To a village without these 5 things
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 มี.ค. 2024
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Fallen in love with a beautiful French country house online? Check that the village has at least these 5 things to avoid feeling isolated or if you want to avoid driving for everything, every day.
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About Us:
We are an American family of 3 who moved to France for an extended stay adventure in 2022.
We wanted to experience Europe as more than rushed tourists on a 10-day vacation. To dive into the culture, learn a new language, experience daily life, and truly know what it was like to work and live somewhere other than the US.
In France, we set up a business, enrolled in a middle school, found housing, and even got our cat a European passport!
While in the US preparing to leave, the information we found about staying in France for longer than a short vacation was directed at college students, young & single digital nomads, or retirees. Where was the useful information for families like us?
With a year under our belts in France, we created Baguette Bound to pass on what we have learned. We hope to make it easier and inspire other families who are interested in experiencing a long stay in France with their families. Stay tuned for more information on French culture, local travel ideas, and the logistics of moving across the world.
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You forgot the most important think for people, a doctor. Not all villages have a doctor.
they are pretty rare, and you don't need to go every week, i guess it's no big deal if it is a short drive away
I'm French and I really like live videos. You are very friendly, you have a great open-mindedness (which is very pleasant) and a good analysis! This allows us to discover your culture too! Thank you very much! 👍🥰
Be certain to go to "la mairie" and "la poste" to introduce yourself and your family to "le maire" (the mayor) and the postal workers, respectively. The mayor can help you with an abundance of questions and needs. Sometimes, if the postal workers don't know you and where you live, you won't get your mail at all. The postal system will return the item as undeliverable. We've found that rural France relies heavily on social networking, and making connections -- starting with your neighbours -- is crucial to integrating successfully into life in France. Your neighbours and others in your network can point you to all the people you will need -- from the best bakery to plumbers and builders, etc. etc.
I have been watching your videos for weeks now and I think they are great ! I am an American that has been living in Bordeaux for over 50 years ! There are 2 towns that you must absolutly see ! Sarlat " in Dordogne " and Saint Emilion " in Gironde ! From what I guessed, you live in Lot et Garonne ! Two hours drive from where you are to both places but it is worth it ! Once in Sarlat , try a "magret de canard avec pommes de terre Sarladaise , a glass of red wine : heaven on earth !!!!!
Don't forget the confit de canard avec pommes de terre sarladaises. The confit must have a crispy skin and tender meat. Lethally good!
TRUE !!
Sarlat is superb.
And eat in Sarlat c’est le Périgord Noir land of the black truffles !!!!!
@@babelbabel2419ooooh mam ma that it my appetite is coming back for foie gras de canard truffé (which I prefer to goose and by far)
@franciscouderq1100 of course but no truffles for me. Anyway, let's stop hijacking this thread ;)
Some same or additional tips from a french :
You might consider a small city (10-20k inhabitant) instead of a village, but villages are great too. So, true, look out for those things :
- A Bakery
- a local market (or several)
- your neighbors farms
- Epicery and or a small (or big) supermarket. (but honestly the local market and farmers can replace it ... should replace the "industry")
- Pharmacy, Doctors, dentists, hospital nearby, etc... (France is very centralised around Paris and around big cities and the governement is not letting enough doctors filliing the gap everywhere).
- Schools
- Post office
- some MJC (youth house), and centre culturels,
- and lots and lots of "associations" that will provides activities from art and culture, to sports, to helping people in need, etc... its true it will let you know if the place is lively, young, etc.
- One good bookstore
- Some cool bars
- at least one official or unofficial music venue
- a bus or train station
- being able to ride your bicycle or by walk, instead of doing everything by car
- finally the scenery , that's up to your money and your taste
When i read the title of the video, first thing that pops in my mind was "un bar-tabac"...Without it your village is dead.
How depressed you'll feel if your village didn't get at least 2 of them, you won't be able to do the "tournée des bars"!
Imagine that... A well-organized, functioning, sociable and really beautiful country... So, it does seem to exist? Although the French would NEVER admit it (if asked, they would tell you that France is horrible...), I think you got it. So HAPPY for you!
