J’aimerais que ce soit moi

Just a guess, on my part, mind you.

d’accord!! Years ago when I was studying French, I had a pen pal from the beautiful south of France. I was determined to get there one day but so far have not been able to make that dream come true.

Of course, that's easy for me to say. Marseille is a 70 minute flight from here.

👍🤤. Best of luck to you.

was in 1972 in the US Navy. Enjoy the wine!

We're 45 minutes north in Aix-en-Provence, which is easier to live in than the 'big city'. It's quieter and closer to the countryside. Plus there is Cézanne's 'Sacred Mountain', Saint Victoire, just outside of town, which is always a joy to see.

And congratulations on your change of countries. I love France but do not speak the language well. I know a bit more for reading, but think it would take me quite a while to function well!

plus the fusion project up the road.

There are resources here for foreigners.

I live in Germany, but I'm in Paris once a week, as well as Brussels once a week, and I speak to my office in Geneva almost once a day. So, I can switch in and out of French pretty much effortlessly by now. It's just a question of habit.

When we bought the flat there was a woman living on the top floor who had Dora. She would put her outside during the day, and come evening Dora would get into the lobby and wait until someone showed up an opened the door to the lift. Everyone knew she lived on the 5th floor, so we would push the button for five and up she would go.

When Madame T would go away, she'd put Dora outside to fend for herself. We started to feed her, first outside, and then she found a way to jump onto our balcony, and we'd feed her there. This continued for a couple of years, with Dora spending more time on our balcony. Mme T had been in the building since the early 70s and after a 'crise de coeur' she ended up in hospital for several weeks. We took care of Dora.

Mme T came back and six months later had a stroke and declined rapidly. At this point, Dora had moved in with us, and Mme T's daughter asked us if we wanted to keep Dora. And of course, we said yes. She is 17 years old, sleeps a lot, and no longer jumps off of the balcony (We're on the ground floor, so only two meters to the ground).

Dora has the same expression that ma cher frequently gave me...usually when I tried out the horrid remains of my high school French.

The narrow streets, the cobblestones, the cafes and smells and boules.

I lived in Istres (northwest of Marseilles) and worked near Martigues in the 80s. I loved visiting the coastal towns and going into the big city. It was plenty rough back then - may have improved since?

cobblestones.

Marseille has definitely improved in parts. There are areas that are still a bit rough, but not so much around the Vieux Port, the Panier, and Prado.

Spent last spring break in Nice reconnoitering. Really liked the Valbonne area. Exploring the Vendee next spring. Cant hardly wait!!!

If the land has a less than 75degree incline, the Nicoise will build on it.

The Vendée is lovely.

What kind of visa are you getting? We applied for a VS-TLS which we have to renew here in France every year. This year, we can apply for 10 year cards, which will make life bureaucratically easier.

Check that your state has a driving licence exchange agreement with France. Otherwise, if you move here you will have to apply for a French licence and take the test after a year. Pennsylvania and Florida licences can be exchanged, and there are several other states, but I don't have that list in my head.

Have friends in Antibes, but too much traffic on the south, beach side. The freeway work towards Grasse is also a royal mess; parking lot during rush hour. Loved L'esterel along the shore, but the single lane road could be problematic.

I like to sail, so the Vendée is really more my speed. Also only 2hrs to Paris by speed train. My SO is German and teaches/translates French, German & English, so I'm hoping to piggyback on her employment visa process. She went to school in Angers and has close friends in Saumur.

Spending time with real estate and rental possibilities. Are you happy with your purchase? Any other sites that might be of interest?

And there's no Multi listing service.

Try https://www.pap.fr/ which are direct sales.

We looked at 7 or 8 different properties before we settled on this one. We knew that we didn't want a house nor did we want a flat in a building without an elevator. Fortunately, we found a ground floor flat.

We are generally pleased with the place that we bought. It's in the town, yet far away from the 'historic centre', so that we're not inundated by tourist traffic. It's in a 'residence' with 9 or 10 buildings, parking, grounds, and all behind a gate. Our building was constructed in the early 70s, so there are a few maintenance issues, but nothing that's bank breaking. And we updated the kitchen and the bathroom. The management company is very good, but that's because the property owners stay on top of them. And we have reasonable neighbours, plus our 'concierge/gardienne' (US equivalent would 'super') does a great job.

We are vacillating between a situation like yours and a country villa: the benefits of a walk/bike-able in-town lifestyle versus more space for parking, RV storage, projects, silence and what-not.

yourself.

And it's always possible to find a place that combines both.

I'm sure you speak at least some by now, but how much? Could one live there without speaking much french?

Which is 'advanced beginner'.

On a listening and reading level, I'm now at B2, and for speaking B1. Writing I'm at A2.

I know people who barely speak at the A1 level, but it makes life a bit difficult for them. They are constantly in need of translation help.

Living in any European country speaking only English would be like moving to the USA speaking only German.

Sure, you will always find someone to talk to, but you are only an outsider, and forever. If you move to a different country, you need to integrate with the country, the culture, the people. That means learning the language, whether it's French, Mandarin, Arabic, Hungarian or Catalan. You don't have to undergo a year's worth of total immersion, just try each day. In a year, you may not have native fluency, but if you try every day, you will make progress.

My younger daughter went to school in Hawai'i for two years. Coming from Germany, she saw they offered three languages: French, Spanish and Hawaiian. She chose French, since that is what she had started with here in Germany. I ribber her with "why not Hawaiian?" She said, "right, what would I ever do with that?" But come the next summer, we were all in a car together when a Hawaiian song came on the radio, and damned if she didn't start translating it for us. I said, "I thought you weren't learning any Hawaiian!" She said, "I'm not, but ANYBODY knows THAT much!" Well, if you had just lived a year in Hawai'i, maybe.

I wouldn't consider moving to a country with a different language without doing that. I was just curious about other people's experience. But at my age, it's not in the cards.

Looks amazing!

And your kitty is adorable and precious!

We had a friend clear it for us.

We still pay for a mailbox in Philadelphia.

Considering making a move myself.

And the rental market can be difficult for the same reasons.

We bought in 2017 and paid just over 325k dollars for our 900 sq foot, 2 bedroom flat in a 50 year old building. If the flat had been on a higher floor we would have paid more. Presently our charges are around 2200 euros a year, plus electricity - 700 euros per year right now, and local taxes of 2000 euros a year.

TOTAL ECHEANCE DU 01/01/2022 AU 31/03/2022 - 654,51€

It's unclear.

My heritage is French on my mother’s side. I'm glad you found your happy place. The kitty looks very sweet.

I'm looking at Portugal as well, but their now defunct golden visa program really did a number on the housing market.

I do have a cool piece of antiquity in my back yard:

Living in town makes it tougher to find bucolic scenes without a bit of a drive.

Maybe a half an hour outside of town?

"Châteaux" wouldn't print as a headline