I haven't seen my area in the 18 pages, so I live in the Var (83), right over the border from Alps Maritime. It's the PACA region. I live in Callian and I'm apparently the third American there. I've never met the other two! There are lots of Brits in the area though!
We moved to Dept 87 Haute-Vienne about 6 months ago and are in the process of setting up a gite business. Lots of Brits & Dutch here, but hey, there were in the UK!
Love the house & the hammock, Christine. I'd have to have something soft to land on when I fell out!
We live in the Dordogne close to the border with the Lot 2kms outside Eymet which is 20kms south of Bergerac. After running a gite business for the first 7 years we now have a 1980s bungalow with views of the vines & agricultural farming all round. Eymet is "famous" for its population of Brits but all our neighbours are French & very welcoming.
I am a Chartered Surveyor doing pre purchase inspections all over south west France (just about to leave for one near Poitiers!) My wife Jane is an Agent Commercial with Leggetts, a British agency voted "Best Estate Agent in France" for the last 2 years and 2 evenings a week she teaches English for free to French adults (her previous career in UK) at a local college.
We love cycling & this is a wonderful area for that - so life in France is good!
We live in a first floor flat above two shops in central Montpellier, Languedoc-Roussillon. The flat is in a 19th century house which was converted into two shops and five flats probably in the 1950s. We are right by the railway station and with the windows open and the wind in the right direction we can hear the trains being announced. It really makes us feel part of Europe when trains going to Geneva, Madrid, Paris, and so on, are announced. We are within a five-minute walk of stops on all four tram lines, and several bus stops, so getting about the city is simple.
Brilliant Kirsten...many thanks. Yes, do let me know if and when you come this way, however, I'm likely to go back to the UK for a little while in October and/or November, but I have to return, not sure when, all depends, as we'll be replacing all windows and doors in the house, but the front door, which will need a very 'special person' to fix this old beautiful thing...
Aix is one of the reasons we are where we are, as we totally love this beautiful city...can also recommend a very fab place to stay in Aix, should you need it one day! We're 25min away... :)
Very nice website, your place is SUPER, Lis! Looks like you're very near Aix En Provence. I have family there. We will be visiting France in mid October (at MontĂ©limar, ArdĂȘche), and I would really like to go down to Aix too. I don't know if we're going to, because those family members I mentioned are going to be up in MontĂ©limar for an event. If we go to Aix, if we can, it would be cool to come by one day for a coffee, or just say hi.
My family in Aix will be retiring to ArdĂȘche in a few years, I could see renting out rooms from you in the future. I definitely will pass on your info/website to anyone I talk to that needs a fabulous place to stay. (I cut and pasted your web-address to my e-mail, so I can access it from anywhere).
Many thanks Kirsten, thank you for you kind words! Yes, we pinch ourselves very lucky that we have managed to get this lovely old house, but it's been a hard slug, as my hubby is still working in London and only comes here for a long weekend every 4-5 weeks and so it will be until sometime 2016 when he reties (he says)...
I have had lots of cards printed for our guests, before leaving the UK end of February this year. The photos are split into 4 photos = 4 lines, 1st photo, is the top of the card is as you have seen pool/garden, the middle is split up in 2 photos, 2nd photo, is of our sign that hangs over the street, 3rd photo, is a photo looking over the village roof tops, the 4th photo, is of our very old front door with the front court yard which closed off the street with a beautiful metal gate and very high fence with wisteria trailing over it high up... :)
Have a look at our website, lots of photos there... www.aixpontroyal.com and when you are here in la belle France...come and say hi, as I/we are c 1H15min away...just turn off at exit 26 SĂ©nas and we're max 20min away... :)
Steve, when you're posting your comment, there is a tool-bar above the text box. The 2nd icon from the left there is an icon that looks like a picture. Click on that then a window should open on your computer. Then you click on 'choose file' and it will link you to the photos. If it's anything like my computer, it might take a bit to load. When the wheel stops turning it's loaded, then you need to select 'OK' ... VoilĂ
I'm pretending this is my house, but alas it is the hotel on the other side of the aqueduct at Pont du Gard, hehe.... It's gorgeous there!
What is your studio used for Norman? Are you an artist, writer, or something?
We will be in MontĂ©limar/Rochemaure, ArdĂȘche (07). What is that? About 2, 2.5 hours away from you Karine? My bloodline is 25% Scottish, hey but no one's perfect, hehe!
This is your HOUSE? Looks like a manor, a compound, a castle! That looks like a lot of property to take care of, I hope it's a gite. Beautiful. Are those sunflowers? I am sighing over here in cement-y and smoggy Los Angeles!
Yeah, I thought those were apartments, where you lived.
LOL, You're too funny VĂ©ronique, and I love all that you said about the French language on the 'I'm not learning French' thread too. You must be an awesome teacher!
Lis, this looks like a gorgeous postcard! Maybe you could print some up for your guests, nice photography, in fact, maybe a few more shots of your property and you could have a slew of choices for your guests. BEAUTIFUL!! My compliments!
Hi Sheila,
You say... 'called Lagrasse 11220 (pop. 650)'. Is 11220 the population, or 650? My in-laws live, (and where we will live one day), has a population of about 2000, and has about 10 businesses total, including a few boulengeries, a mini post office, 1 salon de coiffure, 1 ésthétique, 1 Pétit Casino. That to me is VERY small. Nearest town is a small city, Montelimar, pop about 36,000. It's about 10km away and has everything we need. Your picture looks a little like it.
Josselin, Dept. 56
Not living there yet but on September 20th we are beginning a rental for a year of a little cottage in 56310 Melrand, Morbihan and we can't wait. The countryside is so beautiful and uncrowded. Hopefully after 12 months we will buy there. We would love to met anyone else in the area.
Read mon fils - quel "typo" :-O
Ha, ha, we're waiting for CO to do the same given that we've emigrated to the Tarn and that one of the reps I use used to play for them. There again, as a cyclist and with a pro in the extended famille (Alex Geniez FDJ.fr) perhaps he'll go down that route!
I've never visited the haras but used to work at the CCI in Bourran so know where you are