Better that than claiming we are the best country in world right? Now THAT would be embarrassing, since it is so far from the truth. And yes, France is going down the drain, even my 74 years old mother says so. And i never met anyone to disagree with that, except foreigners who don't know the place. Nationalized companies and services got privatized and got much worse since then. We had the greatest diplomatic network in the world, but Macron destroyed it completely and gave the thing to private interests. Feels like he is an employee of Biden and a traitor. The most revolting is that he even gave to the USA our nuclear technology they wanted so much, just so that they could pull the Australian submarines BS on us aftewards. We even dismantled some of our best industries in order to please Germany, while building Europe. How stupid is that? Private interests do not care about the country, they do not care about infrastructure, only about benefits, and so, our infrastructure has strarted crumbling. Our government thought that ghettos created sc*m, and hence, moved the people from the ghettos to the cities. The result? Obvious. The cities are being deserted by former inhabitants and now turn into ghettos. Because obviously, sc*m make ghettos, not the other way around. I still remember these guys who were partying every night of every week of every month in the appartment below mine. 20 people, music max volume, all night until 6 in the morning. When i told them to shut up, they came to see me with a baseball bat, claiming that i was stepping on their personal freedom and disrespecting them. And they actually believed it, this is why this is a lost cause. I was the last one to run away from the building. Teachers get murdered by russian islamists for daring do their job and teach what a secular country is (we are a secular country, after all). Little kids get murdered by arabic people who were there illegally, told to leave, but never expelled. And our immigration laws remain bullshit because changing them is apparently "non constitutional". This is how most terrorists in France were actually in the country LEGALLY. Sometimes, they even had obtained french citizenship. That's... unthinkable. Our secret services, our local authorities, they warn of the risk of civil war in France, of how our borders are sieves, of how things are getting worse by the day. But our politicians call them extremists, pretend they see nothing, and have been for 40 years. No one knows who pays them. This naturally spurs a constant mood for insurrection in France. Even the retirement reform was just a spark that made all the frustration come to the surface. No, let's not change anything. And this is only scratching the surface. Hence i don't even know which problem we should adress first. Voting far right or communists? Or starting the 4th french revolution and restauring the fun guillotine and Robespierre's terror ? At this point, unbelievably so, this almost feels like a sensical answer...
Well, it depends where you live in France.
Being french, I can tell you that city life, growing up next to the projects, in an atmosphere of high unemployement, was far from paradise.
like we say .. La France est un paradis peuplé de gens qui se croient en enfer
What you see is the remnants after decades of grinding down, despite constant opposition and vigilance. It's still better than most, but far from what it was.
You're not right:
1: the fact is that the biggest problem in France is have a job wich one you can pay your appartement in "loyer" a rent because you have to be paid 3× the rent ( i'm paid 1700€/month AT the hospital, the rent for an appartement IS 800€, so, there's no owner who will let me rent his appartment, immobiliar agency worst...so i have to fight and negociate with immobiliar agency rent agent...for months.)
2 : prices are higher every year, our gouvernement taxe people instead of Big entreprises and let some foreign Big entreprises without taxes.
3: la Poste was a public enterprise, it's now over and they close most of their offices in little cities. Same with bakery and épiceries (grocery stores). Even the driving licence IS so much expensive, 1200- 1600€: who Can pay that ?! When you have 1700€ like me and you pay your rent +your electricity + gaz and water etc , i have like 300€ to live for All the month (food for me and my children, doctor, médicine, bus-tramway tickets (14€ for 10 travels,we work 5days/7) etc). Taxes are good but we're not paid enought ! Fact !
But even if i won't be able to buy anything in France, no house, no appartment, i love my Country and my neighbours.
I'm french and proud of what we do even if WE have to "fight" for our Rights every day wich made us the biggest ""Rumble people" in the World i think. 😉
Pharmacists are also knowledgeable about mushrooms, if you pick up some during a hike in the forest and want to be sure they're safe to cook it's good to make a small detour by the pharmacy to get an expert's opinion...
Yes and the pharmacist tell you that all your mushrooms are dangerous and he will keep them for himself. Don't trust à pharmacist and ask the question to à friend and then share with him an omelette aux cèpes and few glasses of wine 😊
Some are: not each pharmacists. Hopefully they won't tell you if they don't know.🤣
@@jeanyves5380 normaly he need to learn them to have his diploma ... now yes he may forgot with time
That was true decades ago. Unfortunately the study of mushrooms has been drastically reduced in recent years so if the pharmacist is under the age of 65 I wouldn't bet on it 😁
Pharmacists can't take the risk of a mistake. Mushroom studying is a science in itself.
