Why you should (NOT?) move to the South of France | Expats on French Riviera | Living abroad
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 พ.ค. 2024
- If you asked Anja and Aila, they’d say: OF COURSE you should move to the South of France - that’s what they did 20 years ago. But then again: Is everybody carved for it…? Probably not!
In this video, they’ll take you on their personal journey - and give you some questions to think about along the way. Hopefully, by answering them honestly, you'll have a better idea of whether you're cut out for expat life - and even more so, whether the South of France is THE place to move to!
Thanks for watching!
PS: This was the first time we tried to say big chunks in English live on camera, and you can tell that sometimes we were searching for words and phrasing sentences in bizarre ways... thanks for putting up with it!
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Useful links & info:
The French Riviera (Côte d’Azur), a most beautiful region in the very south-east of France:
📍maps.app.goo.gl/7govyN3CVKHra...
Music: www.epidemicsound.com/
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Aila on Instagram: / azurblau.fr
Aila on Facebook: / azurblau.fr
#france #expatlife #frenchriviera
© RIVIERA GO! 2023. All rights reserved.
00:00 Introduction
01:48 Want to move to the South of France?
03:24 What YOU should consider...
03:52 Job
06:20 Language
08:27 Friends
11:30 Culture shocks
17:03 What's so special about the South of France?
Keep up the good work! Moved to Cote d'azur 2 years ago and I regret that I took my so long to realise that I need this kind of change! :) All the best to you. Chris, Antibes
Thanks a lot, we'll try 😉! Say hi if you run into us in Antibes or elsewhere 😃
We are only second generation Americans from Germany post WWI and we noticed that our parents and grandparents were very structured and stiff in this German sensibility way we have also lived in France, including the south of France for five years, and you have to be willing to let everything go everything in order to fully experience the culture and the people. We know other Germans here, and it is very common theme to be somewhat always dissatisfied, and very reserved in the ability to show emotion and deeply experience life. That’s OK everyone has their own culture and we are certainly not defending ours here. We remember the summertime invasions of all the camping from Germany. During our summers there it’s quite interesting that two nations can touch each other yet. Be completely opposites. Amusez VOUS☀️👍
Thanks a lot for your thoughts! Yeah, it’s always difficult to talk about cliches and prejudices… I guess we all have them to an extent. Wherever you’ll go you’ll always meet people that resonate with you and others that don’t, but that’s the same even in your own country or even among neighbours, isn’t it? The fun part is to meet new people at all. And for us, this video business actually has led to so many nice encounters - it’s just awesome 🤩
Thank you so much for the video! I'm Brazilian and moved to Germany 5 years ago. I understand very well when you say "gray weather". Now I'm looking for another place and the south of France is definitly a target! Especially after spending 2 weeks there this year!!! Wonderful place! Nice seems like the good part of Rio de Janeiro! 😀
Thanks a lot for your thoughts! Not everything is perfect down here, but the sun is priceless and so is the nature/outdoors. We have truly found the perfect region for us, but of course that is very subjective… 😇
I'm Brazilian too, lived in Germany since 2019 and I have the same plan 😅 My family and I love the south of France ❤
Another great thing about the South of France is its luxuriant vegetation and the slower pace of life.
Yes, we totally agree 👍
Just back from Nice last night. Ur videos were a great help loved every min of it. Food wine and views are amazing can’t wait to get back. Thank you for all the hard work in ur vids
Thanks a lot for sharing! So happy our vids were of help 🤩
Headed to South of France Soon. Your videos are so helpful. Thank you!😃
Thank you very much! 🙏😍Have a great trip!!!
❤The NICE People😊 We're part-time Niçois and honestly I need to get out of Nice for months because in Nice I feel SPOILED. But it's The PEOPLE of NICE we love most. There's plenty of rush and energy but balanced with Gentleness and consideration for others.
Very nicely put, thanks for sharing! 😊
This video is so insightful. I’m moving to Sophia Antipolis in January for my masters. I’m glad I found you lovely ladies! This TH-cam channel is exactly what I’ve been looking for to be informed and aware of the region. And yes, the sun is quite important to me too haha!
Sending you both lots of love and good vibes!
Sona
(From India)
Thank you so much, Sona! Glad we are of help 😊. We’re sure you’re going to have a great time here! 🤩
Wonderful information. Thank you for producing such great content. Looking forward to seeing more!
Thank you so much!!! 🤩
I plan to, at least, retire in the South of France, but I have some years ahead until then. For now, I’m so happy to explore and enjoy the area vicariously through you two, your content is wonderful and very informative, I love it! Looking forward to some videos about the hikes you’re taking around there. Towns and villages exploring is great, but, as you said, nature and surrounding landscapes are part of the reason you love the area, hope you’ll share that as well with us in your future videos. 🤗
Thank you so much! Will do! 😊😊😊
Thank you! Very informative video. And what a beautiful location to shoot it! I hope to arrive there soon.
great! cool and well explained, with warmth!
