Well Debra, i understand what you mean but unlike you, when you say, about the comments " just as well I didn't read them before I came or I might never have come" i still would have come, because in my experience we will always meet some morons wherever we go who will be "racists, etc.."- this much we won't control much, but what we can actually control is how we react to them. Generalising this to a whole country is in itself a racist insult to the whole country and to humanity at large.
Yes I can see your point John Clark.....but rentals and properties in general realting to
restaurants varies from region to region....
Restaurant owners need to make a living!
Pie and chips!
Not that healthy is it!
A port in a storm....perhaps.
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1. with my budget yes, if i win the loto i move tomorrow to New-Zealand
2. no
3. do it asap
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My experience of living in France is mixed On the one hand its very frustrating and so difficult to move forward Secondly the weather is not as good as I expected On the other hand no way would I go to the UK to live
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We moved to France in september 2000, me (hesitantly), my partner, (enthusiatically) and my three children aged 9, 11 and 13 (unwillingly). We moved because earning a living in GB had become very difficult and we wanted to find another way or having an income... ie.tourism! Plus we loved France and had completely fallen in love with Provence. The first few years were for a great part a nightmare, but we had sold up completely, so even if we had wanted to, there was no going back. I now look upon it as having been a very painful learning curve. Fast forward 16 years and I look at what we have achieved: A house that we finally own outright; three bi-lingual adult children who now recognize the good fortune and quality of life they have had here and who all have good jobs; my partner and I, still together after all the peaks and troughs, both reasonably fluent in French, with an enviable way of life where we eat out or socialise several times a week (and yes we have a favourite restaurant where for 17 euros you get two seperate starters, a main course, cheese and dessert plus coffee and wine included!) and a group of friends of many different nationalities. (But I confess my big treat is seeing English/American film in the cinema in VO!)
Anyway my advice, for what it is worth is:
Make the move only if you can speak passable French... if not, life will be even more difficult than it is going to be anyway. Even if you do speak French, don't expect the move to be easy. It will take several years to adapt and get used to the ways things work...or not ,as the case may be! Unless you have a job waiting for you, setting up a business can be very difficult and the administration is a nightmare... so do your homework and preferably have some money behind you to get through the hard times. In an ideal world, move to France when you retire! Unless you adore a 100 percent rural life and want to talk to neighbours about the price of milk, choose a place where there is a cosmopolitan community. Ideally visit your chosen area in all seasons... the climate can vary enormously... having been told that it never snows in Provence we had -18 in our second winter here and 40 c during one of our summers! And as for the wind!!!! If you have children, remember you will be parent, taxi driver, child minder, with no grandparents or other family support, no friends to help out... the kids will totally depend on you until you and they establish a network of friends. Avoid other English people until your French is fluent... immerse yourself, listen to the radio in French, TV in French.. (no BBC or satellite), keep a French dictionary by your bed and '501 French Verbs fully conjugated' by the toilet... you are moving France to live amongst the French so be friends with them, embrace their cultural habits and don't complain all the time that it is different to England. Get out there ..talk to everyone ..invite people ..say yes to all invitations received and perhaps most importantly ...smile and enjoy... la vie est belle!
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Your post made me smile and had many recognisable points for me. Unfortunately, after six years here, my relationship didn't survive. However, I'm still here with my three kids (plus a stepdaugher who recently moved out) and your post gives me hope for their future here, as well as my own.
lol Excellente!
I've just finished watching season 1 on Netflix of "Marseille" with George Depardiou as Mayor - excellent. I was thinking of moving to Beziers as I thought I could afford it around there, but too far away and I couldn't afford more towards the South, certainly, yes, looks like a lot of inner City type problems as with any large conurbation attracting overseas workers and immigrants looking for work. On the plus side, lots of construction in the projects and docks area.
I have lived in six different places in France over the last 23 years (as well as stints in Gabon, Angola, UK and Malaysia) and am well integrated into life here. There are many different "Frances", just like there are different UKs. It is absolutely true that being involved in running a business is fraught with a lot more problems than retiring here. Some aspects of life in big cities (or even medium sized towns now) alluded to by Ted are also way different and less attractive than living in the countryside.
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GĂ©rard Depardieu, please! Although call him what you like; over-grown tax-dodging France-hating Russian...! ;-)
Yes, I speak French from having studied it to age 18 at school some 40 years ago; I think if I had moved here without speaking any French, it would have been very difficult, especially on my own. I throw myself into speaking it saying to myself I am fluent. I last night I watched a Netflix crime series in French with the sub titles in French and I keep an A-Z A5 address book and pen with me at all times and write down words I think - oh, I don't know xyz in French. That works for me and I have French radio on. Sometimes my brain gets tired but I say to everyone "Je suis Francais maintenant!".
It's OK, BĂ©ziers!
française! (français would be a bloke)
LOL whatever one thinks of him he certainly elicits emotions.
You have the right attitude - too many people are scared to try for fear of making mistakes. Best just to go for it like you do.