I moved to France 8 years ago. Actually the MOST important thing is access to medical CARE; access to doctors, dentists, other medical professionals, hospitals and Urgent Care facilities. If you live in a village or far from a large city access to the nearest doctor or medical facility might be an hour or two away, even by ambulance. The other things mentioned in the video are nice to have but, if you are near or over retirement age access to a doctor in an emergency is an absolute necessity. Another thing they don't mention is the price of gasoline in France. Gasoline costs about 6.90€ ($7.50) a gallon in France, which means if you drive a lot, it will get expensive. Add to that the price of toll roads (the major roads running throughout the country) and you will find traveling by car is very expensive, so access to public transportation should be high on the list. If I drive from Marseille (very south) to Paris and back by car it will cost me between 350€ - 400€ just for gas and tolls. My senior bus pass costs me 20€ a year, which means I can travel to many cities and towns for far less than it would cost to drive there myself. My senior train pass gives me 70% discount. Public transportation is wonderful in France. I love how people have this ideal picture of life in France, and while I will not live anywhere else, please do some RESEARCH before you make the decision to move here. Lastly, if you have investments in the US, then I highly recommend you find a French accountant, preferably one that has offices in both France and the US because you will be required to FILE taxes in both countries, but you only pay taxes in one country due to the tax treaty.
This is true everywhere. Medical and dental care are non-negotiables. You don't realize how important these are until you need them and do not have them, or you can't get into a local doc or dentist when you need one.
My village has all of the five essentials plus a "cave c-operative" which sells the local wines ( we are in Burgundy) plus jams and other local produce. It is also a bonus to have a café and/or restaurant.
I'm French and we moved to a village even further in the countryside. We have a long walk to the bakery but we have a short drive to a very close by supermarket for extra stuff and I miss being able to walk there and just pickup an oreo pack or a donut or a bottle of wine. So yeah, definitely agree on the grocery store argument !! Some Tabac (you can call them Marchand de Journaux sometimes) can have all of those 5 you mention are the most important things : a baker from a further away bakery sell bread using the tabac as a retailer, a postbox can be around there and they can get you La Poste services, as you said, they can serve breakfast or lunch or also have canned foods as well. As for the last one, all the associations people are usually active at the bar part of the tabac, even if they don't smoke because they're the founder of the football club association who cut down on booze and smoke to be a good example to the kids 😂😂
Dans les villages où la poste a fermé depuis la privatisation, c'est un magasin qui remplit le rôle: épicerie ou tabac généralement
I live 15 miles from LE MANS (140 000 people), outside of a village of 500 people, . It's far enough to be in the countryside but close enough of the main city. This way I have the best of both world. Close to larger villages with doctors and supermarket. You cannot be far away from a larger city otherwise you're stuck. I love your videos !
C'est vrai mais t'as rien sans un emploi qui te paye 3 fois le loyer (j'envisage même pas l'achat) Et le permis de conduire car aucune auto-école ne coûte moins de 1200€ et encore.... Car ils t'ajoutent des heures de conduites 200€ l'heure, sinon ils ne te présentent pas à l'examen, c'est normal ?). Donc oui loin de la ville mais pas trop, être payé 3fois le loyer et avoir le permis sont les conditions essentielles pour à peu près bien vivre en France.
Interesting and rarely discussed point for people considering moving to France. Too many people in my view overromanticise the "French village", which is no longer the place it was 60 or 70 years ago. Places with the 5 businesses or services you mention are no longer villages, they are "bourgs" or small towns. Also, good point from one of your viewers on having a local gendarmerie, which is directly connected to the town's status in the administrative map of France : in rural France, it means such a place is the head of an administrative unit called the canton (chef-lieu de canton).
Yes a bakery is so important. I can live on just good bread and cheese. But beware because a lot of traditional bakeries are shutting down. More industrial and less authentic outlets are starting to take over. Lots of small businesses are shutting down because of higher costs since Covid. But don’t worry there are still many good traditional bakeries still running
Surtout évitez d’acheter votre pain en supermarché ou dans ces ”boulangerie ”! Périphériques 😢
Celle-ci sont seulement des fours la pâte arrive Congelé😢et les viennoiseries sont au beurre marié avec de la margarine où de l’huile de palme 😢😢
Very nice! This is the simple kind of stuff that would take months to figure out on your own.