Thank you very much! 🤩
Really useful video's. Appreciate all the hard work you ladies put in, to keep us all informed. Love the south of France, & thinking about visiting Nice and again soon, so your channel is the 'go to' option - many thanks!! ❤
Thank YOU 😍
Hi girls 😊I love your content. Watched all of your videos so far. They are excellent!
Planning on going visiting next year…
Thank you both for sharing your favorite spots with us. 🥰
Thank you so much for your feedback! Hope you’ll enjoy your trip as much as we still enjoy living in this region! 😊
I LOVED this video. I have watched some of your other videos, but this one was the best - mostly due to you both being genuine and honest ( and your relationship). Very good info as well. Thank you
Glad you liked it and got some information from it as well, thanks for letting us know! 😊
Ladies, I love your videos. We are coming to the area the first week of September and staying in Menton. We’re very excited and will be using some of your recommendations. Cheers from Maryland.
Thank you! September is the best time (and May/June) - we hope you’ll have a wonderful time! 😃
Another great video, this one a different one but great tips for my wife and I , because we are deciding between Cote Azur or San Sebastián ( where we are right now in holidays).Kind regards.Marcelo
Ha, that’s a tough choice for sure! We don’t know San Sebastián well enough to dare to make a suggestion. I think the weather is a little more reliable in Nice and there’s probably more on offer in terms of cultural events, but there are certainly other things that are preferable over in Basque Country. Let us know your decision 😊
We, as a family, are really considering moving to Nice, and both of you are a huge inspiration, thank you.
By any chance, have you guys ever considered making videos about local history?
I am finding some difficulty finding one source to learn more about the region.
Hey, thanks a lot for your words! 🙏 So far, we haven’t considered doing history videos… but it’s a great idea for later! Right now, as we‘re trying to grow the channel, we‘re kind of obliged to stick with more main stream topics (unfortunately).
If you’re on Instagram, there’s a student from Nice who talks about historic facts in a fun way (may not be as deep as you’d like, and it’s mostly about Nice), have a look:
instagram.com/nicestorique?igsh=MWZtNGhsc2ljanlwYw==
Perfectly trilingual. Very impressive.
Not perfect by a long shot! But we get by 😉
I really enjoy your videos and appreciate your sharing your love for the region. We're hoping to move to that area in a couple of years -- really need to improve our French. So many beautiful places and so many factors to consider -- access to health care, transportation (car or no car), expat community (which can be very helpful in the beginning of one's integration), etc...Oh, where to begin.
Thank you! We totally understand your feelings! Sometimes why not just “jump”? It’s going to be an adventure and makes you grow no matter the outcome. Good luck for you!! 🤩
@@rivierago Love your attitude! Normally, I'm more of a jump first and worry about the landing later type. We did that moving from the US to Portugal and not having much of a language base made dealing with official matters more stressful. You do motivate me to accelerate my learning plan. 😀
Stumbled across your video this morning and am so glad I did. I’ve been to France only once in 2010.. I’d love to go back and most importantly the south (Aux Provence) is it in the southern region? I felt more pulled to see it again than previously as I felt it was more artist related? I was with my son on that trip so the visit was ever so brief but would love to see it again. I love sunshine. ☀️ too of course and now I’m in my late 70’s. Thank you for your very informative video. It was lovely..☀️
Thank you for your message! 😊 Yes, Aix-en-Provence is in the South of France, about 2 hours from Nice. A beautiful, lively, charming city! We need to make a video about it 👍
👍👏 tolle Tipps für Touren
You ladies are giving an impression that you miss home and you're torn between staying put, or returning back home to Germany. Some places are nice as a holiday destination, but its a whole new ball game when it comes to permanent migration. Like the saying goes, there's no place like home. Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts!👌
Dear Nick, thanks for your words! Actually we aren’t torn at all - we have found OUR place! We were just trying to express that migration takes some effort and not everything is easy. You may like a holiday destination, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s your perfect place for every day life.
@rivierago Yes, I totally agree with you on that. They're so many aspects of everyday life that needs adaptation and getting used to. Anyways, I'm so happy for the both of you, coz it's hard to come by hearing someone confidently say, we've found our forever place!😊👍
I enjoyed your video very much! My husband and I loved our recent visit to Provence, but are not familiar yet with the Côte d’Azur. Can you tell me where your video is filmed? The landscape is so beautiful.
