zarathustra

Wow, some gerat photos. I didn't know you could once drive or park under the Eiffel Tower. These days armed guards walk around underneath it. I think I once saw an old photograph from the late 19th century when there was a park and some goats grazing beneath it - perhaps it was part of the world fair exposition they held. I was surprised to see how relatively quickly the Arc de Triumph collected the pollution and grime. I can still recall Notre-Dame before and after cleaning and that made a huge difference. Paris is pretty timeless though, and it's mainly the cars and fashion that give away the era of photographs. Some great shots, thanks for sharing.

BNP were prepared to lend us less than 50,000 euros. In the end they gave us a 5 year loan at a fixed rate of 2.9%, rather than a mortgage - just by a luck a promotion being run only by this one particular branch, until the end of the month, and without the fees associated with a mortgage. Whilst BNP gave us the best deal on a loan of 25,000 euros, LCL weren't too far off with their mortgage offer. HSBC weren't good at all, and told us they couldn't compete with the offers the other banks were giving us. Best to shop around and ask. Not all the banks will offer mortgages for smaller amounts, but plenty will.

Glad it all went well, and I think it's good to meet the Mayor and get them onside. I'm moving to a new place next year, and the Mayor for the commune is going to be my nextdoor neighbour (not quite immediate, but their house is visible from the bottom of the garden), so I'm hoping we get on okay!

I recently bought an eTrex-H. Doesn't work so well in Paris, unless I walk down to the Seine, but I'd like to give geocaching a try in the countryside before too long. I was a boy scout and did all the orienteering stuff when I was young, but I'm quite content with using a GPS these days. My girlfriend thinks I'm a geek for having one, so I guess I'll be doing it by myself.

I just caught part of the story on France 2 this lunch time, and it reminded me of this thread. Glad to see you have the option to get out of the sale, but after finding something you loved, it can't be easy. All the best in whatever future decision you make.

[quote user="Clair"][quote user="zarathustra"]Wasn't there a Grand Designs episode where somebody bought a place in the north of France (if memory serves correctly) and got lots of free labour from students who were housed in tents on their terrain?[/quote] If it's on TV, it must be just fine! [:P] [/quote] I wasn't for a second proposing TV tells the truth, merely that they did it, and got away with it.

A wonderful sound indeed! I remember a couple of years back, we'd lost our Paris cat at my inlaws near Tours... They live next to a wide open field (covered in knee height plants), and we assumed the cat was hiding in there, and then to our horror we saw hunters wading through this field with guns. They were in violation of the law that dictates the distance they must be from a property, and I suggested we go and have a word, as we didn't want them to shoot the cat, but my father-in-law wouldn't. He said they were friends with the local chateau owner, and are 'above the law' - if we upset them, they would probably shoot his own collection of cats. Fortunately after many hours of searching and finding nothing, the cat returned of his own accord late in the evening!

Wasn't there a Grand Designs episode where somebody bought a place in the north of France (if memory serves correctly) and got lots of free labour from students who were housed in tents on their terrain?

[quote user="Sprogster"]I think Francelover's main point is being missed, in that what I believe he is saying is that older rural French properties were primarily favoured by expat buyers, predominately the Brits and Irish. These buyers have all but dissapeared, because of the UK's and Ireland's economic problems, and until or if they return a lot of these properties are effectively unsaleable, as the French are not interested in this type of property and other Europeans tend to buy further south. Meanwhile, as is evident on this and other Forums, a lot of Brits with French property want to sell, as in straightened economic times the second home is the first to go, and of those Brits that moved to France permanently, the facts are that most return and therefore need to sell.[/quote] This does largely seem to be the case. Having driven through lots of different regions of France in recent times, I've seen a lot of towns and villages (some very old and historic) sprouting outwards at the edges with small new builds, constructed em masse. I've also seen many sites that are marked out for future new build estates. I believe many more French are moving out of the cities, and are leaving rented apartments to own their own homes. New builds do seem to be popular with the French, and I have to say I do not know too many French who have taken on barn renovations. It's unfair to say there aren't French buying old houses, because I know several and others who are searching the market, but generally speaking the types of old housing bought by expats, generally appeals to other expats. With so much on the market, and the exchange rate never quite what it was, it's bound to have a knock on effect. With that said, looking at the exchange rate today, it's just about as good as it's been within the last couple of years... It may be the push needed to send a few more buyers to France.

Wow, I'm going to reach 88. I've no more stress knowing that - might take up smoking and drinking. :)

I was speaking to an estate agent in Charente, and they said they used to have seasonal sales, but now things have changed and a sale could come at any time of the year. I was a little surprised as I always assumed spring and summer would be better months and winter would be dead. France is well known for a slow pace when it comes to the selling of property. Most sellers are patient and don't mind waiting several years, but I can appreciate that would certainly not suit everybody. There seems to be an awful lot up for sale at the moment.

I'm afraid as the others have stated, if you're looking to escape harsh winters, your choices are extremely limited in France, and if you head towards somewhere that might vaguely fit your agenda, you'll find prices there will rocket sky high. Add a garden and sea views and you'd probably need to be a millionaire! If you can cope with some compromise there's no doubt you can find a better life in France, but if climate is your main reason for wanting to move, you may wish to consider other countries!