Nice !
I can also only recommend the presence of a train station, but yes less small village then.
Useful for traveling across France and Europe without a car and also for children who will continue their studies at high school or university.
We 1000% agree, but found that limiting the search to only villages with train stations we could walk to in rural France narrowed it so much it made a house search exceedingly difficult.
Also, at least in our area, some of the villages and towns with train stations were less charming in areas close enough we could actually walk to the train.
But I totally agree and it's literally the only thing we don't have I wish we did in our current village. Although we can take a bus a couple times a day to the nearest one. And maybe someday...train lines are expanding all the time! 🙂
Thanks for watching!
A train station is a plus, otherwise you'll have to drive to the nearest one. I live in a small town without. I've to drive 30 km to the nearest regional train station. but it's a very nice country city with all shops. We're at about 2 h from Paris (car+train), in Normandy country side. Very calm and pleasant, but not too far.... I often work at the capital. You can had other shop, such has a butcher (very important to have good quality meat, except if you're veggie), and a "primeur" (vegetables shop). As markets are usually once a week, you need these to get fresh product the rest of the week.
Lets try a small town, about 5k people, you will be sure to get everything mentioning in the video. 😀
I would add as a requirement: a train station.
Getting to a larger city or airport via rail is a requirement. Being car dependent on Europe makes no sense.
5:55 Also, you can ask your local Pharmacist to check your mushroom pickup (granted you separated mushrooms kinds while picking them up).
They are MDs, except they specialized in preparing medication. From the ground up.
They have a complete course in phytotherapy and several other fields. Definitely not your average CVS.
I just came across your channel this morning and we greatly appreciate you sharing your thoughtful insights. We're a retired Canadian couple and are moving to SW France this coming September/October. I had spent months planning a move to Spain but after really having an honest hard look at everything there, we have shifted our focus to France. The southwest seems to check off a lot of our boxes. I think that we'll start our search in and around Périgueux and Bergerac.
Yay, so glad you found us. 🙂 Good luck with the research and thanks for watching!
So we are planning to move abroad, but weren't even considering France until I found your videos. I am really loving watching your content. Thank you!
Many people move to small villages in France because they want the peace and solitude, they don’t find it necessary to keep popping out to the shops,or constantly seeking involvement or entertainment. Go to a small town if that is what you want. I have everything within 7 km radius - that is enough.
Interesting. I would want a cafe where I could become a regular, a doctor, a dentist, a hardware store and/or garden center, a wine shop, high speed internet, and a reliable handyman.
Been to France many times and I still learned a few things today...thanks!
We are also in our preparation phase of moving to France. This information is so valuable. I am anxious about moving and being completely isolated and miserable. So this is so helpful to listen to with my husband so we can learn from those with experience.
So grateful to have come across you guys, and if you are still in France when we get there (some day) we’d love to be friends! ❤
It's normal to be a bit anxious before making such a big change. But if you try to learn the language and follow these guys advice (getting into associations), you will meet many friendly people. Of course, moving to a big city will get you a completely different experience. But you will also find many associations there.
Don't forget to check the type of connections to the net you can have in your new home, FTTH, ADSL or 4 or 5 G, some remote village are still in the desert.
@@etorepugatti9196 True but ADSL is being phased out so it's mostly fiber optic or 4g/5g.
Merci a tous ❤ we are very much struggling to find the “where” in France. There are so many lovely places, but the considerations for schools, climate, medical care, work, outdoor activities and how to fit into the community are real.
My spouse grew up in a small village in Eastern Europe, and very much wants to return to the land. But I am nervous that in a small town where everyone knows everyone for generations, that we may never fit in.
And having a sense of community is so important to us. We want to welcome people into our home and drop by to visit others.
@@babelbabel2419😊
Most french people in countryside go shopping once a week in nearest big hypermarket... and freeze food at home.
A fresh warm baguette freezed at home reborn brand new in owen or on top of a toaster. Same for croissants...
All cheeses freezed reborn very well too.
Excellent video!
Especially the parts showing you both walking around and then ordering coffees!
