Day 2972 (Monday) 28th July 2025

This is Saint Tropez, it looks a lot like Villefranche doesn’t it?

We had planned on going to Antibes this today but Pat phoned Huw and asked him to do a few hours work and he happily agreed.

When he came home we went into Nice in search of food and water bowls for Badger because Huw broke one last week. We went to the Old Town and looked in every tourist shop there because we want Provencal bowls but we couldn’t find any.

After bowl hunting we walked down to the Promenade des Anglais and walked past this structure. I’ve never noticed this plaque before and this is what it says….

This structure was inaugurated on May 31st 2020 by the president of the Republic Mister Nicholas Sarkozy in the presence of Mister Christian Estrol, Minister of Industry, Mayor of Nice, Cote d’Azur and Mister Eric Ciotti, deputy president of the general council of the Alps-Maritimes to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the annexation of the Nice region to France (1850-2010.)

On the Prom they have started building the courts ready for the huge petanque tournament that’s happening this weekend.

It was quite windy today and has been for a few days and the sea is always a wonderful colour when it’s windy.

On the way back we walked through the brocante market (second-hand stuff.)

They do love Tintin in France.

As always on a Monday here’s What’s happening in France this week. (The Local France)

VAT on part of households' electricity and gas bills is set to rise from Friday. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)

France’s summer holidays enter their second month this week, meaning there are a few things you need to know.

Monday

Tax rebates - the tax office this year began issuing refunds to those who had overpaid on their taxes on Friday, July 25th, and these payments will continue this week. Around 15 million households are expected to receive a rebate into their bank account this week.

Budget discussions - parliament is now officially in recess for the summer, but prime minister François Bayrou says he will not take a holiday this year and will instead work through the summer trying to persuade opposition groups to back his €40-billion cost-cutting budget.

Friday

Utility bills – VAT on the the fixed part of households’ electricity and gas bills will increase from 5.5 percent to 20 percent on August 1st, in line with an EU directive requiring that inseparable elements of the same good or service – in this case the subscription and the consumption of electricity – are subject to the same VAT rate.

Savings – Bad news for holders of popular small savings account, the Livret A. Six months after interest rates dropped from 3 percent to 2.4 percent, they are set to fall again – to 1.7 percent – on August 1st. Rates for the Livret d’épargne populaire (LEP) will also fall, from 3.5 percent to 2.7 percent.

Travel trouble  – It’s the start of the worst weekend of the summer on France’s roads – the dreaded ‘crossover’ weekend, when the July holidaymakers return and the August ones set out.

Roads watchdog Bison Futé has flagged every weekend in August as having ‘very difficult’ or ‘extremely difficult’ conditions on the country’s roads as holidaymakers head out – and home. 

Strikes – Compounding possible August travel difficulties, rail union Sud Rail has filed an open-ended strike notice until September 1st , although they say they’re planning weekend-long or 2-3 day strikes on dates which are yet to be announced. 

Meanwhile, employees of Vinci, one of the companies that runs the French motorway network, have filed strike notices covering the summer holiday period, especially on the A8 in southern France. Vinci says that drivers should not be impacted.

And French air traffic controllers remain in dispute with their bosses, but at the time of writing have not filed any fresh strike notices after their hugely disruptive two-day strike at the start of June..

RER C – Work is planned on the line at Saint-Ouen station to create two fire safety zones on the central section. As a result, the line will be closed between Avenue-Henri-Martin and Pontoise from August 1st to 23rd.

Festivals – Brittany is the place to be for festival lovers with the Festival du Bout du Monde at Landaoudec Prairie on the Crozon Peninsula, and the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Morbihan both starting on August 1st, as France’s summer festival season continues.

Sunday

Women’s Tour de France – After starting in July, the nine-stage Women’s Tour de France concludes with a 124.1km mountain run from Praz-sur-Arly to Châtel, in Haute-Savoie, on Sunday, August 3rd. The climb to the finish, at Pré laJoux, is particularly punishing.

Metro – Traffic will be interrupted on Line 3 of the Paris Metro between Opéra and Gallieni stations reopens on Sunday, August 3rd, after a month-long closure.