:53am

The hamlet of Colombier-le-Haut overlooks the Grosne Valley and offers a nice view of the surrounding countryside. The hamlet also offers something else, a Romanesque church built in the 12th century.

Gourdon

2008-7-25 3:43am

From the outside the church in Gourdon looks like many of the other Romanesque Churches in the region, high square bell tower, thick walls supported by buttresses and a simple design with the only curves in the half circled apse.

Madame la campagne

2008-7-22 10:51am

Just when you think winter is over and spring is about to begin a cold snap arrives out of nowhere throwing you off balance. The shutters you folded back in great expectation now have to be shut. The bikes you hauled out of storage and chained to garden furniture now need to be covered with sheets of plastic (with little bags over the seats for extra protection); even the azalea's and roses have shrunk back to a petrified state after so confidently thrusting out new shoots and buds.

Postcard from Paris 2

2008-7-22 10:32am

April may well be the cruelest month, but in Paris it can also be the grumpiest month and if the sun doesn't shine so is May. People generally feel if they can get through January and February then for sure things will start to get better by mid-March or thereabouts.

Postcard from Paris 1

2008-7-22 10:23am

From my apartment I can hear the bells of Saint-Eustache, the sixteenth century church where the future Louis X1V received first communion, Moliere was married and Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV and intermittent friend of Dr Who, was baptised Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson.

Map B & B's/Rental Homes

2008-7-19 4:21am

Here is a Google Map showing the B & B's/Rental Homes listed on Americans in France. Just click on the home logo to find out more information about the location, including a web link. Please give the map a few seconds to load.

Fley Romanesque Church

2008-7-18 7:13am

The Romanesque church in the Burgundy village of Fley once belonged to the abbey of Fert-sur-Grosne in Saint-Ambreuil and was built by monks from the abbey. The Fert-sur-Grosne was one of the first sister abbeys of the Cteaux order who practice a simple life based on manual work.

Map of Romanesque Churches

2008-7-18 2:31am

Here are the Romanesque Churches in Southern Burgundy on a Google Map. Just click on the blue icon to see what church it is. A link will also show up letting you go to the church's page where you can read about it and see photos.

Germagny Romanesque Church

2008-7-17 7:54am

The village church of Germagny was built during the 12th century, meaning it is Romanesque. The church we see today has a lower bell tower than when it was built. This is because during the 15th century the church, along with the village of Germagny were sacked and burned by the army of Charles VII. Some of the tower's stones were used to rebuild parts of the damaged church. This rebuilding took place during the 15th century.

Saint-Maurice-des-Champs

2008-7-07 7:20am

Here are four photos of the Romanesque Church in the Burgundy village of Saint-Maurice-des-Champs. Saint-Maurice-des-Champs is not far from Cluny or Tournus and can be accessed from the A6 Autoroute.

Santilly Romanesque Church

2008-7-07 6:26am

Here are some photos of the village church of Santilly, in Southern Burgundy. The church is dedicated to Saint Victor and was built sometime during the 12th century.

New Rules for Vehicles

2008-6-30 4:14am

Starting on July 1, 2008 all vehicles (except those with two or three wheels) on French roads must have one yellow safety jacket (gilet de scurit) and one warning red triangle (triangle de pr-signalisation).

Cost of Gasoline in France

2008-6-29 9:40am

This is an estimation of the cost of buying gasoline in France as of June 2008. I will try to keep this updated as best as possible, but I can't promise. As gasoline is sold by the liter (0.26 US gallons) in France, I've converted from liters to gallons and then from euros to dollars.

Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts

2008-6-25 6:52am

Each year, Americans who have ownership interest in foreign financial accounts must consider whether to file Form TD F 90-22.1 REPORT OF FOREIGN BANK AND FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS (FBAR).

Sales in France

2008-6-24 8:39am

The 2008 summer sales start nationally on June 25th for just about all departments in France. For opening and closing dates see Dates des soldes d't 2008. The site is in French but you should be able to make out the dates, just remember that it's a dd/mm/yy format.

Barge Holiday with Johanna Charters

2008-6-09 4:00am

Enjoy Northern France - Alsace, Lorraine and the Ardennes as only a barge will let you! You will absorb the scenery at a relaxing pace on your fully equipped holiday home aka the Johanna. A Dutch river barge constructed in 1923 and in use until the 90's.

Avignon France

2008-5-18 10:31am

Avignon is a medieval city that still has its city walls. The medieval feel is present not only in the architecture of Avignon but also when you look down, many street are paved in cobblestones.

Expat Survey

2008-5-18 10:28am

If you would like to take this survey just fill out the form below. You can fill it out as long as you have or are living in France. If you've lived in more than one location you can fill the survey out for each place. There is no set minimum as to how long you need to have lived in a location to rate it. Just as long as you can answer most questions with some degree of confidence.

Orsay Museum

2008-5-18 10:26am

Prior to l'Exposition de 1900 (Paris World's Fair, 1900), the trains of the Orleans Railroad stopped at Gare Austerlitz, on the east side of Paris. The railroad company sought permission to build a new station on the Left Bank of the River Seine, a block or two away, and across the river from the Louvre.