More of these videos please!🎉
Thanks! As filming "on location" is new for us, we were impressed with ourselves too. 😂
Very interesting to have a foreign point of vue on our country and how it functions.
👍
Enjoy France
My irish mum used to say " bureau tabac " Sounded like " de bac ."
I like the pieces of information. I would add doctors. Or choose a village nearby a physician. Doctors in the countryside are also different from city doctors.
In fact you describe our villages's fair life that we french are proud of but we've unfortunatly lost many things these last decades.
Many villages died, post offices closed, doctors and more.Pregnant women can no longer give birth, no more bars, cafes, restaurants, nothing. Some villages are completely abandoned.
Some people try to bring back attractivity and sometimes it works for some villages but it's not so easy.
1. Go for a small town instead of a village or you will be driving all the time.
4th point : we call that a "Café". Some of them don't sell tobaco. ;)
Thanks very much for helpful advice. I live in a village with nothing but the Marie. In winter it is isolated and not much happens. Fortunately we are a few kilometres from a town with everything you need (including a network of friends who live in the town). It is walkable or accessible by bicycle!
Quand j’écoute Tim Kennedy parler du Texas et combien les usa sont un endroit magnifique où vivre, ou comment bien vivre avec sa communauté est essentiel, etc, je me dis qu’on devrait faire de même en France.
Oh shoot ! That’s exactly what we do in France, moreover both of them have the same size!!
Vous deux devriez postuler pour le ministère du tourisme 😅😅
You both are fantastic!
When American efficiency takes over the promotion of France 😉🇺🇸🇫🇷
Merci ! 😉
You inspired me to write a list of all the services my very small town has 2,000 people in the whole commune). Surprisingly , It has probably around 50 "services" and in that term I include everything from La Poste to vetinarians, dentists, schools, etc. The ones we considered vital in our decision to buy a house here are: a public library, a gendarmerie and a train station (its small, about 12 trains a day). Glad you mentioned the associations - they are a fabulous way to make friends and useful connections.
Great common sense advice as always ! Very grateful to live in well resourced town - it does make a difference❤Hope you all well x
3:36 Wifey call those "Card'Bordeaux". We live in the Bordeaux area so it makes more sense.
Also, way more French Fancy than they needs to be. 😂
But if I have brand to recommend, "Gerard Bertrand" from Carcassonne.
Even their non organic wives are fine.
Great info. Very useful. Thank you!
Awesome info! Thanks!
Lots of really great info here! Thanks for sharing! ❤
This was super helpful and practical!
You guys are great team!!
Also la poste won't play soccer with your packages.
Vidéo très pertinente
I loved loved this video, thank you from the bottom of my heart!! I have four months to go and found it extremely helpful! Im about to change my airbnb right now!
you know what you two are the very BEST,you have given me so much information,Im convinced ,we were thinking about,now Im sure...YES
Hello! Nice to see you again. One tip to find a sizable village with (at the very least) all services you listed: look for the ones where a Gendarmerie (a State Police station would be a US equivalent) is located, not that it is needed, but as the famillies of the (at least 10) troopers live in the village, they need all those services. If you have alredy been in contact with the gendarmes, while on the roads in your nice car or any other occasion, it would be interresting to know what is your take on this very old (1536), typically French, rural law enforcement agency .
This is really interesting! Thanks!
Gendarmerie nationale is the oldest law enforcement in France, it's part of the army. Gendarmerie area are mostly on the rural France, the police nationale ( civil officer) on towns. They have the same duties, except the roads which are mostly a gendarmerie duty. For enquiries the judge decides between the two for convenience as both can do the job. They even have both a "swat" branch ( GIGN or GIPN)
I love your accent 😀
Oh my gosh, before getting really serious about a research, we always thought we wanted to be in the countryside. Then bam, exactly what you're talking about here, we realized we don't want to drive everywhere for *everything! 😊
Great list ! Though I would put the Associations in the list and not just as a bonus :D
That's a superb Post Office building. Greetings from Agde 34300 (full-time since 1989). 🇨🇵🇪🇺
CVS in California has added nurse consultants for whatever ails you, in short visits. It's similar to urgent care.