Thank you very much! We filmed this video in a garden close to Grasse, around 30 minutes inland from Cannes 😉
You guys have an excellent and very informative channel ! Thanks for putting in all the hard work. My wife and I are planning a trip to the South of France. We live in Florida USA, so we are not looking for a beach vacation to lounge in the sun - we get plenty of that at home lol. Anyway, just wondering if you think middle through end of March would be an okay time for our two weeks in South of France. We enjoy history, touring around to small villages, nice hotels and local cuisine. Don't mind cooler weather, less crowds but still mostly sunny days. Thanks !!
I'm french and youtube TH-cam brought me to this channel by chance. I see your comment and I can advise you the region of Avignon and especially the road that leads to Mont Ventoux which is the typical mountain of Provence. There are several very typical villages including Besoin or Crillon le brave. Access to the mountain is very easy and the view breathtaking. Not far you have the villages of the Luberon region that correspond to what you are looking for (Gordes, Roussillon etc.) The period of March is very good for visits. April weather is even better but there are school holidays so more people. Bon voyage
Hi, thanks for your kind words! Yes, March is a good time to come here. Temperatures get nice during the day, but still chilly in the evening. It should be sunny, but if you’re out of luck, it could also be cloudy at times - spring weather is not as stable as our summers are. But for doing sightseeing, discovering villages and scenery, doing some walking, eating lunch on terraces, it’s perfect. Not too crowded, either. We recommend! 😊
@@rivierago Thanks for sharing your knowledge of the area. Very much appreciated !!
Hey,nice !! I thinking ....!
Vielen Dank für euren content ! Verfolge euch schon länger und dank euren Tips konnte ich bis jetzt 3 mal Urlaub in Nizza machen und die schönen Seiten auch außerhalb der Stadt genießen. Als halb Franzose fällt es natürlich viel leichter die Barriere zwischen DE-FR zu überwinden. Ich genieße beide Kulturen und wenn ich umziehen würde, wäre Nizza bzw.die anliegenden Orte am Meer mit Sicherheit die erste Wahl. Lg aus Bayern
Das ist ja toll, vielen Dank für die Rückmeldung 🤩, liebe Grüße über die Alpen!
Hello guys! I saw most of your videos on the channel and I can you guys gave me a lot of positive energy to move to the south of France 😍 I’m going to move to Côte d’Azur soon at the end of the year to start my studies at skema Sophia campus and I was a bit worried! But when I saw your videos I really enjoyed it!! Please keep posting cuz your videos are really helpful for foreigners!! I just got a question to ask, is the French Riviera cities friendly with English?! As I don’t speak French well 😅 but I speak English fluently, would it be easy to communicate there?!
Anyways, I wish you all the best guys and please keep positing from time to time 🥰 Au revoir from Egypt 👋 and I hope to see you in the south of France 🥰
Thanks a lot for your comment! It’s possible to get by with English, most of the time anyways. But you’ll surely learn better French once you’re here and that will make life easier and more satisfying 😊. Enjoy Skema!!
lovely ladies
😍
Love the idea of moving to south of France. Not sure if the Nice/Cote de Azur region is as affordable as other areas, such as Toulon (noted from IL videos)?
Hey, it‘s definitely more affordable in the hinterland of the Côte d’Azur/French Riviera and towards the west (exactly: Toulon and surroundings, all of Provence and further towards Spain etc)
Every country has its own culture and ofcourse one has to adapt, but there is no excuse for rudeness or disrespectful behaviour, not matter what culture or country it is and people should be considerate and considerate of others no matter where they are. Unfortunately, this consideration for others is more of a priority in some countries than others.
I really enjoy your videos! My wife and I are retired and in our late 50s (but young at heart). We are looking for a home base in Europe to spend 4-6 months. We have been to Nice once and loved it as it has a similar vibe to where we live in San Diego, California. Do you travel outside of the Cote D’ Azur much, ie. to Italy or other parts of France? This is our idea to be very centrally located to all the best places in Europe (our son and grandkids live in the Mosel btw 😀). It seems you are an hour flight or a few hours train/drive to so many nice places. We are somewhat concerned if we can get by with English only but you seem to think it is possible. Your thoughts or insight would be appreciated. Great content and looking forward to your next videos. Rich & Angela
Thank you very much for your words! Our friend from California (Nicole, you might have watched our interview with her) sees the same parallels as you do. We do travel a lot within Europe: we both have family in Germany, so that’s a regular trip. Nice airport is the second biggest in France (after Paris, with 2 airports actually) with many direct flights to capitals and bigger cities within Europe (and the world). At the same time it’s a small and easily manageable airport within easy reach from the entire department of the Alpes-Maritimes. Aila is “specialised” in road trips because of her dogs - and she’ll go to Spain, all of France (even only the south has so much to discover: Camargue, Avignon, Nimes, Montpellier…), even the UK, Austria, Germany by car. Italy is just around the corner, so yes: Italy any time, any destination, Liguria, Tuscany, Rome, Naples… Scandinavia is a bit far by car, but there again: many direct flights. So, yes: we are very happy with the travel opportunities 🤩. Let us know how your plans go!
