Jump to content

best and worst dept.


Recommended Posts

Have just driven from our home in Normandy down through France to Spain and back again.  Although we didn't have time to stop at many places, it was interesting to note the differences between depts.  Also, reading comments on the various forums, it is noticeable how different experiences can be when dealing with officialdom, banks etc. in the various depts.  We have always loved it here in Normandy, and I am so glad we kept our house here when my husband recently accepted a job in Canada.  The weather never really gets too hot or too cold.  The people are lovely, house prices are reasonable, it is easy to access other parts of France and Europe from here.  Food is great, there is so much to do and see, great beaches, etc.  This weekend of course we have all the D-Day celelbrations to enjoy.  Personally I think Normandy is the best department in France, but would love to know what the rest of you think.  Is there really a area that is so bad it should be avoided, or is there somewhere else even better than what we have here.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is no best and no worst department - there is only what you know and what you like.  We do the journey down to the south fairly often and every time I marvel and the changing and beautiful landscapes, wondering what it would be like to live there.  We used to spend our holidays in Normandy for several years running and absolutely loved it, but then we discovered Languedoc Roussilon (and specifically dept. 34, with its gorgeous river Orb) and fell in love with this region for many, many reasons: the amazing weather, the vineyards, the local accent, the exotic nature and the sheer "otherness" of this place. 

It is also quite nice to know that, according to the figures released recently by the French National Estate Agents' Association, this is one of the few areas in the country where the real estate prices are going up!

As to the regions I wouldn't like to live in, it has to be some suburbs of Paris, like Clichy-sous-Bois, for instance - I see enough problematic areas like that where I live in the UK!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi

So you have just noticed the other depts and regions after buying in France, seems a little biased to me, but then again I suppose we all are sometimes, anywhere north of 85 is UK weather to me.

Have to say I like pretty much all i've seen of France, after house hunting and recently exploring in the motorhome, fantastic views past Lyon towards the Frejus tunnel to Italy, coast around Toulon and Marseille again fantastic but house hunting wise i'd say 11, 17, 85 & 24 in that order, or any villages on the canal du midi will do for me.

Lee

 

Edited to add that I thought north east Corsica is a dump and the rest is ok, some of the best beaches ive seen short haul tho - Santa Guilla (spelling) being one - very caribbean.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I lived in Aude, Territoire de Belfort, Eure and Bouches du Rhone and I spend a chunk of every summer holiday in the Cotes d'Amor. Each of them has its good points (the scenary in 13) and its bad (the people and the weather)

Best and worst dept depends so much on personal taste. Personally, I would prefer to live north of the loire.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Blanche Neige"]

davieszak wrote the following post at 04/06/2006 23:07:

There is no best and no worst department - there is only what you know and what you like. 

 

Excellent answer, davieszak

[/quote]

 

Yes I would agree with that [;-)]

 

Each dept. has it's own character to me, all are slightly different all are lovely, we settled on Brittany for our holiday home (for now) as it felt like home [:D] we love the Dordogne, Ardeche ,Burgundy, the Alps, Vendee,  Auvergne etc....but Brittany seemed to offer such a varied landscape OK no real mountains and not as dramatic as some but different coastal types from craggy cliffs to golden sands and moorland to forests and rolling hills and it just seems so ....French [:)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, now I'm going to be pedantic and spoil all of this by pointing out

that Normandy and Brittany etc are not departments but

regions.[Www]...............but I do agree that everyone will have their own

favourites for their own reasons

Lou

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love Alpes de Haute Provence, love the Dordogne, love the Pas de Calais

for golf, love Charente Maritime in the summer, love the Languedoc for

holidays, love the Ille et Vilaine for its extremely varied

countryside, its variations of towns, the  coast, love Brittany itself for its varied depts, love so many

areas of France and for many varied reasons, I could live in them all

and still find something nice to say about them but some departments are

just a little better than others to me. How can one dislike the 04 and its

neighbouring depts? It has all one wants, yet, as an individual ones

sights are so much different, the heat, the people of the region, the

distance from the UK and so on and so on, yet for me, the 04 nearly has

it all but, I would not want to live there.

One can wish to live anywhere in France, for their love of the place or

perhaps, simply their want to but until one knows enough about them

all, we are left to love where destiny has put us and for some there is

a bigger love elsewhere but out of their grasp for one reason or

another. As far as atmosphere, I do not know of two depts in France

that are the exactly same. Surely if one place was best of all, what

are all the others doing in another dept ?