Great video! How connected are you to larger cities by transport? Bordeaux, for example? Is it easy to ditch the automobile in the village where you live, and still be able to get into the larger towns and cities? That's been a requisite for us when we were searching for a place to live in Spain.
some comments mention the Gendarmerie Nationale, here it's not 911 but 17, it's also 17 for the Police Nationale in the city, but the difference is that in the city it's the city police station that answers at night, whereas for the Gendarmerie it's the chief town of the department that answers and notifies the brigade on duty, (I think it's the same for the fire department, call 18, and for medical emergencies call 15 or 112).
please note that we use the metric system and that when signs indicate 30, 50, 70 or 90, 110, 130, these are kilometers/hour and not miles, otherwise beware of the gendarmes.
I am very fortunate to live between 2 Towns/villages, Lauzun and Eymet on the Dordogne/Lot et Garonne border.
Both towns are lively with good amenities. This is not always the case, but we are in a tourist area, with many foreign home owners and holiday home owners, with disposable cash. This seems good for the local businesses.
Doctors and Dentists are harder to find. I expect it is more desirable for these professionals to live in a city, not rural France.
Hello! This was a wonderful and pertinent video regarding the size of the "village" that we want to have our 10 year-old to experience. A place small enough where you might run into people you know, where there are favorite spots to gather, and the feeling of some safety. Literally, "It takes a village" Joey and I also want to experience that - a far cry from San Antonio, TX! We were really thankful for the "Associations" for adults. So neat to be able to find others who enjoy the same activities!
QUESTION FOR RAINA AND JULIANA: This video was so helpful for us "girls" because we wondered about skincare/makeup lines at the Pharmologie. We paused the screen when you had the various shelves in the background - did some research on prices and reviews, etc. Hope and I have started ordering products from "La Roche-Posay" to start getting used to the skincare. What products do you beautiful women like? And...what hair care products are most popular there - and do you buy them where you get your haircut/colored, or at the Pharmologie as well?
Maybe a video on all things "Girly"? Hope and I are so not "Girly Girls", so we are pretty clueless. But we'd LIKE to know about favorite French makeup lines, too. Where to get them. Manicures? Extra dry martinis with olives? (HA HA)
This is an EXCELLENT video. Had no idea about La Poste or Marie website for associations. Thank you. We move to far SW France in a month. We are starting in a larger city but have no idea where we will ultimately settle. Really great advice.
Oh wow, good luck!!! This is a great move by the way. A larger city will give you time to explore and settle in while being able to easily find what you need. There are literally a million villages, all with their own character, so it takes time (and it's fun) to explore them. And who knows, you might love being in a little larger place and end up staying there! Thanks for watching!
South West in an excellent choice, but it is quite large… It goes from Bordeaux to the Pays basque, and from Rodez to Foix ! If I may, visit the Lot (be careful, it is the name of the river, not an English word 😉) also known as Quercy (the most beautiful of our Département), with two medium cities, very beautiful : Figeac and Cahors. Try also Pau and the Béarn, the sumptuous Albi, the Pays basque and the Ariège (quite austere but magnificent).
@@heliedecastanet1882 thank you so much for this wonderful information. There are so many places we need to explore. We visited, and loved Pau, Prades, villages near Carcassonne, Bordeaux and Toulouse. There are so many wonderful options. We will begin in Perpignan for six months. It will be our home base as we explore further.
@@nyegregThe Lot is a bit far from Perpignan and Pyrénées Orientales but still, try to get there. I am pretty sure you won't regret it. Make a quick research on Google (Lot, Figeac, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Notre-Dame-de-Rocamadour) and have a look !
Anyway, all my best for the future !
This info is soo helpful as you mentioned a couple of things I hadn’t thought of. My list includes a weekly market and train station. I’m hoping to find that place where i can get buy without a car and only rent one as needed… I never considered the need for la poste or un tabac! And the recommendation to look up the mairie! Thank you!
Having a train station is huge!!! For a long time we resisted looking anywhere without a train stop, but many of the villages we loved just weren't on a train line with a stop (some areas in the SW dont have many). Or they were, but something else was missing we were looking for.
We finally expanded the search and I don't regret it. Our closest train station is about 25 minutes. We can take a bus or a taxi to get to it if we don't want to drive. But I'm not giving up hope of expanding rail lines yet to our village yet! 😉
Great info. Always look forward to your videos. We will be moving to “France” later this year.
@@BaguetteBound I can’t wait to learn more!
