Hi, @Chris Ward,
It's good to see you in the forum.
We used to have a valued member here who lived and cooked in France. His name was Dave Hatfield, and he did three food blogs for us. Sadly, he is now deceased, but I really enjoyed hearing about his experiences. You may have come across them already, but if not, here are the links: one, two and three. I like them so much I reread them from time to time. I know I'm not the only one who here who agrees that we sorely him and his contributions.