Paulhogan

Have you tried Mappy.com I have used it many times and the distance and toll costs havealways been accurate.

I think you will find that all TV pictures for all the actual competitive events were provided by Olympic Broadcast Services, BBC were just another company taking the feeds and adding their comentary and studio sessions between events.

Hi As far as I know Prednisilone is not an equivalent to Piriton they are a corticosteroid and is usually used for control of asthma or inflamatory conditions and you generally take a short course, I doubt taking one or two would have any effect. They also have quite a few side effects. See http://www.patient.co.uk/medicine/Prednisolone.htm Hope the itching stops

I think you are all missing the real racing that took place last weekend, the Le Mans 24 hours. After 24 hours of flat out racing the winning margin was around 15 seconds. It is no longer the sedate 24 hour endurance run but a 24 hour sprint race with speeds of well over 230mph down Mulsanne, with the complication of mobile chicanes running in the much slower classes. Looking forward to next year already.

Hi Sevendaver We bought an E Leclerc SIM about 2 years ago and from what I can remember the store had to send a fax or make a call to activate the SIM and we also had to make a call to activate the SIM. From memory the SIM as activated by the time we got home about 2 hours later. My french is pretty basic, no-one in the local E Leclerc spoke english, but I don't remember the process being that difficult. Just make the call to the number given and you may be pleasantly surprised. If not successful take the BB and SIM back to Tony and ask him to check if the store had done what they needed to activate SIM, if they have, then ask Tony to make the call for you to activate the SIM. We have been very pleased with the phone service from E Leclecrc and have not experienced any problems over the last 2 years.

Hi Burgundy Boy We swapped our old liber-t, which was about 5 years old, for a new slimline one on the way back to UK in late August. We stopped at the Sanef offices signposted off the autoroute just before the start peage north of Paris on the A1. We had used a UK credit card to pay the monthly invoices but when I changed the liber-t I had to change to a french bank account, not even a french debit card was acceptable, it had to be via a french bank account. I think this is to be fully implemented to all accounts held by non french residents by December this year if I understood correctly. Paul 

Hi We have not been to central Paris since June 09 but we ate at Cafe Constant at 139,rue Saint Dominique, the food and atmosphere was excellent on a a very busy Saturday night. They do not take bookings so it is a bit of a gamble to get a table but worth the short wait at the bar. We thought the prices reasonable for the menu but everyone has there own version of reasonable. Why not check out Tripadvisor.com for Paris restaurants. Paul  

The reason you may not see so many cars without headlamp converters is possible down to an increasing number of cars are fitted with Zenon headlights and you cannot fit headlamp deflectors on these lights due to the increased heat. I believe there is a new EU law which states that all new cars must have a means of converting headlights from inside the car, I believe new Audis and others have an option within the onboard menu system to lower the beam to prevent glare.

Hi We took a UK washing machine over to our house and the hose connection fitted the french pipework washing machine connector with no problem. I think all machines are now cold fill only, most houses have only one connection so you may need a Y connector if your machine is hot and cold fill.

[quote user="mattjazz"]Thats absolutely fascinating. Is there a similar one for commercial aircraft do you think?[/quote] Have a look at this site, I found it earlier this year when my son flew to Oz. The range is limited by US and European radar so coverage over Russia, etc is zero, but could be useful. http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightTracker/flightTracker.do Not sure whats happened to quote!!!

Hi Sorry to hear of problems with Sat Nav. I have used both a Navman and a Sony in France and have never had any problems either around Paris or in pretty rural areas. As for Paris I regularly travel around Paris by any of the three usual routes, (Francilienne , A3/A86 or the Periferique) depending on the traffic reports via the overhead signs and only generally experience problems and long delays due to accidents or during rush hour. I would also endorse the use of Mappy.com for route planning prior to departure. Good luck with trip Paul 

Hi, Watched the stage today, hats off to the stage winner and his team mate, Ricco said yesterday that Piepoli would win the stage. Any one heard any news on the Moto rider who crashed into the rock face next to the road on the way down the Tourmalet, looked bad on the TV?   Paul    

Hi We have used the N104 many times to get from A1 to the A6 and in the reverse, generally it's been pretty clear but is sometimes very busy for no apparent reason. It has been congested around the Evry area in last few years due to road works but last time we used it, on a busy Sunday evening last October, it was clear. We have also use the A3 / A86 route and the Periferique at various times, usually on Saturday and Sunday mornings and evenings, some trips busy, some trips very little traffic. it just seems to be pot luck. Best advice is look at the overhead signs as you approach the various junctions and take an informed guess as to best route. Good luck Paul

Thanks for the info Paul

Hello We have just acquired a free to Air satellite receiver and wonder which would be the best satellite to aim the dish at to get the most French channels. We are really just looking for news and weather forecasts at the moment when we are visiting our little place in Nievre (58). Any suggestions, polite of course, gratefully received. Paul