What really makes me laugh, is this micro climate business ! I have

never ever seen so many tiny areas of France that are now claiming to have

the 12th, 23rd or 34th etc best in France and some folks claim that as why

they live there, total hype for tourists and to sell houses !! The

difference between many places is so minimal,  it is laughable but

we are back to where one lives and it starting to feel like a nicely

worn overcoat eh ! Could do with a new one but hey, one is comfortable

with it now so............

I do know of one or two I don't like too much though but someone might be living there................

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Ian Horn"]Is this Miki angling for a nomination as

'Diplomatic Correspondent' for the Forum??!!  Shock horror.[/quote]

Oh I don't think so somehow !!

This is how I have viewed France for many years. I have listened

endlessly to people telling me just how brilliant their area is and how

much they don't like another region/dept and when further questioned, I

have bitten my lip when they have said, "well alright, we only passed

through but it looked horrible" And so, one soon gets to realise that

one sometimes just wants to believe, that they truly live in the best

area but the truth can often be, that they may possibly only really

know much about the area they live in, or want to believe it to justify

why they are still living there.

One can be very happy as I said but to truly think ones area is the

best, is simply not a player unless all other depts are fully

investigated and how long will that take, well, a lifetime I'm afraid.

Mmm more diplomacy then.....................

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Ian Horn"]

Quite right.

Still, this doesn't sound like the Miki that I've witnessed in my (limited) experience hereabouts.

Perhaps 'Diplomat of the North' or The Don should be your new name? 

[/quote]

Ah but I just don't like certain things, that's all.

The Don, sounds a bit like being the inimitable Sir Donald Bradman................. Dicks Granddad told me about him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Miki"][quote user="Ian Horn"]

Quite right.

Still, this doesn't sound like the Miki that I've witnessed in my (limited) experience hereabouts.

Perhaps 'Diplomat of the North' or The Don should be your new name? 

[/quote]

Ah but I just don't like certain things, that's all.

The Don, sounds a bit like being the inimitable Sir Donald Bradman................. Dicks Granddad told me about him.
[/quote]

Or how about Don King, now he the man

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Dotty Trois"][quote user="Miki"][quote user="Ian Horn"]

Quite right.

Still, this doesn't sound like the Miki that I've witnessed in my (limited) experience hereabouts.

Perhaps 'Diplomat of the North' or The Don should be your new name? 

[/quote]

Ah but I just don't like certain things, that's all.

The Don, sounds a bit like being the inimitable Sir Donald Bradman................. Dicks Granddad told me about him.

[/quote]

Or how about Don King, now he the man

[/quote]

He sure is Dotty but he kinda don't look like me that much [:D]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Miki"]  I have listened endlessly to people telling me just how brilliant their area is and how much they don't like another region/dept and when further questioned, I have bitten my lip when they have said, "well alright, we only passed through but it looked horrible" And so, one soon gets to realise that one sometimes just wants to believe, that they truly live in the best area but the truth can often be, that they may possibly only really know much about the area they live in, or want to believe it to justify why they are still living there. [/quote]

Like all the provencaux who spend their time telling you how terrible "The North" is when the furthest north they have ever been is Avignon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If there's one thing guaranteed to cheese a lot of members off it's another of these pointless threads about best and worst depts.  So many people get all defensive about where they live.  If you like it where you are, stay there.  If you don't and would rather be somewhere else, move.  For God's sake, let it drop!

PS This is not in response to any individual post!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 I don't think anyones upset Cassis - its 'horses for courses' isn't it ?

I know that for my general feeling of well being I would prefer to be near to the sea, mountains make me feel vaguely claustrophobic, on the other hand I'm not keen on very flat landscapes either (I know, I'm just awkward ! [;-)])other people may feel differently, thats what makes the world go round !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or the Camargue!   I don't get the romance of the Camargue at all, it has to be one of the least interesting places on the planet.  Unless you're into wetland ecology, of course.   

Who's Don King?

Why not Don Key?

Or that famous Spanish hombre, Donkey Shott?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Russethouse"]

 I'm not keen on very flat landscapes either

[/quote]

 

And whatever you do stay away from Holland[:-))][;-)]

It doesn't bother me what anyone else thinks of Finistere we love it and that's all that matters, I love the mountains and lakes in other dept's and the gorges and beaches in yet others but we fell in love with Finistere it suits us and would get a bit crowded if everyone felt the same [:D]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...