France

I have been interested in France for a long time. Like other junior high and high school students in England, I had to study French for three years. But I chose to study it for three more years after that. When I was at high school I had the chance to go to Paris for a week, and loved the city. And before I went to University I went to work in the south of France for eight months.

French people are very different from British and American people, I think. The French take leisure and food very seriously. By law, most French people now only work about 35 hours per week. And many families spend a third or more of their income on food. This may be possible because land and rent are cheaper in France.

France's most famous place is Paris. But there are lots of other interesting places. One popular destination is the Loire Valley, which has many castles. Another is Burgundy, where many famous red wines are made. And many British people like to go to the Riviera, on the Mediterranean coast, in summer.