I think you did well to have it from the UK. I had big delivery from an Ikea in France (more than 1500 euros worth), with many dozens of boxes. The delivery men assured us we had the right number of boxes, and some were in excess of 40kg, so I couldn't lift them to properly count and check (my wife was heavily pregnant so couldn't help), and they certainly won't going to wait until we'd taken everything out to make sure it was all there. Turned out we were missing an 80 euro chair. Anyway, we let Ikea know within 2 hours... Long and short of it was, after 4 phone calls, 3 faxes, 2 letters, a dozen emails and 3 months later, they refused to help in anyway at all times. I now just stock up on the free Ikea pencils, until I have 80 euros worth to compensate. :)

I've never had any gripes about Charles de Gaulle airport myself, and I've been in all the terminal buildings.

I recently bought a slow cooker, and that does a great job of making cheaper cuts of meat tender and tasty.

Is your paper type selected to some sort of t-shirt transfer setting, as this would reverse it automatically.

Didn't realise it was so commonplace. Sadie - your story made me laugh. :) The breakfast police may catch on elsewhere. I've noticed French queue jumpers outside of France which generally annoys most British people, and about 8 years ago I was in America's Yosemite Park, queuing at a canteen and a Frenchman was getting peeved with the guy serving, whilst trying to give his order in French (they evidentally didn't understand what he wanted). He turned around and spoke to me in French (I didn't know any French at that time), shrugging his shoulders like they were idiots.

[quote user="woolybanana"]Get some of that slug death poison and spread it round or enclose a hundred hungry hedgehogs who will happily munch the things all nite. Or get used to them.[/quote] Thanks Woolybanana - I may be a novice, but surely slug poison would be a slow death to the hedgehog family too. Maybe there's other organic methods for removal of pests?

I've never had my own garden before... I am succesfully growing and pruning an avacado tree that started life with some cocktail sticks and a glass of water on my apartment windowsill. I even raised a multitude of baby cacti from my bedroom window as a teenager. Next year I'm moving to the countryside and am relishing the challenge. After much reading and research I feel I understand the very basics of gardening, but of course that is meaningless without practice and experience which can only come with time. My new house has an extremely nice garden with woodland, fruit trees and two big vegetable patches, and I'm very keen not to destroy it. Thankfully a nearby log pile contains a hedgehog family which I'm hoping will nibble all the slimey things, but what's the best way of getting rid of an aversion to insects? I can just about cope with worms and snails (due to a shell), and I know it sounds really pathetic, but slugs make me screamish. Even a cranefly in the shower the other day had me in goose bumps. Is it possible to get over this phobia by just immersing myself in at the deepend (have to admit I have difficulty picturing myself doing this). I know some people use eggshells and beer traps etc. etc. but I'm led to believe these don't work all that well? Will I need to go out at night with a flashlight and pick off the monsters individually, or has some creative company invented devices to remove creepy crawlies without the need for human contact?

Our Post Office opens until 8pm (1pm on Saturday), although another in the city is 24/7 ! However, I've never had an email and many a time, the postman has not even put a note in my letterbox. It's only by chance I've made enquiries at the Post Office (on several occasions) and found they had important post waiting there for me to collect - that's the France I know and love.

You have to appreciate it works both ways. My wife's French and if we're abroad, and she comes across another French family, she usually cringes and wants to disassociate herself from them. I remember being in Madeira last year: we'd gone down for breakfast fairly early, but a lot of the fresh fruits and bread had gone, and the staff won't replenishing them. A French family sitting opposite us had their breakfast and had also helped themselves to lots more. They sat at the table making themselves sandwiches and a picnic lunch from the breakfast meant for all the guests! Even I was quite gob-smacked at their audacity.

I've heard many stories from others who have moved in the past two or three years, trying to get the carte de sejour, but being refused, because it wasn't necessary for them. When I first moved, it felt a bit strange that my arrival didn't seem very "official", so until I'd set up my business, I went to the town hall and signed up as a voter for the local elections.

I used currencyonline (as part of hifx) about a month ago... Was a little anxious as it was a large sum, and I couldn't get through to anybody on the phone. In the end I looked at their online tutorial and just did it myself without speaking to anybody, and it went very smoothly.

Sadly like most things here, adhering to dates is a rare occurrence. I appreciate your frustrations, but at least you know things are underway. Just add several months to their proposed deadline, and this way it avoids disappointment. There's always satellite solutions in the mean time, though I imagine you wouldn't want to get stuck in a contract knowing ADSL should be coming your way soon.

The budget seemed to give the pound a brief reprieve (the timing was good for me, as I had to transfer funds for a house!), but who knows what the cause is now. The UK is a mess, and there are huge cutbacks effecting everybody. I know people in the police and county council who are suffering, and family members who may lose jobs as a direct result of what's happening. It's still a race to the bottom, and I can't see any reason at present why the pound would be strong... May take some time yet. Perhaps a financial wallah can give more specific causes, but anecdotals usually reveal many of the reasons.