One of the first things I was taught say by a French friend was 'I'm sorry, could you repeat that for me more slowly please..' Works a treat. Shows that you're not a 'little Englander in the John Cleese mode of speaking loudly and waving your hands a lot, and that you've made an effort.
The other thing was DON'T MENTION THE WAR!
And don't tell 'French Jokes' about the war, no matter how funny you think they are. I spent a lot of time there in the early 1990s, when everyone of 55 and over had some pretty clear and still fresh memories of being occupied by the Germans. As Brits, due to that well-placed strip of water, we had no concept of invasion and occupation until Mr Blair's 'Import more New Labour Voters'.
Lastly, take a risk and try things you wouldn't normally eat. One of the most delicious meals I ever ate was a salad in Perigord with divine thinly sliced fried button mushrooms....ER... that actually turned out be thinly sliced Goose's neck! Back then I wouldn't have eaten them if i'd known in advance. My taste was changed irreversibly by the time I spent there. When we have dinner guests, I have to remember to cook meat and eggs the 'English' way. Omelettes must resemble styrofoam and meat must be brown or grey all the way to the middle
For a gorgeous snack, a kind of French Tappas, try Rillettes Du Mans (coarsely shredded seasoned pork pate), with fresh baguette and 5 Spice Cornichon pickles, washed down with a cold biere blonde. Very fattening
I reckon the 12 month rent thing sounds promising. In some areas you would be an interesting novelty for the locals, but not the Dordogne. At certain times every fourth car seemed to have an English plate.
Places to go? The south coast of Brittany and then further south to Vendee are superb. Check out some of the Islands off the west coast there. Think of Cornwall, but minus the fat blokes in Man Utd shirts swearing at their kids.
The other thing was DON'T MENTION THE WAR!
And don't tell 'French Jokes' about the war, no matter how funny you think they are. I spent a lot of time there in the early 1990s, when everyone of 55 and over had some pretty clear and still fresh memories of being occupied by the Germans. As Brits, due to that well-placed strip of water, we had no concept of invasion and occupation until Mr Blair's 'Import more New Labour Voters'.
Lastly, take a risk and try things you wouldn't normally eat. One of the most delicious meals I ever ate was a salad in Perigord with divine thinly sliced fried button mushrooms....ER... that actually turned out be thinly sliced Goose's neck! Back then I wouldn't have eaten them if i'd known in advance. My taste was changed irreversibly by the time I spent there. When we have dinner guests, I have to remember to cook meat and eggs the 'English' way. Omelettes must resemble styrofoam and meat must be brown or grey all the way to the middle
For a gorgeous snack, a kind of French Tappas, try Rillettes Du Mans (coarsely shredded seasoned pork pate), with fresh baguette and 5 Spice Cornichon pickles, washed down with a cold biere blonde. Very fattening
I reckon the 12 month rent thing sounds promising. In some areas you would be an interesting novelty for the locals, but not the Dordogne. At certain times every fourth car seemed to have an English plate.
Places to go? The south coast of Brittany and then further south to Vendee are superb. Check out some of the Islands off the west coast there. Think of Cornwall, but minus the fat blokes in Man Utd shirts swearing at their kids.
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I have been to places in the north of France where plate licking was normal, followed by a bellow.
When I asked, the hurrah was something along the lines of “one less meal for the boche!”
Fault lines run deep.
When I asked, the hurrah was something along the lines of “one less meal for the boche!”
Fault lines run deep.
Bacongrills
LE
That long bread is just showing off.
Plenty of first-hand advice here Scaley....I too have mulled this notion.
My in-laws had a house in Charentes-Maritime for 15 years while my sprogs were growing up.
School hols it wasn't 'are we going to France?' more 'When are we going to France'
( To this day they seek out pain d'epices and Benco hot chocolate...comfort eating)
Foodies/ Gourmets - just do one ....they were Super-U kids...what can I tell ya.
Not coastal, pretty much la France Profonde....North of Bordeaux, South of Nantes.
[ F-i-L would have moved out there like a shot, M-i-L less keen, her main worry was her lack of language and his health......RIP Cliff ]
The Vendée is gorgeous, and definitely not Dordogne-shire, though small clusters of Brits - pas trop Singes du Nord
Good luck.
Ruckerwocman
LE
Pfffft!! Those are starving consumptive models thin as rails; they'll never catch S.A.'s eye.
Effendi
LE
Peter Mayle walt.
British Expat Discussion Forum Good source of information for moving abroad.
