Italy still remains my first love but France has become home. I never got round to actually living there, have a degree in Italian, italian friends, spent holidays there staying with italian friends and discovering the different regions although I still have south of rome to do... it's a bit like France; dozens of small countries/regions within a bigger whole. It still really does it for me and it's a country I miss a lot. I prefer italian food by mile to french food (I can't eat dairy products or creamy things...) and the wine is excellent. Writting this I'm still wondering if i shouldn't have moved out there now - that would have been a move from the heart whereas France was more a move made by the head. No regrets really though, France has less of a cultural shock than italy and if you think the paperwork's bad here it's nothing compared to italy according to friends...! can't speak about portugal but I'm sure I'd love it too ;-) South africa sounds really good too John but I have young kids and that's one of the reasons I've ditched my ideas of going back to the Marseille area here - I don't want them growing up in that environment!
Right bit of heaven, now that's a difficult one, somedays it's here, others it's down in the Hérault/Mediterranean, others it's on the causses. Or it could be Lerici/la Spezia, Portofino, Bellagio or menaggio, (not far from the Ticino Brian) or so many other places...!
Good god, just seen the time, must get the kids sorted!
CT has changed much since I first went about 1972. I used to be happy in the townships, now not so sure...
Portugal and Italy high on my list. Four years ago I moved to Cape Town after the death of my wife from cancer. It was just a short term thing until I decided where we would live for the longer term and actually it has been fantastic. The people, from all backgrounds, couldn't be kinder and the weather is sublime (I'm typing this barefoot in shorts). The major spanner in the works is that all that bad stuff you hear about South African crime is true. If I didn't have kids, I would live here for the rest of my life with annual jollies in your neck of the woods and be a happy man. Trouble is I do have kids and I don't want them growing up in a place where rape and murder is an everyday thing.
Carol! Have you lived in Portugal? We did for one year, well my wife and child 1 did during the fieldwork element of research she was doing. We still have strong ties to the Algarve, NOT the touristic bits but OK. Sadly I had longs spells in China, Viet Nam and Ethiopia during that year so could not get into it. Some of the wine is as good as most French, but OK it lacks the finesse higher up the ladder. Get to know real Portuguese food and the Moorish history, Spanish and other influences get to one's palate. Make a living and survive ther, too difficult to contemplate. Italy is far better than it seems. Cheap houses too, food is far more varied than French cuisine with pasta actually being minor item really and good Italian wines need to be discovered by most people, mmmmmmm!! Italian hospitality ensures rapid and enormous putting on weight and the foreigner enclaves are horrid ghettos that are best avoided and ignored. But actually, apart from reasons to dismiss those two, it is finding that bit of heaven, in as far as that is ever possible.
Portugal is lovely....the people friendly...the food..well...ok.....the wine...hmm..ok-ish....Italy is stupendous, but the politics are truly mind boggling...the acceptance of foreigners in small enclaves...poor....food and wine some would say best in the world...dont you think that bottom line...most countries have good bits and bad bits, its finding the right little bit of heaven that appeals...
Welllllll, given the 'message' I would send back a parcel containing a noose and a one word message "use". That seems to be somebody who is on a hiding to nothing by being that negative. On the other hand, had it been a message saying that 'X' did not give a hoot about all the grey fog in the world at the moment and would prefer to live amongst nice people, eat good food and take it from there, well I'd probably say look at Portugal, lower half, or Italy down at the bottom. If, on yet another hand (my father was an octopus...) somebody said "time to do something different with my life to get out of the rut" then I would say that there are so many ruts in France... With the final hand in mind (only one parent was an octopus remember), the person said "Sod it, I am coming to France", then I'd say, "see you when you get here, the drinks will be ready, do you still prefer red?"
Tracy - I'm with you on that one!
Nothing on this earth would induce me to have a third child, not tax breaks not extra conge maternity, nothing. I am never going to change a nappy again in my life - they're too expensive here (see other thread about cost of living)
I'd agree with that. My husband and I both moved here in our early 20's (independently) with just a rucsac - however, the only thing that's changed is we are married, with 2 kids and still don't have two ha'pennies to rub together! Neither of us regret it and wouldn't change a thing - although we are going to migrate further South, too darn cold round here in the winter.