What about a butcher? Great video . Thank you
It seems it's a big village you're living in. Maybe more a little town than a village. One important thing you forgot is... The doctor. Check if there's a doctor around. If not, be ready to make dozen of kilometres to find one, coz some places are real "medical deserts"...
Hah! We just moved to France 2 weeks ago and bought our house (well, in the process) in the town that has everything! Charm too! But we almost bought the perfect house-in a village 15 min from anything. We said after a day, no way! thanks for the video!
Ah, nice save!!! Congrats and welcome to France!!
Great list. The only surprise was that I expected a good butcher to be on the list. 👍😊
i would expect a butcher to be in a small town rather than a village. I grew up in a small village in germany (600+) and we had a traveling butcher swing by once a week, set up shop in a local farm house with a fully tiled room. we did have a baker. and a gasthaus in convenient walking distance from the church, and a soccer club with a clubhouse/restaurant. Pretty nice, really.
Very nice! Where do you find a doctor or dentist? Where do you pay your utility bills? At the Mairie, or?
You may have to go to a large town or city. My small town has three dentists and two doctors which is unusual. But if you want a dental implant, dermatologist, gynecologist, opthalmologist, etc, you will have to go to a city. Bills: most of our utility bills, taxes and insurance premiums are required to be paid by direct monthly debit. You pay a set amount for electricity each month and every 12 months the electricity company tells you whether you are in credit or debit for the 12 month period and either credits your next month's bill or debits your bank account. Talking of money reminds me that cheques are still widely used in France.
I am French American. I know both countries very well and I am bilingual. I am surprised that you decided to move to France without speaking much French (you still cannot pronounce simple words like "Mairie" properly). I am afraid this will dramatically limit your ability to assimilate in France, especially in a small village where few people speak English. Also you should not underestimate the time and effort it takes to learn French as an adult starting from zero.
Well, they seem to be happy, and to adapt pretty well since they were here for more than a year. As a french who lives in paris but have lived in the country i'm surprised that they choose a village, (cause i love city life) but they seem to love it where they are . Just be happy for them and wish them the best
Also im not sure if i got that right but i heard that the read "le monde" and that's not an easy journal to read, so they might have an accent but they for sure got the language right.
N'importe quoi. Ils se débrouillent très bien et je leur dis bravo.
@@ttocsnob9145merci on est boen d'accord
@@ttocsnob9145 on en reparle dans 3 ans. C'est du vécu.
3,60€/kg for haricots verts... I could never get this deal in my area (Grenoble). Did you guys edit the video or what...
Good video! I did reconnaissance last year in SW France and realize that the towns I liked the most had all the things you mention. Question: I know it's still pretty new and you moved into town, but have you felt more isolated than if you lived in a larger town? Are you part of a North American expat community, if it exists in your area? Other channels say live in a larger place so you don't have a car, there's an expat community and you can easily travel around the EU. But, I'm single and trying to balance living in a larger place like the outskirts of Tours vs. a village where I can reno a small farmhouse or townhouse. I'd love to move this year but my younger child, who speaks fluent Spanish vs. French, will start high school in August. We'll see.
I would say try renting in a place you want to try first and see if it feels like a fit. No matter where you are things are a trade off and it depends on the life you want to live.
Our first year we were a 10 min drive from town, in a tiny, tiny village with nothing to speak of and spoke almost no French. That did feel isolating.
Now we live on the edge of a small village (we still need a car but can walk to the village for a lot) with lots of amenities, and a small expat community. I love the mix of nature and village life. I wouldn't want to be the only house on a hill with the nearest village 20 min drive.
I do wish we had a train station. It would make things easier when we want to travel or go to larger cities, but again it's a trade off. We liked this area, and none of the villages / larger cities with a train station were the right fit for us.
You'll find the right place. 🙂 But if it's possible, definitely "try before you buy".
@@BaguetteBound The advice I needed to hear, even if I want to get right to renovation. A future video might be "why not a small city" or small city vs village. Thanks for the reply!
Have you tried to do your immigration paper work online ?
Très bon résumé ! (Boulangerie + Épicerie + Pharmacie + Bar-tabac-maison de la presse + Poste) et associations loi 1901.