Canada has become much harder to get in to these days. Unless you are 24-35, have a degree and a nailed on job offer it is getting harder to get the points for PR. Still ways to get in but not as easy as it used to be.
samain11
LE
I have had the same idea but decided to keep our UK property and spend a couple of years renting for 6 months in France and then the Canaries/Spain maybe using the tried and tested military principle of keeping one foot on the ground at all times in case of snafu. I know a couple of blokes who got badly burned buying in Spain and Turkey and then ended up renting back in the UK.
Sexton Blake
LE
Amen brother!
Scaley - Thank you for starting this thread. Me and Mrs SB in very similar circumstances. Both mid 50's and retired with pensions rolling in; considering selling up in Cornwall and effing off to Dordogne too. I will watch and shoot.
Thank you also for the other thread you do but Mrs SB does not know about that one!
Sexton Blake
LE
Further to my last dit and extremely mindful that I have only lived just across the border in Italy, not France as some members here, depending on what floats your boat you could consider the Alpes Maritimes (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur).
Yes, it is the epicentre of the rich and beautiful (pain in the arse) folk but go inland and you get the rustic (and affordable bits). Nice City airport to get you back to Blighty, very hot weather (which can be a downside) and easy access into Italy and beyond. Even a direct train from Nice to Paris (quick metro change) then onto London.
As long as you avoid Monaco like the plague there are some great seaside towns (to put it lightly) and then it is your choice of 'managing' the season (aka tourists) while enjoying both the French and Italian Riviera.
Mrs SB is fluent French, I am ok in Italian and we holiday almost exclusively over there straddling both Cote d'Azur and across in Italy. Unfortunately she refuses to live in that part due to the heat, I would move there this afternoon.
ETA - Again, depends on what floats your boat WRT France and your thoughts of the style (not necessarily cost) of living you want. And again, I don't live in France and defer to those here that do.
Yes, it is the epicentre of the rich and beautiful (pain in the arse) folk but go inland and you get the rustic (and affordable bits). Nice City airport to get you back to Blighty, very hot weather (which can be a downside) and easy access into Italy and beyond. Even a direct train from Nice to Paris (quick metro change) then onto London.
As long as you avoid Monaco like the plague there are some great seaside towns (to put it lightly) and then it is your choice of 'managing' the season (aka tourists) while enjoying both the French and Italian Riviera.
Mrs SB is fluent French, I am ok in Italian and we holiday almost exclusively over there straddling both Cote d'Azur and across in Italy. Unfortunately she refuses to live in that part due to the heat, I would move there this afternoon.
ETA - Again, depends on what floats your boat WRT France and your thoughts of the style (not necessarily cost) of living you want. And again, I don't live in France and defer to those here that do.
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French side of Canada? Best of both worlds for you then.
D
Deleted 15400
Guest
Thank you all for the info. Renting first seems a sound option as does avoiding the Dordogne.
As we want seasons our list of places to consider stands at:
Limousin
Poitiou Charente
Aquitane
Clermont area - is a bit of a wild card. Dont know much about it but understand it's good walking country?
I've been looking at rental sites. All I can find is winter holiday lets, which is ok, but any arrsers know of any regular rental websites?
As we want seasons our list of places to consider stands at:
Limousin
Poitiou Charente
Aquitane
Clermont area - is a bit of a wild card. Dont know much about it but understand it's good walking country?
I've been looking at rental sites. All I can find is winter holiday lets, which is ok, but any arrsers know of any regular rental websites?
Paddy Mayne’s Ghost
War Hero
Worth joining some of the expat sites and asking for ‘local’ knowledge of longer term rentals, rather than via formal rental sites. Lots of Brits have places with gîtes and may either agree to a long rent or know someone else who would.
When we did our 18 months travelling Europe (2016) we spent a month to 8 weeks in each location. We booked all of our main accommodation through AirBnB; if you book for a month or more you get a massive discount. It’s a good, cheap way to find the place you want to get started in a place and then explore / find a longer term rental.
johnboyzzz
LE
Seconded for this area. We have been going to Alpes Maritimes for years and years, some lovely villages around Vence, Kevens, Grasse etc, love travelling over to Ventimiglia for the market.
My cousin, who has been in France since the early 80's and ended up as Professeur d'anglais at Education Nationale, lives just outside Paris and there are some lovely villages around where she stays.
Oyibo
LE
That sounds like a really good idea. Decent length recces of a few different areas.
Also, one can make good contacts who can help out when one is actually in the area.
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