@@rivierago Thank you for replying! I’m even more convinced this is the place for us to establish as a home base. We will definitely reach out when we make our decision😎
I believe I heard you say you can swim almost all year around. Could you tell me more, it seems so exciting! Where do you swim all year around? in the ocean? do you need a wet suit?
Well, the locals, namely retirees in Cannes or Nice, can be found swimming in the sea literally year round, with no wet suit on. Our kids do that, too.
Everyone has taken a new year’s dip (even us who prefer swimming in the sea from May to October when it’s nice and warm). Right now water temperatures are still great between Cannes and Nice, (around 23 degrees C) but that will change soon, in winter it goes down to around 15 degrees C.
That is very exciting! Lucky you!@@rivierago
@@louisdelatourdupin3277 🤩
Thanks for the evaluation. One question concerning the integration: what about your husbands and kids: they are German oder French? all kids speak French, German and English?
Thanks a lot for your question! Yes: German partners, kids that were born in France and are trilingual (thanks to the international school in Sophia Antipolis) at pretty good levels - though not a 100 % perfect in any of the languages. We still envy them a lot, they are way better than us in French and switch between languages without any effort at all! 🫣
Hello, tank you for your video. Can you please give us some information about a healthcare:
1.What is the quality of Healthcare in Cote D'azure. Are the hospitals well equipped for major surgeries, such as open-heart or spinal?
2. What about long term care facilities for elderly people?
Are you able to do a video on this topic on your channel?
Hi! Thanks for your questions! The health care down here on the French Riviera/Côte d'Azur is really good (as is in France in general, leading in Europe I dare say). Which doesn't mean that for a consultation with certain specialists you might have to wait a few weeks or even months.
There are several major hospitals, even attached to the university, in Nice, but also in Cannes, Antibes and Grasse, and Monaco has great facilities and doctors, too. As to your specific questions: not sure, but we assume that major surgeries are covered. I'm sure you can google these topics (hospitals probably have their websites in English, too).
There are many, many retirement homes etc. - but to be honest: We have no idea how good they are and if there are any that cater to an international crowd.
Sorry we might not be able to do a video about this topic at this point for two reasons: It's a topic we don't fell like we know enough about and it would take a lot of time to do proper research. And unfortunately we fear it's not something many people would be interested in... but we'll definitely keep it in the back of our minds.
@@rivierago Thank you very much for your response!
👍
thanks for always watching (and liking! 😉)
👍🏻
so faithful, thank you 🙏😊
🙌🙌🙌
😁
Do they need international nurses in south france??i love south of france but not yet retired❤
Hi, thanks for your question! We don’t know for sure, but due to the international crowd down here there’s always a need for people speaking English and other foreign languages. There are many international doctors down here (we know mostly German ones 🤪). Why don’t you get in touch with one of them (just Google them) and ask their opinion?
Il n'y a pas que le sud de la France en France.
Bien sûr que non ! Mais c'est la France que nous connaissons le mieux 😉
Dziẹkujẹ bardzo za Informanten. Byłam Nizza i Cannes. Hotel Marineland w Nica.Zjadłam bardzo smaczny obiad na plazy Riviera bitsh. No i oczywiście piłam kawẹ z dodatkiem 4 ciasteczek .Spẹdziłam piẹknych 5.dni.
Glad to hear that you had a great trip 🤩😊
@@rivierago 🙂
When you talk about small talks at the grocery store, it's ok in the south of France; but in...Paris, it's another story ! because people there are always in a hurry ! 😂
Thanks a lot for your input - makes sense, life down here is probably really a lot more relaxed than in busy Paris. But we weren’t even aware of this difference within France since we are so used to the small talk and taking your time kind of shopping 😅
I do not ask.
Feel free 😉
sooo many things wrong with this video...these two are living in a parallel world, speaking english with a german accent , as a french i don't get it, we don't need these kind a birds.
Care to elaborate?
Maybe you can explain better. For those considering moving to France. You don’t like immigrants?
@@AmandaWilson-qz5kl Well, immigration is a topic in France but you didn't come in a dinghy did you ? You're more yacht people than boat people, so you're welcome ! What i ment is that i think your video belongs to a facebook group, not a youtube channel.
You mean immigrant life
Yes! What did we say?
useless.
Sorry
but you dont have any CHILDREN ` because you dont respect Man .... just love your freedom
Yes, we love our freedom very much. Our kids and families, too, by the way 😊