J'y ajouterai : un vétérinaire, une maison de santé ou un médecin, une mairie avec un accueil (dans les communes trop petites, la mairie est fermée définitivement), une maison de retraite (ehpad), un supermarché, un restaurant, une gare de trains ou de bus, une déchetterie, une école, une bibliothèque/médiathèque, une caserne de pompiers, des terrains de tennis et des terrains de foot ...
Mais c'est un peu illusoire 🙂
En général, les 5 choses indispensables dont vous parlez dans la vidéo, on les trouve dans des villages de + de 700 / 1000 habitants (juste pour information, la définition d'une ville en France, c'est une commune de + de 2000 habitants, en dessous c'est un village).
je rajouterai l'école si t'a des enfants .
autant au collège il peut prendre le bus seul, autant prendre la voiture tous les jour pour dépose / prendre les gosses dans le village d'a coté c'est vraiment chiant a la longue .
Can you make a video on finding schools for English speaking children who don't yet know any French? I'm planning a move to Bordeaux....are my only options truly either IS33, or BIS? Are there other options for schools other than those 2 international ones? It's very overwhelming and I'd like my kids to have a smooth transition since they won't know the language like I do.
Hello! You will find information on the public schools if you search for " Schooling for children who do not speak French " on the net; but this system is geared towards children of immigrants and refugees, not those of English-speaking expats. Private schools such as those you mentionned are your best option. I trained school rugby in the Bordeaux area, so I know that Assomption Sainte Clotilde Bordeaux and Sainte-Marie Grand Lebrun are catholic schools for children between 3 (yes!) and 18 years old with English-speaking classes. Be assured religion is completely optional in the christian schools in France.
Is there much hunting and fishing in France?
🇨🇵 - Oui, mais il faut avoir un permis de chasse, ou de pêche agréé et adapté !
En France, nous avons pas d'accès légal pour les armes, donc il faut une autorisation spécifique via le permis pour être dans les règles ! (Il y a aussi des espèces protégées, car en voie de disparition, comme le chevreuil, donc y a certaines règles et connaissances à avoir sur les périodes de chasses autorisées, etc.)
🇬🇧 - Yes, but you must have an approved and appropriate hunting or fishing license ! In France, we don't have legal access to weapons, so specific authorization via the permit is required to comply with the rules ! (There are also protected species because they are endangered, such as "le chevreuil", so there are certain rules and knowledge to have about authorized hunting periods, etc.)
There are TOO MANY hunters in france actually D: it is not well organized and politicians are too nice with them to get points. You barely see alives animals in the wild now and the ones you see are raised by them to be killed
“LA poste”
In villages they are usually set with friendly folks in town and of course cities particularly in Paris area they are lazy unfriendly people and client feel like apologizing for being here asking for a postal service, A shame.
Visited france as a tourist (Im Swedish) and we had a lovely time, but sometimes we were totally ignored at a restaurant, or service point, since we didn't speak the language.
Have you encountered that?
Hi, that's quite odd and quite rude. I'm sorry you experienced that. Was that frequent?
Service quality in france can be realy bad. Even as french customer lol, we kind of lost this love for customer service :/ When you're used to germanic / asian / american hospitality it can be quiet shocking.
If you have to use the NIH! Yikes
Sorry but, can we talk about Céline Champagne ? Looks like Celine Dion forgot to search a scene name.
7:05: Wow. You chose it, right? If you can't read french, what is in red at the top of this newpaper means: "When the american democracy was spearheading racism". I find it very fun, since this is an american video.
9:28: wow. Une 4L, ça devient rare. Au moins 40 balais la caisse.
I understand all your points, and i don't particularly disagree. But in the end, i believe it is optimistic to hope for all that in our villages. What is the more, the villages that need inhabitants most are those that have the least convenience to offer. Villages have been doing their best to try to survive and prevent desertification. You can see how they have adapted. But at the end of the day, i believe that it is important to simply get rid of the concept of "convenience" when thinking about settling in a village. Their strong point is definitely not in their convenience. If you are looking too much for convenience, you will have a harder time and miss out on very nice places. Buy bikes.
There are villages like the one you describe at the beginning, but sadly they are very touristic most of the year, and loud, and busy.
Could you please try to pronounce french not epizerie, that is ....
“LA poste”
In villages they are usually set with friendly folks in town and of course cities particularly in Paris area they are lazy unfriendly people and client feel like apologizing for being here asking for a postal service, A shame.