Where does one start? Moving to a new land, to some is just like water off a duckâs back: they realize that things will be different. The amount of Brits who come to France after watching the TV programmes, is quite staggering. Another such programme is being set up as a I write. The Dronne Valley Network has had posts asking for volunteers. This one is slightly more down to earth, as it involves people setting up business, as opposed to escaping modern day Britain.
As I mentioned in another thread, there is a two-tier system: the âold guardâ and the newcomers. A large percentage of newies come for the wrong reasons, and very often the partners donât agree, which leads to serious problems. The entrenched old guard came, knowing what they were in for. They knew France and it was an easy transition.
Anyone who complains about the french system, shouldnât be here. The French are entitled to have their own system, and if it doesnât suit any blow-ins: tough titty.
Living close to any city has itâs problems, as the level of scallies in cities is a lot higher than provincial large towns.
When the âracismâ spanner is thrown into the mix, people forget that the British Empire trod over numerous other cultures, without a care in the world. They even tried it on in France, hence the occasional odd behaviour by some French. In the Charentes and the PĂ©rigord, the level of people escaping the UK, because of the high level of immigrant and second generation immigrant populations of the cities, is quite high, and is responsible for the high number of âstrandedâ (lost in space!) expats, who only partake in the âlittle Britainâ world, created by the TV muppets. The original Empire, held together by a handful of district officers and a few squaddies, has been reversed. The Brit reaction is one of outrage, having forgotten what gave rise to this, in the first place.
When it comes to food, there is no comparison. The photos of the lunch plates clearly shows the difference. What is shown, is typical âBrit prole foodâ, whereas a french meal has food you can see; not hidden in batter!
Even in the city of AngoulĂȘme, you can get a superb Indian meal, at lunch time, for âŹ11. ApĂ©ro (kir), choice of 3 entrĂ©es, 3 plat principales, two desserts. The meal also includes rice and a naan. I canât see that being available in the UK. The Charente routiers cafĂ©s offer a range, between âŹ10 and âŹ13. Some, all inclusive: cafĂ© et vin. Quite a few now offer a buffet entrĂ©e, where one can pile it on!! Generally speaking, the food is home cooked, though some do use the services of Brake Bros for some dishes.
When it comes to dealing with the functionaires, if you come across a difficult one, just act dumb, write long letters (registered) and cause them to actually do something, other than scan a few forms. Youâll be surprized how the attitude changes. You must remember that most civil servants have no real interest in what they do: itâs just a job with perks and a nice pension, with the unions kindly making available the odd one day holiday. This âattitudeâ is to be found in any country, not just France.
In the case of the lingo, a large number of Brit expats go to where the TV indicates there is a big english speaking population, meaning, they donât need to speak another language. The Charentes and the PĂ©rigord (Dordogne) are prime examples, with numerous happy hours, curry evenings (cooked by Brits), fish and chip evenings, Sunday roasts, Darts, quiz nights, murder weekends, Tesco and other deliveries (mostly yer average prole food) and a host of other British comforts.
When it comes to me, I came here by accident in October 99. I was asked to survey a house, which had damp problems. Iâd never been here before, or anywhere beyond the islands, for that matter. I was here for a week, and being impulsive, bought a small house. I came with friends etc, and also to do some work on it, and in the third year, I met a nice french lady and didnât bother going back to Eire. I, with her help, have written books on France, and have hosted the longest running eng-lang radio programme on french radio: ten years. I was lucky being devoured by a french family!
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'Anyone who complains about the french system, shouldnât be here. '
So where do you suggest all those complaining French people move to? :)
(Debra, in the Charente, with no British neighbours)
Have you tried the chinese buffet places around Angouleme? I went to the wrong one, the one that DIDN'T have the good write up, but I was impressed and so were my kids. Can't wait to try the one that DID have the good write up. :)
Complaining in France is a national pastime, like the Irish who spend all their time at funerals and talk about the weather. When the french complaints get too much, they block the roads, or the intermarchĂ© carparks! When in AngoulĂȘme, I tend to go to the kebaps, either Jafard's or the one further down, Snack House, both on rue massillon, or to Imtiaz and Saieed in the Jardin de Kashmir on rue Raymond Audour. Snack House is better than Jafard, in fact. (Jafard used to live in Tottenham!)
I couldn't find the Chinese in AngoulĂȘme, but I have been to the one in Marsac zone commercial (PĂ©rigueux), just past Chancelade. My problem with Chinese is the MSG: leaves you gasping for water later on.
One of the best places in the Sud Charente, is at Barbezieux, at the big Total service station, off the N10. People travel miles to it.
Sorry - going to have to disagree again Vincent.
I can get all kinds of things in Tesco that I wouldn't necc.describe as 'prole' food - haloumi for starters - things that French supermarkets can only dream of.
Neither do I think that French 'mass catering' food is better. In fact, it is quite often worse. Our local restaurant serves up truly awful, over salted three course meals daily for 11e. It's always full. I don't honestly think the French know as much about decent food as they purport to do. I'm hugely looking forward to going back to the UK in a couple of weeks and being able to choose from a much bigger selection of excellent 'pub grub' - aka 'prole' food.
And don't even get me started on the 'anyone who complains' line. Really?
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