Day 3203 (Monday) 16th March 2026

This is the old tram between Nice and Monaco

It was a lovely sunny day and pretty warm so we decided to go to Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat for lunch, it’s such a pretty little town.

All the cafés and restaurants were very busy, especially for a Monday.

We went to a new restaurant and Huw had a croque monsieur and I had a quiche Loraine and they were both lovely.

For dessert we shared a fruit crumble, which was really good.

After lunch we went for a little walk in town and the port and we both love this jellyfish

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

It's Spring! (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD / AFP)

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy is back in court, voters head back to the polls for the second round of voting in the municipal elections, and it’s officially Spring … astronomically speaking.

Monday 

Election deals - this is set to be a week of political deal-making and alliances for local elections in the 'entre deux tours' week. Round one of voting happened on Sunday, March 15th and round two will take place on Sunday, March 22nd. Only the highest scoring candidates from round one go through to the second round - but they may decide to form alliances with other parties, or even to withdraw from the second round in order to block other candidates.

Expect, therefore, a week of drama as alliances are made, broken and remade and politicians who swore blind that they would never ally decide to make a deal, and vice versa.

Courts — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is once again in court (wonder if he's got a loyalty card for the café?) as his appeal begins in the case against him related to alleged Libyan funding in his 2007 election campaign. The former president, who has denied the charges, was sentenced to five years in jail for criminal conspiracy.

Cuisine — All French foodie eyes will be on Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum for the Michelin Guide’s annual celebration of new starred restaurants and the winners of the Special Awards for the 2026 selection.

Wednesday 

Courts — A Belgian court is set to deliver its verdict in a farmer’s climate lawsuit against French energy giant TotalEnergies.

Thursday 

Courts — A Paris appeals court will rule on the government’s bid to suspend e-commerce giant Shein.

Sport — France’s national football coach Didier Deschamps will announce his squad for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Colombia in USA.

Friday 

Language — It’s the Journée internationale de la francophonie, a global celebration of the French language.

Equinox — At 3.45pm on March 20th, Earth’s rotation axis will be directly perpendicular to the Sun-Earth line, tilting neither toward nor away from the Sun. This means that Spring has, astronomically speaking, officially sprung, and summer’s very much on the way.

Sunday 

Vote — The second round of voting in the 2026 municipal elections. If you are eligible to vote, you can vote in round two even if you didn't vote in round one.

If you are going to be away on polling day, there is still time to set up a proxy vote.

The Funniest French Expressions (and How to Use Them)

Whoever said the French were a romantic, sensual bunch has never heard them use their everyday expressions. The good people of France have crafted very imaginative (and sometimes a little crude) ways to tell people to mind their own business or to take a hike. Learn a few of the following hilarious French expressions to elevate your language skills and pass for a local.

1. The French don’t “piss you off”… they “shit you off” (Faire chier quelqu’un).

2. The French don’t call you “idiotic”… they call you “as dumb as a broom” (Être con comme un balai).

3. The French don’t “blow you off”… they “give you the rake” (Se prendre un râteau).

4. The French don’t tell you that “they don’t care”… they tell you that “they care about it like they care about their very first shirt” (S’en foutre comme de sa première chemise).

5. The French don’t say “this is annoying me”… they say “I’m getting swollen by this” (Ça me gonfle).

6. The French don’t tell you to “leave them alone”… they tell you to “go and cook yourself an egg” (Aller se faire cuire un œuf).

7. The French don’t tell you that “you’re grumpy”… they tell you that “you’re farting sideways” (Avoir un pet de travers).

8. The French don’t “go crazy”… they “break a fuse” (Péter un plomb).

9. The French are not “bumbling”… they have “both their feet in the same clog” (Avoir les deux pieds dans le même sabot).

10. The French are not “energised”… they have “the potato” or the “French fry” (Avoir la patate/la frite).

11. The French don’t tell you “to mind your own business”… they tell you “to deal with your own onions” (Occupe-toi de tes oignons).

12. The French are not “broke”… they are “scythed like wheat fields” (Être fauché comme les blés).

13. The French are not “very lucky”… they have “as much luck as a cuckold” (Avoir une veine de cocu).

14. The French don’t say “it’s useless”… they say “it’s like pissing in a violin” (Pisser dans un violon).

15. The French are not “ungrateful”… they “spit in the soup” (Cracher dans la soupe).

16. The French don’t “fuss about something”… they “make a whole cheese about it” (En faire tout un fromage).

17. The French don’t “give someone a tongue-lashing”… they “yell at them like they’re rotten fish” (Engueuler quelqu’un comme du poisson pourri).

18. French men don’t “sleep around”… they “dip their biscuit” (Tremper son biscuit).

19. The French are not “big-headed”… they “fart higher than their arse is located” (Péter plus haut que son cul).

20. The French don’t “shup someone up”… they “nail someone’s beak” (Clouer le bec de quelqu’un).

21. The French are not “tired”… they have “their head up their arse” (Avoir la tête dans le cul).

22. The French do not say something “random”… they say something “that has nothing to do with sauerkraut” (Ca n’a rien à voir avec la choucroute).