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This week we take a deep dive into the national institution that is France's postal service. The French are very attached to "La Poste", though they love to complain about it too, and its evolution mirrors changes in society. Come rain or shine, postal workers in their trademark daffodil-yellow vehicles have delivered mail 24/7, making them some of France’s favourite people, just after their bakers. But like in other countries, with the development of other forms of communication such as email and text messaging, fewer and fewer people are sending letters. So how is La Poste adapting to these tectonic shifts? FRANCE 24's Florence Villeminot has been finding out.

When you think of Paris, you probably think of the Eiffel Tower, the Seine or the Mona Lisa. But there's so much more to the capital than its greatest hits. In this edition of French Connections Plus, Genie Godula and Florence Villeminot take you to some of Paris's lesser-known tourist attractions that are definitely worth a visit and fill you in on some fun facts and figures about the French capital. They take you on a trip along the Canal Saint-Martin with boat captain Hilbren Buys and also give you the lowdown on some secret treasures just under your feet.

There is currently a debate in France about reforming the country's public TV and radio stations. We wanted to take this occasion to remind you about who we are and where we come from. Created in 2006, FRANCE 24 is part of a bigger entity called France Medias Monde, along with its international sister radio station RFI and the Arabic-language radio station MCD. Why was the channel launched in the first place? What is our budget? And who watches us? Florence Villeminot and Genie Godula take a look at how FRANCE 24 fits into the media landscape, as well as its driving philosophy.

In this week’s show, we focus on working life in France, or rather the time that French people take off work. The French have the reputation of being on vacation a lot. Compared to other countries, France is very generous when it comes to annual leave. So what's behind this phenomenon? On top of paid holidays, there are extra days off as well. All this begs the question: how does anybody get any work done?

Freshly back from maternity leave, FRANCE 24’s Florence Villeminot shares her insights about having a baby in France. While the number of births in the country is dropping, France remains one of the better performers within the European Union. One of the reasons is its healthcare system, "la Sécurité sociale", which covers the bulk of the cost of having a baby. A key player in the whole process is someone called a "sage-femme" – a little-known profession outside of France. We also look at attitudes towards breastfeeding and an iconic toy that is a must in terms of baby gifts.

While "au revoir" is the most common way to say goodbye in French, we take a look at some of the other ways to bid farewell. From the regional "boujou", to "salut", to "à toute", we look at the spoken – and written – ways of saying goodbye in France. We also dive into some French traditions, from retirement parties to final farewells.