http://www.euronews.net/ It has been a decade since France swapped the franc for the euro, but Friday gave savers one last chance to exchange old notes and coins.
The deadline saw queues form outside Bank of France offices across the country.
The end of the franc as legal tender comes as the single European currency suffers its worst crisis in its ten year existence.
Its potential break-up is no longer taboo amongst commentators.
According to one opinion poll, the French are nostalgic for the franc – one in three would like to return to their former currency.