Good observations John...am sure you are right...and am sure you do get more negative posts than positive...if you are very happy and settled..you probably have better things to do!
Hello Catherine and everyone. I put together a website on this subject and over the years a lot of people posted their thoughts to the site. Many for, many against. There were lots of posts from people who wished they had never made the move - but there might be a bias here as people who are peeved are more likely to post than people who are happy. Anyway, back to the point, if there is one thing I take from our theme of Don't Move to France (until you've done your homework), it is this: your mindset is the most important thing. If you have the right mindset, you are more likely to make a success of it and enjoy it, than if you do not. The right mindset encompasses lots of things, but, in my opinion, very important factors include a willingness to accept things you were not prepared for, or thought you were prepared for but actually weren't or couldn't possibly anticipate. It also includes working hard at learning French (if you are not fluent) and not being surprised at spending a large part of your spare time filling in forms and giving a very large chunk of your income to the government.
So, I think if your friends are going to cope with these sorts of things, then they could love it. Otherwise it could turn into a living nightmare as described by some of the poor unfortunates who posted to our site.
The question of Would I advise someone to move to France?
Everyones situation is completely different.
Everyones expectations are totally different.
Are you totally happy with your life here?
Would you advise anyone to move to France.
Perhaps a great place to enjoy nature. Where in England could I have my acres
surrounded by vines. Would I have ever got to know a young crow who learnt to bark
and chase the cats and trying to catch their tails in his beak. A Crow who entertained AND
amazed all who met him. Sadly he was a crow who woddled across the road to cross to our land....
We buried him today close to Tofu and Miso.
There is no shame in sensitivity but it is shameful to avoid it.
haha! agree Andrew...wisdom hard won I would say!
agree absolutely Emily....its the different mindset that also needs interpreting! have just seen film of the Marcel Pagnol book...the Well diggers daughter..saw this in the UK with subtitles! I think missing family and friends is the hardest bit...our sons have never ventured to France...we go back to UK regularly...our daughter visits France every year...which is a major undertaking for her as she lives in Dubai. My mother wont come out, her excuse is she doesn't speak French! and we have the problem of friends with elderly dogs...its feast or famine...you dont see friends for a year then they come and stay for a week...which can be hard going! friends of 30 year standing can not be replaced...so new friends are lovely and make all the difference....but it takes time to build those relationships...
Morieux or Pléneuf-val-andré, Binic...brings back memories
Very true about the level of french and what people describe as being fluent - there's a big difference between the levels of fluency needed if you're retired in France or making money in the anglophone world and if you are working in France with the French. Jean de Florette could have been filmed anywhere in rural France - the families that are still split and fighting over land here is incredible!
Just read your reply Carol, very wise words from someone who knows... ;-)
Hmmmm.....would suggest moving because of a mid life crisis not ideal.....as commented by several others on this thread...working in France, if not self employed, is very, very difficult...more difficult that in the UK. Without good spoken French nigh on impossible. France is a major part of Europe and if your friend means by 'all this' the misery of recession, cuts backs, unemployment....then maybe the added red tape that France offers will not alleviate his misery. I would always suggest to people to try moving areas first...if London, Manchester, Liverpool etc...is too much...move to Cumbria, Wiltshire or East Anglia...get out of the rat race if that is what is causing the misery...at least they speak English and you know the rules of engagement! if that doesnt cut it...if your friend doesnt have French look at moving to an English speaking country....Australia, New Zealand, Canada...You rarely solve a mid life crisis by moving....the mid life is still there! Maybe a sabatical somewhere for a few months would straighten the head...
brrrrrrrr - looks like we're all in for a few days in front of the wood burner, now I must dig out some videos for the kids otherwise the weekend's going to be very long...!
our thermometer is on a north facing wall in the courtyard so is accurate all year round regardless of the sun, which fortunately is out here too without a cloud in the sky - so no snow on the horizon!
I think hyou can only come to terms with something like this, which is totally illogical. The difficulty is in explaining to the children that it is not something to do with them.
We have bright sun here, wich is shining on our weather station, so it is only showing -0.2, but at 4.30 when I was putting moire logs on the woodburner, it was -9.7. It is a bit windy here, so wind chill as well.