Tweet
I'm with Bob on this one as well, having bought our first house in France over 15 years ago, yes, France has changed over the years. And like him, in saying this I would never ever consider going back to the UK to live. My life is here now and that's how I've made it. My son also lives and works here and has a French girlfriend and is more French than English, in fact he hardly ever speaks English now.
Here, there is still the 2 hour lunch breaks, although there are the few bigger supermarkets that do stay open for lunch, but everything else is shut, so if you can't beat 'em......It's something that I've learnt over the years, to begin with it was annoying, but another thing about France that you have to accept.
I came here with reasonably good French at the time, so over the last 10 years it has become fairly fluent and I don't have a problem with dealing with all the usual French stuff from tax forms to the daily things we have thrown at us. I have known a lot of English come over with hardly any or even non-existent French, some have coped and some haven't. And it's very expensive to have to pay for a translator all the time! I would advise anyone moving to France to at least have the basics and really do their homework and make sure this is in fact the life you want. Coming over with a son was easier for me in a way, I had to deal with school, teachers etc., and obviously made some really good friends in the process. Needless to say, that it only took my son 6 months before he was able to feel confident and cope with French. Now he helps me! In a way, I think it's easier for people coming to France with children, as they tend to mix better (or have to) whereas, if you are retired there is no real need to integrate and they find it harder. There are so many English cliques around here and they seem to think just because you are English, you have to become friends. Would you want to know them in England I ask myself?
I have known a few people who have gone back to the UK, mainly due to missing family or not really getting on with the language.
I have only been back to the UK about 4 times in the last 10 years, and really don't miss anything about it. In fact, last weekend went over to the Channel Islands for the weekend, this was a real shock for me. I missed the 'Bonjour' when I entered the shop, 'Merci, et Bonne Journee' when I left and basically the general curteousness of people, to name but a few. The roads were also a shock, so much traffic! But that's not to say I didn't enjoy the English bookshops and a few others which I'd missed. Very strange also to be somewhere where all you could hear were the 'loud' English.
It does also annoy me to hear other English in places here, talking very loudly in English in order to be 'heard' and understood. I also pretend not to be English and speak French. You do get the odd French person who, on knowing you are English will speak the odd word to you in English, mainly as they love to try out their English on you, I tend to carry on speaking French to them, which they also love. I have come across so many accents and patois here, and sometimes it can be hard, even my Parisian neighbour in her holiday home says that she has a job with it!
I can only say that I've always found the French to be very friendly, I think if you try to integrate and get on with them and speak French, you shouldn't have a problem. Some of my friends have said that they find that some of the English insist on drinking too much and talking very loud!
I love my life here, yes it's hard sometimes, but it can be where ever you live. I have a lovely house and land and live in a lovely rural area, have horses, eat out occasionally only spending about 10 to 12 euros on a 3 course meal, have some wonderful friends, both English and French. I could never afford to have this kind of lifestyle if I lived in the UK now and certainly could no longer afford to buy property over there.
There have been a lot of programmes on TV about buying 'dream' homes in France, these don't do us any favours as people tend to come here with rose tinted specs, they are mainly concentrating on the 'value for money' properties, but don't always take into account the real lifestyle once the novelty has worn off. You have got to love France and want to live here.
Some people continually moan about France and their life here? They would probably moan where ever they live! My advice to them would be, if you don't like your life here or like the 'rules' then move!
We will always be guests in their country and have to accept their rules, and not try and make it like the UK.
There is a saying, where my partner comes from, to people who move there and continually complain 'there is a boat every morning and a plane every night!'
There has been a lot of good advice in this discussion and I think that anyone contemplating moving to France will have gained a lot of real insight, so at least they will come with their eyes open should they decide that is what they want.
Mrs TK
Here, there is still the 2 hour lunch breaks, although there are the few bigger supermarkets that do stay open for lunch, but everything else is shut, so if you can't beat 'em......It's something that I've learnt over the years, to begin with it was annoying, but another thing about France that you have to accept.
I came here with reasonably good French at the time, so over the last 10 years it has become fairly fluent and I don't have a problem with dealing with all the usual French stuff from tax forms to the daily things we have thrown at us. I have known a lot of English come over with hardly any or even non-existent French, some have coped and some haven't. And it's very expensive to have to pay for a translator all the time! I would advise anyone moving to France to at least have the basics and really do their homework and make sure this is in fact the life you want. Coming over with a son was easier for me in a way, I had to deal with school, teachers etc., and obviously made some really good friends in the process. Needless to say, that it only took my son 6 months before he was able to feel confident and cope with French. Now he helps me! In a way, I think it's easier for people coming to France with children, as they tend to mix better (or have to) whereas, if you are retired there is no real need to integrate and they find it harder. There are so many English cliques around here and they seem to think just because you are English, you have to become friends. Would you want to know them in England I ask myself?
I have known a few people who have gone back to the UK, mainly due to missing family or not really getting on with the language.
I have only been back to the UK about 4 times in the last 10 years, and really don't miss anything about it. In fact, last weekend went over to the Channel Islands for the weekend, this was a real shock for me. I missed the 'Bonjour' when I entered the shop, 'Merci, et Bonne Journee' when I left and basically the general curteousness of people, to name but a few. The roads were also a shock, so much traffic! But that's not to say I didn't enjoy the English bookshops and a few others which I'd missed. Very strange also to be somewhere where all you could hear were the 'loud' English.
It does also annoy me to hear other English in places here, talking very loudly in English in order to be 'heard' and understood. I also pretend not to be English and speak French. You do get the odd French person who, on knowing you are English will speak the odd word to you in English, mainly as they love to try out their English on you, I tend to carry on speaking French to them, which they also love. I have come across so many accents and patois here, and sometimes it can be hard, even my Parisian neighbour in her holiday home says that she has a job with it!
I can only say that I've always found the French to be very friendly, I think if you try to integrate and get on with them and speak French, you shouldn't have a problem. Some of my friends have said that they find that some of the English insist on drinking too much and talking very loud!
I love my life here, yes it's hard sometimes, but it can be where ever you live. I have a lovely house and land and live in a lovely rural area, have horses, eat out occasionally only spending about 10 to 12 euros on a 3 course meal, have some wonderful friends, both English and French. I could never afford to have this kind of lifestyle if I lived in the UK now and certainly could no longer afford to buy property over there.
There have been a lot of programmes on TV about buying 'dream' homes in France, these don't do us any favours as people tend to come here with rose tinted specs, they are mainly concentrating on the 'value for money' properties, but don't always take into account the real lifestyle once the novelty has worn off. You have got to love France and want to live here.
Some people continually moan about France and their life here? They would probably moan where ever they live! My advice to them would be, if you don't like your life here or like the 'rules' then move!
We will always be guests in their country and have to accept their rules, and not try and make it like the UK.
There is a saying, where my partner comes from, to people who move there and continually complain 'there is a boat every morning and a plane every night!'
There has been a lot of good advice in this discussion and I think that anyone contemplating moving to France will have gained a lot of real insight, so at least they will come with their eyes open should they decide that is what they want.
Mrs TK
Comment