Well we also are giving up our French adventure after 26 years. It’s always sad to close a chapter ..but unlike your situation I have enjoyed the solitude . We would just transfer into the French mode within 2 days and into Home mode when home .. Now the only thing I seriously will not miss is the biting bugs … After about 5 days we would notice the welts
Why come back here? The country is broken so I hear. And if you go to London you’ll be murdered, several times.
You could go to a quint city like Angoulême and get stabbed too - one of the highest ratios of knife crime to population in France. The country also has a huge problem with drugs… I guess you take your chances.
My partner lived nearly their whole life in the French capital and never had any problems.
Our 33 year adventure in France, 1992 to 2008 maison secondaire, 2008 to 2025 as residents, 4 houses bought, renovated and sold, has been the adventure of a lifetime.
Now back in the UK, settled and happy.
Absolutely no regrets and talk every day of our french memories with a smile of contentment.
Depends where one is. For some years we had offices near London Bridge and every Friday there would be a steady stream of people heading towards Borough Market with smiles on their faces.
In a parallel life I live in a small flat near to the market, come down in the morning to the nearest cafe and sit outside with a fag and a cup of coffee. I wander along the south side of the Thames to Tate Modern to look at the latest exhibition and then head for the multitude of small stalls selling exotic foods around Waterloo, on the way, pop into The National to pick up their latest brochure and book preview tickets, then linger in the foyer to the sound of a young quartet playing.
London is glorious. ![]()
But differently! These days I love it (and other big cities) for about 5 days.
But you’d skip the skateboarding?
Apologies, was trying to post, but seem to be unable to see what I am writing in portrait or landscape with SF on my ipad now. We have been back for six months now and no regrets. We are enjoying the range of food available, culture in the town we live in, parks, gardens and National Trust properties. The U3A is good here (as the UIA was in France) and I have even found a Gentle Ballet class, so I can be a Silver Swan! The admin we have collected runs to about a dozen sheets of paper.
The best thing of all is having the family five minutes away.
We have lots of happy memories of our time in France.
I see you avoided the Globe on.your walk, very wise. ![]()